HOUSE PICTURES! (there's a chance I'm consumed with this...)

BEFORE AND AFTER PHASES:


















This is the "Before and After" of the family room... okay, like semi-after. We finished the floor and there is furniture in there now, but I can't find any of those pictures and I'm too lazy to go downstairs and take one for you. ...maybe if you paid me....

This is our before and after kitchen (Yes we painted it orange, yes we like it. shaddup)...again with the sort of after... we're still grouting it, but it still looks better right?
This is the "basement" (AKA-back door with 2 square feet for a washer and dryer). This was the first floor Rob replace, it was all rotting and gross- and now it's way cool! and has bikes...because we have nowhere else to stash them..
This is what the view is right now from the front door...tiny little place, huh? Welcome to Maryland. :-) We are getting ready to start removing the ugly green carpet from upstairs and painting and yada yada...afterwards we will be welcoming guests. Boarding is free for friends, but expect to be shown every detail in person. We're jerks like that.

Well this day was a waste of makeup

I started my morning by spilling 2/3 of my coffee down my right side. Nice. What I love about that, is that in addition to the fact that I am stuck wearing stained clothing for the remainder of the day, everyone feels the need to point it out- just in case I thought I bought my shirt half pink half brown, or didn't feel the third degree burns, or hadn't noticed that half of my body was shaking from wet clothes. "Hey Danielle, did you know that literally half of your shirt has a coffee stain on it?" Noooo. I didn't. Thank you for pointing out this ever-so-shocking evidence, let me repay you with another little known fact; smoking is bad for you.
Gas. Gas gas gas. Can you believe it? In North Carolina they are getting into fights over it. C'mon people. It's gas. It ain't like there's snow on the ground right now so if things got to the point where we couldn't drive I don't think anyone would perish from walking a few blocks to the closest store. Shoot, our country might actually get healthy. GASP.
On a good note, the house is coming together... I think I can put some pictures up so you can see them. If you see them, I was right. If you don't see them- whatever I did didn't work...probably best not to mention it.

Angry Words!!!

Rob and I are finding out that every job we do around the house always takes anywhere from 5 hours to two weeks more than we anticipated and involves 2 to 3 extra trips to HD to pick up that oh so important washer, nut, bolt, wrench, whatever that no one bothered to tell you you needed when you were there 15 minutes ago and said "Hey, so what do I need in order to accomplish ____". I think they do it for kicks.
Yesterday after two trips to Home Depots plumbing department my fantastic future husband and I spent about 3 hours with our heads under the sink in the downstairs bathroom trying to figure out why THE SAME sink that we took out in order to do our floors no longer fits in THE SAME bathroom. Talk about aggrivated. Turns out we had the wrong PVC pipe. Shocking. All I have to say is 'Marvin from plumbing', if you read this blog (and of course you do, doesn't everyone?) take this as your warning: I will be in the plumbing section today. During that time I recommend that you hang out somewhere other than plumbing i.e. in a padded cell, your car, behind a locked door, etc. You get the picture.

The Happiest Day of your life...i.e. STRESS

Well, times are BUSY! Last weekend we blew off some steam with my sister, her roommate, and one of Rob's buddies and we went go-kart racing. I think it's a lot more fun to drive when you're allowed to hit people that irritate you on the road. ...especially when they're 7 years old. It was awesome though! Who knew a lawn mower engine could be so much fun.
This last week both of us had the flu...fun times. And we went to Poquoson to finalize more "wedding stuff". I never knew there was so much involved with choosing a cake. Everything is so INTENSE. The cake lady was surprised I didn't already have a diagram drawn up of what I wanted. (I want cake. The end). Who knows. We drove home through 5 hours of Hampton/Richmond/Washington traffic (un. real). And here I am, Monday morning, hooked up to an IV of coffee and praying that tonight I fall asleep at 7pm. Most importantly this weekend, we scheduled our honeymoon! I think the honeymoon is soley there for the purpose of recuperation after "The Big Day". sigh.

Can't keep a good dog down

Dogs really are a man's best friend...or a woman's.
In the interest of spending time with his masters, Scout is truly feeling the strain of home improvement. Not only is he getting yelled at a lot to stay off the floor (with the wet grout), stop smelling the paint on the walls, and a wet saw is not an animal that is waiting to attack, but I noticed the other day that he's wearing a lot of the home improvements. He has grout stuck to his rear from sitting and watching me tile the floors, orange paint on his tail from rejoicing with me when we finally finished that 50th coat of paint (which immediately needed touch-ups about a foot off the ground...stupid tail) and I think he's experiencing the same bloody nose phenomenon that Rob and I are currently enjoying thanks to all the harmfull chemicals we're breathing. Ahh, life is grand.
In other news, I haven't heard a peep from the mean woman who lives in our basement. (That sounds like a childrens' book waiting to happen). Either she's decided to work with us, or she's plotting to end our lives. Stay tuned, folks...

You and the broom you rode in on

Ahh, the suburban life. We're settling in...apparently a little too comfortably. The person who lives in a condo below us has taken to beating the cieling with a broom when they feel we are too loud. We have received said "broom beatings" on three different occasions during the early evening hours (7-8:30 ish). The first time, Rob and I promptly wrote an apology card and told the resident that we were just moving in and we would make an effort to live more quietly. After the third offense, at which point it was obvious that we weren't making any noise beyond walking around, I went down to meet the owner of the broom with my best "Hi neighbor!" attitude (Mr. Rogers would be so proud) to discuss the issue and see what we could agree on. She threw open her window stating she wasn't about to come outside...God knows what an intimidating person I must seem like what with my fantastic muscles. She told me that "ALL the neighbors hate us" (Which is strange because we've met all the other neighbors and I didn't get that impression from any of them) and that she is 83 and too old to be putting up with this S--- (ooooh, bad woooord!) and we should be silent after 6pm because she goes to bed at 7:30. Then she literally shut her window in my face and closed the curtain. I am so tempted to stick flyers for "elderly communities" on her door. (Jesus in, Danielle out, Jesus in...) So instead I called the police to check on county quiet hours (which start at 11pm). We sent her a nice little note telling her we would compromise and quiet down at 8pm. However, If the broom beatings continue I'm turning her in for harrassment. Poor old lady doesn't know what she's in for.

Money Pit!!!

Shoot me shoot me shoot me shoot me shoot me. We are tired. We are injured. We are sleep deprived. We have made at least 14 trips to Home Depot. We have eaten takeout from every possible fast food "restaurant" on the Eastern side of the United States, and I've forgotten what it feels like to REALLY be clean.
Week two in our new home and we are in the 7th ring of hell/home ownership. Not sure where we were the last time I wrote... I do remember being able to feel my fingers though, I kinda miss that.
We have re-floored most of the downstairs. We are Pergo and laminate experts. (and by "we" I mostly mean Rob). This weekend we became proficient in linolium removal. I'm pretty sure you couldn't pay me enough to ever do that again. Ever.
I believe the only real excitement we saw this weekend was when Scout made a mad dash for the door and Rob tried to block him. Now we have a hole the size of Rob's thumb-if you catch my drift- in the wall of the front hallway (and yeah, Scout went on a self-supervised tour of the neighborhood). In addition, our neighbor below us has taken a real interest in banging a broom stick against the ceiling anytime after 8:30pm ON A SATURDAY. For lack of space, our toilet and sink for the downstairs bathroom is on our deck (while we are reflooring). I am waiting for the HOA president to come by and fine us or something...it finally dawned on us to put a tarp over it. Now it looks as though we, like all of our neighbors, are simply protecting what is probably a very expensive grill. The end is in sight though... today Rob is at home laying the tile down. Hopefully we'll glue it tonight and then the grouting fun (sarcasm, oh the sarcasm) will begin.
We picked up Rob's furniture from storage this weekend. 16 hour round trip. Prepare to hear about the exciting world of recovering couches and chairs in the near future.

Home Sweet Home

My entire body is screaming at me.
We closed on Friday and spent the rest of the day moving into the house. We bought pizza and beer for our helpers and by 8:30pm the lot of us were passed out on the floor (no furniture yet) watching Family Guy. Saturday and Sunday were a lot more of the same. We painted, we ripped out flooring, we painted, we cleaned, we mopped, we painted (have I mention we painted?). Scout is less than thrilled with this whole "new house thing" we have going on here. He's not allowed to be anywhere that the paint is wet, he can't go in the backyard alone (For fear that the grass will turn into "Little Backyard of Horrors" and eat him) and he's heard a lot of "NO!" and "SIT, STAY". We'll be showing "before and after" pictures soon though. The guys at Home Depot actually recognize us now. (I think we've been there about 6 times since Friday) - anymore time in that flooring department and I will be the resident expert. We have set a date that we are going to try and have the 1st floor completed by. I don't want to tell you when that is so that if (when) we don't meet the goal, no one will know we've failed :-). Okay, I'm off to take more Tylenol. I need an aspirin IV.

MOVING DAY - Apply Within

I feel like I just won the Olympics. No, like the ENTIRE Olympics. The coffee table is finished and I want to shout it from the rooftops.
In other news...
We are moving this weekend...Moving is an art, really. If you want to get people to help you, you have to be willing to give a little something back. I'm thinking of drafting an application that reads something like this:

ROB AND DANIELLE'S MOVING DAY APPLICATION

(please answer honestly as liars will be gossiped about)

Name:
Address:
Are you a legal US citizen? Yes/No (we don't care but feel like this should be on the app)
Do you:
1.) Have a truck?
2.) Like cheap beer?
3.) Enjoy Dominos one topping pizzas (3 for $5)
4.) Have full use of arms and legs?
5.) Like being outdoors on what we can garuntee will either be the hottest or most rainy day of the entire year?
If you answered "yes" to question #1, the Rob and Danielle corporation will be happy to upgrade your beer from Miller Light to Heinekin and your Pizza to two toppings. If you answere "yes" to question #1 but you are lying, we will find you, rip off your arms and beat you with them. (and then we'll give your pizza to the guy with the truck).

I __________, hereby state this application to be void of false statements. Failure to produce proof of pizza and beer enjoyment will result in my immediate termination.

Any applicants?


...Can I just add that I ran out to check on my coffee table that I JUST finished sealing and left to dry in the sun. Yeah. It's RAINING all over it. Screw it, If anyone needs me I'll be watching Season 3 of Sex and the City.

Breakfast at Tiffany's...(aka Mad City Coffee)

So I just had breakfast with a blast from the past. Dave Calvert, an old CU buddy. It was really surreal! You know how in 4th grade you were convinced that your teacher was JUST your teacher, and it was fascinating to see them in the grocery store, at the mall, basically anywhere that wasn't your classroom? It was almost as if outside of school they didn't exist. Well, it was very much like that today. I haven't seen some of these guys since college and can you believe he's been living and breathing all on his own for the past three years outside of my presence?...Wierd. Makes me wonder who else I haven't really been keeping up with...

Last night my sister brought home the first season of Sex and the City. I never watched it even when it was on TV because honestly it looked like a waste of time. (Plus I think you had to have the expensive cable tv... which I don't). We drank wine, ate potato chips and sushi (for future reference, that's a bad combo) and watched 6 HOURS of shoe shopping, bad hair and very questionable behavior. I feel dumber, shallower, and strangely addicted.

Gentlemen, Start Your Engines.

So, I know I've been bad about making this "Rob and Danielle's Blog" rather than just Danielle's...but I'm back with an update from the adventures of your favorite superhero sidekick. For whatever reason, the military chose to send me to an advanced driving and shooting school just south of Virginia Beach for about 10 days...right now I'm four days into it and, wow, is this fun! Remember all those crazy (and ill-advised) stunts you pulled on your first dirtbike as a kid? This school is the grown-up version...learning to spin cars around in circles, skid around corners at 80mph, flip trucks over in the mud (and pull them out), jump over hills and splash through creeks, you name it. Who knows what feats of vehicular insanity they have planned for us tomorrow, but never have I had so much fun wrecking perfectly good automobiles. Danielle's view on it is that I was already a bad driver in the first place, now I'm just getting further training on how to drive badly. Woohooo!!

The second photo is of my car crew (I'm driving) and a few others doing a precision run around the track...we had to get up to about 65mph and keep our side mirrors touching the whole way 'round. The first photo is from earlier today...kinda took a bad turn and got stuck...you figure it out.

And! And!! Danielle just called me and told me that our pal Karen just went into labor...please guys, say a prayer for the safe delivery of her child...every one counts! Bye! -- Rob

Okay, at this very moment in a hospital in Virginia, one of my best friends in the whole world is screaming "GET THIS BABY OUT OF ME!" That's right folks, Karen Carl is about to be a mom! For the first time in my life I get to be a "psuedo Aunt" (Ahem, Laura, if you really loved your sister you'd make me a REAL aunt....honestly!). Anyway, so congratulations to the Carl Family!
Meanwhile the future Townely's are learning all we ever wanted to know about Pergo flooring...and then some. I've seen the Pergo video, I read the outside of the Pergo box, I even hung out with "Hello My Name Is John" from Home Depot in the Pergo flooring section and I'm still pretty sure we'll mess this one up. Stay tuned for (depressing) updates on this new project. I have no problem telling you that my tail is between my legs on this one.

** On a side note; Amy, I don't know that this is the best place to post my mailing address (what with all my fans and stalkers)... why don't you send me an email? kukichd@yahoo.com In fact, why don't you ALL send me an email? :-)

I'm off to get the stripper!

Okay, before I forget, you have to check out the banner at the top of this page. Go on, look, I'll wait. HOW COOL IS THAT? Our personal web guru stuck that up there for us. Every time you refresh the page it says something different about us. (Yeah, we're pretty into ourselves, huh?)
Anyway, So my parents came up to watch the O's get their shorts handed to them by the Red Sox. Nice. Either way we weren't really all that concerned- we're Phillies fans. But we still got to eat overpriced hot dogs, drink the most expensive cheap beer I've ever tasted, and throw peanut shells on the ground. = SUCCESS.
Today I am taking on the stupid coffee table. To catch you up, I own this adorable little coffee table someone gave me. The only thing is, they painted it white. Like UGLY white. So now that Rob and I are getting our own house, every stick of furniture becomes crucial to saving money. We figured, if we just strip the paint off of it and stain it, it would be gorgeous again. So we began this little project one Sunday afternoon 5 WEEKS AGO. That stupid table has 4 coats of paint on it and the last two are oil based. At this point we have gone through at least 6 pairs of gloves - the chemicals break them down- two packages of steel wool, we had to buy a sander, and 7 cans of paint stripper. (At first it was really funny to us to say to eachother "Honey, I'm going to go get the stripper!"..it's old now). Not only has this project now cost us almost $200.00, but I think we've had to use so much stripper that we're actually beginning to ruin the wood. I swear, before we're done with this there's gonna be a fire somewhere...

what, no cape?

Ahhh, the stresses of the bride. Today I had my "first fitting"for my wedding dress. That's right, it takes MULTIPLE FITTINGS before you're done and you get to wear your dress for exactly one day before it sits in a closet for the rest of your life. You know, for as much as those cost (and I even got a 'cheap' one), you'd expect them to magically fit JUST BECAUSE. But Nooooo. You get to go back to the store over and over while some woman tells you to stand up straight, stop moving, and stop making faces at your sister in the mirror all the while she is sticking those tiny pins in your shins. "fixing my hem"...yeah right. I swear, it's like traumatic acupuncture. They claim to give you a 'personal seamstress'...hmm. It was a lot like getting a seen at the Emergency Room on a military base. You wait, they ignore you, you watch people come in and leave, and still you wait. They finally bring you in, say a bunch of stuff in broken English, and you leave confused and with less money. (okay, so on base they don't take your money). The woman I had reminded me a LOT of the lady on "The Increadibles" who made the super hero costumes. I kept waiting for her to explain how my dress was going to be flame resistant or stretchy or something. Nope. She wouldn't even do the cape. And I get to go back in August.

July 4!

Is it just me, or does the day after a four day weekend almost negate the entire weekend?? I am more tired today than I would have been had I gone to work on Monday. (yeah yeah, I know... my attitude bites.) Rob and I tried mountain biking yesterday for the first time. We bought mountain bikes over a year ago and this is the first time we've actually used them for their intended purpose. I'm hooked. Mountain biking is like "almost dying" over and over for about an hour and a half (if you're doing it right). I don't think Jesus has heard prayers that intense from me since Rob was in Iraq. Once you get over the fear of meeting your Lord and Savior about 60 years early, it's awesome! Kukich and Townley give it two enthusiastic thumbs up.
We also hit up Annapolis for the fireworks with Clayton and Heather (all you CU grads should know these two). I've never been much for fireworks, but **disclaimer- I'm about to get cheesy** I gotta say, now that I'm getting ready to marry a Marine who has spent the better part of a year in some armpit of the world every year for the past 6 years (and is getting ready to go again), I have a new appreciation for the fourth of july and our troops. Rob just drove back to NC today to the metropolis that is Camp Legeune (spelling?) ahh, the glamorous life that awaits this future military wife. Bases and lots of camo. It's like the "pleasantville" of paint ball fanatics.

Rob and Danielle's first engagment picture...you know you're jealous 

everyone say cheese

So, our fantastic photographer has sent us a preview of our engagment pictures. So in turn, we're previewing YOU! (feel special). Sha-Zam...

Happy July 1!

Well, we had our pictures taken on the beach... not YORKTOWN beach, mind you- as we had hoped. No. There was a... let's call it "childish meeting" taking place there that day. That's all I'm going to say about that.
We went to some other beach past VA Beach (stupid long drive)but it was fun. We did a lot of the cheesy stuff that you see in ads for perfume or expensive watches. I think my favorite thing was "staring pensively at the ocean". Anyway, I'll attach some pics when we get them.
Moving On.
We have NO plans for the 4th of July. We suck. We've been trying to hard to get everything done that we forgot to make some plans. I bet we end up sitting in the driveway with a sparkler.

Say Cheeeeeeese(y)!

Well, house inspection pending, we are finally able to talk about other things. (You can stop turning your phone off when we call.) The stages of wedding planning get more interesting as they go. Our newest "new thing" we find pretty funny. We're doing engagement photos this weekend. The idea of it kinda cracks me up... I mean, kudos to those of you that get the pictures where you're sitting nicely together, hands folded, and smiling like two young people in love. I have really enjoyed seeing them on the walls of all the houses we've tried to buy and then got out bid on (sorry, I SWEAR that's the last "house" thing). But as for Rob and Danielle, we act more like two 6 year olds who are best friends on vacation, so it's more likely that one of us is smiling because we're about to shove ice cream up the other one's nose or something. Our fabulous photographer (no seriously, he rocks) has decided to avoid what he calls "gritted teeth smiles" and is taking us to the beach where we can get sandy and soaked and run around and be our stupid selves and have fun. Our pictures will probably look ridiculous, and future prospective buyers of our home will probably walk in, see a picture of me holding Rob's head underwater while he is splashing around helplessly (because I am so much stronger than that wussy Marine) framed and hanging above the mantel and they will run screaming. You know... this is starting to sound fun....

Welcome to Pleasantville!

Oh. Holy. Smokes.
Rob and Danielle have finally succeeded in their house hunt. We have a home!!!! We will be settling at the end of next month- which is perfect for us- and we will be residents of the great city of Crofton! Click Here To See It!
Okay, and just so you know- we aren't paying the list price. The actual retail price (Sorry, a little Bob Barker in there) is still being negotiated. But Rob and I are totally greatful to God for (*cough*finally*cough*) providing us with a home. It does take one of the huge sources of stress out of our lives and it's in a nice neighborhood so when Rob goes to Africa in October for 6 months, he won't have to worry about me and Scout being safe. Anyway, WOOHOOO Honey! We did it!!!!

Rebuttal

All who shall read this...Rob here. So yeah, by now you've had "story time with Danielle," and no doubt think that I'm some snobbish prude who won't live anywhere but Beverly Hills. So now, in my defense, let me offer my reasons for "burning down Denise (cough - Danielle's - cough) dream house. First of all, it was not on the water. In the real estate world, the property was called "water view" meaning that some small patch of water may be seen from some vantage point on the property. In this case, the water in question was across the street, on the other side of another row of houses. So, in effect, if one wanted to "view" the water from the home in question, one would have to have "go-go Gadget x-ray vision" of some kind. Second, in order to spruce up the place, the real estate company that now owns the property made a large number of improvements (enter the "stone floors, hardwood floors in the kitchen, and finished basement") that Danielle mentioned. What she didn't mention was that the stone flagons which comprised most of the floor of the main living space had some sort of defect or another, and were no doubt bought from the "defective, on sale" pile at Home Depot. So...now we make our way to the "finished" basement. If you looked at the superstructure surrounding the stairway, you would have noticed that the original, slightly "distressed", circa 1956 load bearing beams were only covered by a small sheath of pressboard akin to that seen in old elementary school classrooms and really shoddy beach houses (you know, the kind where the builders think the place will be whacked by a hurricane anyway, so why waste the money on nice materials?) Ok...on to the basement. Nice, well lit, open room, until you walk around and realize that you're walking on a concrete foundation that is as rolling and hilly as the Appalachians...yet cleverly hidden beneath berber carpet and thick padding. Not exactly poured to standards. And then, you see the "storm cellar" door. Walk around some more, and you see the exposed duct work and piping in the "finished" basement, just before you walk out the "storm cellar" door. Yes. Storm cellar. The whole reason people have storm cellars is that so in extreme inclement weather (i.e. the hurricane that flooded Baltimore in 2003), one can avoid bodily harm in the cellar while the rest of the home is blown away by mother nature's fury. Yeah. if I'm going to deal with mother Nature's fury, I better have my own private beach out front, not a narrow street and neighbors with rusty chain-link fencing and redneck trucks. And...and! On the drive out to this "gem," I noticed not only a no-kidding "sea shipping container" (you know, huge steel box with rivets) in the yard of a property 6 streets away, but also a few residences that had been converted into auto mechanic garages and landscaping businesses. So...substandard craftsmanship, shady neighbors, property zoning problems, a pittance of a "water view" of any kind, narrow streets, an aluminum back porch enclosure (forgot to mention that), all in a town with an average crime rating of 5.0 (Well above the national average of 3.2). Not exactly a place I would feel safe leaving my new wife alone while I have to go off to Africa for 6 months. Not that Scout isn't the epitome of a watch dog, but there's only so much the little guy can do. Bottom line...I love my fiance. The home we end up with will be of fine craftsmanship, in a safe neighborhood with other occupants of like lifestyle to our own. Call me a snob, do what you will...I can't help that I want a safe place to settle down with the love of my life...this is Rob...signing off for now :) Thanks folks.

Story time with Danielle!

Good afternoon, children. Today's story is entitled:
"Our First Fight" (all together now, "awwww")
-- clears throat --
Once upon a time there was a very happy couple.."Rick" (cough-Rob-cough) and "Denise" (cough-Danielle-cough). Rick and Denise were shopping for a home before their wedding..which Rick was pretty sure would be happening. Until now. One day, Rick and Denise's Real Estate Agent, Andy (cough-no, seriously, that's his name) showed them a house that he thought they would love. It was a friendly little house on the water. Yes, the WATER. (Rob, I hope you're reading this.) It had stone floors, a huge stone fireplace, wood floor in the kitchen, 3 bedroom, 2 baths with a basement and laundry room. In a word, it was ADORABLE. Needless to say, everyone was enamored. Everyone except Rob- er, Rick. Rick said the house was unacceptable and had no tolerance for this nonsense. Then he set the house on fire and danced and danced (slight exaggeration) . Poor Denise was heartbroken and she and Andy cried and cried. Denise knew that they would never find a home now! The car ride back to the agent's office was a silent one, until Denise and Rick took their own car the rest of the way home when Denise explained to Rick that she would probably rip off his arms and beat him with them while he was sleeping. She also mentioned that when he went away to Africa in the fall, she would have a little something we like to call POWER OF ATTORNEY and "they" could buy any house "they" liked then. Muahahahahaha.
Let this be a lesson to all you little boys out there. Girls win. Every Time.
The End.

Update from Rob.

So...when last you saw our intrepid superhero duo, they were in the midst of a great quest to find a home. Yeah. That quest isn't over yet. We just may find a refridgerator box of our own sometime soon, or at the very least a microwave box. To tell the truth, we've not been up to anything particularly adventurous lately, other than using an inordinate amount of chemicals and sandpaper in a yet incomplete attempt to turn an old dresser of Danielle's into a finished coffee table (Hey look mom! We're saving money! Ok...so for as much as we've spent on supplies at Home Depot, we probably could have bought a new coffee table all together...) And that...ladies and gentlemen, is about it. This weekend we tried our best to take a step back from all the craziness that has invaded our lives of late and take in some sunshine and fresh air...which, aside from a group of crazy kids who sounded like an Eminem album, was a success. Stay tuned for our next episode...

Wedding Gift Registry: 1 House

Well, no house yet. Not that I haven't been looking EVERYWHERE. I really am thinking hard on pitching a tent in a nearby field, sticking a mailbox in front of it and calling it "#1 Townely Lane". I'm pretty sure my poor ReMax agent is growing tired of my bad jokes on how we still don't have a house. The saga continues.
The wedding. Ahhh. I remember a while back, I berated newlyweds everywhere for their gift requests on registries. I would like to retract my statement. If you're going through the throes of planning a wedding, you should register for WHATEVER you want. Trust me, you're putting in the hours. Having said that- we'd like a house, please.

a refrigerator box of our own

Okay, sorry it's been a while (like a long while) but times are hard here for the Townley Hopeful. (that's me!). The wedding is still on, but in addition to that stress we have added two categories:
1.) house hunting
2.) The Stupid Marines. (yeah, that's right. I said stupid).
Rob and I have come to the startling, and depressing realization that if we don't get off our butts and buy a home soon, they will be WAY out of our price range. no. like WAY out of our price range. So we're on the move. It's ridiculous the things people can sell nowadays. A decent townhouse will cost you about $299,000 IF YOU'RE LUCKY. Obviously we don't have this kind of income so we're praying for some kind of "house-miracle". No miracle sightings so far. Those of you who bought houses "back in the day" know that the seller pays closing costs, etc. Not anymore. Now, in addition to closing costs, we buyers are expected to pay about $10,000 MORE than the asking price, plus waiving a home inspection, and a lot of times replacing bad carpets, flooring ourselves. One house had HOLES in the walls and was still going for over $300,000. Un-Real.
3.) In addition to this, Rob is still in NC. I'm doing most of the home shopping myself and he's spending 5 million hours in the car driving up and back on weekends. THEN we found this out: Rob is going to Africa. For 6 Months. The Week after we get married. Can you believe it? They said the Iraq would be the last time. Apparently the military lied. (shocker). So the week after we tie the knot, I'll be driving Rob to the airport yet again. We are so bummed out. Right, so pray for us if you think about it. We are one giant ball of stress right now and could use some encouragement from our one faithful reader... do we still have even one reader these days?? Mom?? Anyone??

What is up with my computer?

Okay, so my PC has a virus. dun Dun DUN! I haven't been able to get it to work. (hence, my absence). Anyway, not much else to report here. The wedding nonsense continues. This weekend we got our invitations. Holy smokes getting married costs a lot. It's like 200 JUST to ask people to come watch. JUST TO COME! Can you believe it?
So this week Rob's out in the woods of North Carolina playing an intense game of "Cowboys and Indians". I am so jealous. Why can't my work be like that? Don't get me wrong, 8 hours of staring at a computer is fun and all, but I would love to have my next three hour meeting involve walkie-talkies, some dirt, and maybe even some kind of paintball gun.
Ahhh, well, my time here is up for the day. Back to mediocrity.
P.S. Don't see Nicole Kidman's movie "Birth". She's making some really seedy role choices lately. Holy Smokes.

Funny....no, seriously, you're hilarious

Okay, so by now everyone has heard of the chick that got cold feet a few days before her wedding and took off like a bat out of hell. I genuinely feel sorry for her because I'm starting to realize (I love you Rob) that it's super stressful. However, I'd also like a few minutes with her in a padded cell. I can't tell you how many jabs of the elbow I've gotten in the past week at work, through email, at the dog park, etc. "Hey Danielle....got your running shoes ready?" And then we all enjoy a good laugh at my expense. Ha. .....Ha.
Okay, that said. We registered (again). My sister, having berated us for our lack of registry skills, suggested we register at Pier One. So we have. Although we haven't registered for our big flat screen TV yet (as I whined about around October with all the wedding madness that was surrounding me) she has brought it to my attention that you actually ARE supposed to register for EVERYTHING- literally whatever you want. I'm still having a hard time with this. I mean... I've always wanted a pony, so does this mean.....? (I'm kidding...sort of). Luckily Rob is there to help me. And so I'm curious, all you newly weds. Was there anything you registered for that sounded absurd at the time, but now you're glad you did??

Aaaaaaand We're Back!

Okay, so who knows what the heck happened to the blog in the past two weeks. What's important is we're back, and now you can sleep at night again. The wedding planning commences. WE HAVE REGISTERED. Well, sort of. I'm new to this whole "registry" thing, as is Rob. And, well,...we suck. So I'm not telling you WHERE we registered until we go back and fix it because according to my sister (whom I swear should go into wedding planning) we are not utilizing the wedding registry properly. (I feel like I've just overused the word "registry").
Moving On.
So the wall colors....you guys be crazy. I love how you can tell who the family members are that comment. (Ahem, Neal and John). Nice... Unfortunately (and I use the term loosely) we were unable to retreive your requests since the website has been down, so we've settled on a toffee brown color for the kitchen. It looks really nice in the picture. We just haven't had the time to pain yet. Maybe this weekend. Any volunteers?

This is Neal

Due to some technical difficulties, this blog was unavailable for about a week. Please forgive the technical staff for being such slackers and not looking into this earlier... We hope this has not caused anyone any undue difficulty.

Hippodrome of Horror

That's right, you guessed it...this is not the ever sarcastic super-heroine...but it's the next best thing! Ok...well maybe not, but this is Rob. So, yesterday was the big day out at the theater, Danielle and I went to the Hippodrome performing arts center in Baltimore to see "Little Shop of Horrors," which turned out to be an awesome performance. Man-eating foliage, over-priced chocolate chip cookies, and "the dentist"...what more could you possibly want from an off-broadway show? Anyhow, we had a great time, and ended up continuing the scary theme of the day by watching "Saw" and "Shaun of the Dead" with some beer, doritos and roommates later that evening. Alright, so I fell asleep during "Shaun of the Dead," so sue me.

And now, our faithful readers (and to you folks just joining us to point and laugh)...I pose you this question: What color should we paint the kitchen? It's been stark white for so long, we all feel that we need a little change, so I leave it up to you. Cast your ballot folks, and just think! If enough of you band together, our kitchen could be a hideous shade of fuschia. Let the democracy begin!

Friday = Happy Hour

Friday at last. I can't tell you how nice it is to not have anywhere we need to be driving this weekend. Woohoo! Tonight I have happy hour with some coworkers and then it's home to veg out and relax. So. How is everyone? I'm starting to feel like I've fallen off the face of the planet. You know how in Office Space all the days start to run together and time just keeps moving? Enter Danielle's Life. I'm boring, I'm mundane....I'm going to drink some beer.

The Prodigal Son Returns

Okay, to my faithful readers, I'm sorry I've been so bad about keeping up the last three weeks. I suck. To my not so faithful readers...well, you probably didn't notice I've been slacking anyways so who cares what you think.
We just got back from another wedding this weekend... this one was in Virginia. I think the wedding madness is relaxing for the next few weeks, which will give me more time to write you guys about all the exciting stuff going on in my life. (go ahead, roll your eyes).
This weekend we got our photographer signed for our wedding. I'm not sure why we picked him as opposed to the other 5 million guys on the web, but he said I had nice eyes and that was basically all I needed to hear. Typical Female. I am doing my very best to stick with the "low key, nobody stress out" mode. We haven't scheduled any ice sculptures or dancing girls, but we still have time (basically that's my speech for "we're accepting applications if you know someone"). Okay, well like I said, I apologize for my abscence but I was really moved by all your notes that you missed me. For those of you just joining us, that was my sarcasm kicking in. Ahh, I feel like I'm home. :-)

And this was my personal favorite picture from our road trip. Only in the south is a bread truck taken LITERALLY. :-) 

This is us at the wedding. Man we're adorable! 

to NC and back

Okay, sorry it's been a while...and this is going to be quick, but we've been all over the East Coast this week so time has been stringent. Okay, so we've been to North Carolina. Bramley got married this weekend in Sanford. (Pause for appluase) and is now honeymooning in Florida. I will hate her for the next 5 days. Please join me. My mom has demanded that Rob and I come up with "A good engagement picture, Danielle" so we've been trying everything to get one...any thoughts?

This is me and the...let's call him "Confidant" FIANCE!!! 

What a long, strange trip it was...

Hey everybody! It's Rob! So...though many of you have yet to meet me, I cannot thank you enough for the kind words all of you have said on my behalf during this last 7 month tour in the "kitty box." The encouragement did not go un-noticed...though I only had the chance to check on Danielle's page once in a while, I always walked away smiling when I did (Ok..the kind words helped, but let's face it, my girl is just THAT hot.) Anyways...I'm thankful it's all over and that I made it home in one piece. Hmm...in other news...I kinda picked up a fiance on my way home this time... since Danielle and I met in an empty airport terminal, we ended up getting engaged in, of all places, the baggage claim at BWI. Somewhere between backing up traffic on the airport escalator and finding my flight number on the arrival/departure screens, Danielle agreed to marry me. Here's to happily ever after...my sincerest thanks to you all.

Yeah for Me!

So, you may remember me from before..I used to have a web page here before I got kicked off the internet FOR A WEEK. (I can already see how happy you are that I am back).
So, TONIGHT IS THE NIGHT! I am picking up Rob from the airport at midnight which is in 4 HOURS. (Pause for applause and cheers). I am so excited! I just got home from the gym so I need to go get clean and stuff.... plus, not to be cheesy, I'm a little too pumped up to be sitting at my computer. :-)

Easter Sunday

Well that just does it. Rob won't be home until MIDNIGHT on Thursday, March 31. I am so tired of this Tom Foolery. Not really much to be done though, huh? Well, at least he's COMING home. 4 More days....(again).
Laura's stuff got here this weekend. Well, sort of... The movers lost most of her stuff and broke what they didn't lose. It was so bad that I was actually looking around for Ashton Kutcher and his "Punk'd" camera crew. (...except that we're not famous so he probably doesn't have an interest in screwing with Laura's boxes). In addition, our internet is out at home. Something about the modem being faulty. WHAT IS UP WITH THE UNIVERSE?!?!?!
riiiight. I think I may be losing it. I'm gonna go. Happy Easter you guys! Regardless of how jacked up this weekend is, it doesn't change that He Is Risen.

Anger Management 101

Well, I finally heard from Sgt. Townley. He is safe and doing well. However, when they got to their next checkpoint they found out that no one put in their travel request (or whatever you call it). Basically, they have no plane. He is now hanging out at a Military Air Base in Iraq waiting for a plane. All I have to say is if he's not home by Sunday, the Marines are going to be dealing with like 100 REALLY ANGRY women.
Gina, in response to your request for the Sprite Rap...I just don't think writing it out on my web page will do it justice. But you can call me any time for a free demo.

This is the last picture I have of me and Rob- taken about two hours before he left. Stay tuned for the first one back! 

5 MORE DAYS!

I have managed to get the 24 hour stomach flu twice in the last 10 days. Impressive right? My doctor actually laughed at me. I've been healthy for 7 MONTHS STRAIGHT. 6 Days before Rob comes home my immune system decides to take a vacation. Make that Two vacations.
My sister Laura just moved up here. Let the fun begin. The last time we lived together I was 15, she was 17, and I had a knack for reading her diary and showing all of her friends how I could play "Mary had a little lamb" using the telephone keypad (while they were on the phone). I've grown up a little since then... (I can't wait until she goes to sleep tonight so I can put all of her underwear in the freezer.) Nah, it's seriously pretty cool having her around. I'm getting pumped up about seeing Rob on Easter Sunday! The nice thing about Eye Candy vs. Easter Candy is that you don't gain weight or break out from eye candy. Woohoo! Bring on the Boys! (I mean "Boy". SINGULAR, honey!)

7 DAYS

That's right, Rob is home in 7 DAYS. Haha, I sound like the girl from "The Ring". I can't believe it's so close. What are you supposed to do you do when you haven't seen someone for 7 months? I have a feeling we'll be those people that get thrown out of the airport for being too loud or something. Whatever. Their loss.
So I spent last night with 10 month old baby Steven and his 3 year old sister Lorna making a "delicious Strawberry Pie". First we mixed ingredients (little plastic rings with bouncy balls) in a big plastic bowl. Then we baked it in the oven (laundry basket) for exactly 7 hours (about 4 seconds) as directed by Head Chef Lorna. Then came the "pie tasting". I'm never exactly sure how to eat pretend pie. Am I supposed to pick up a bouncy ball and pretend to munch on it, take a spoonful of air or what? Being the superior of the two chefs, I devised a plan . I asked Lorna to take the first bite. I figured I'd take my cues from her. This 3 year old looked me straight in the eye and said, completely seriously: "I'm on a diet".
Whatever dude, hand over the pie.

St. Patrick's Day

So, Happy National Beer Day.
Thanks to my fantastic stomach flu I don't think I will be partaking in the festivities. My roommates make fun of me because I always say I'm going to happy hour, and then always come up with a lame excuse on whyI not only DIDN'T go to happy hour, but seemed to spend a few hours at the gym instead. I don't know. Maybe I haven't totally given up on my "trophy wife" dream. Wait. yes I have. Besides, I have brown hair...that would make me a Desperate Housewife.
Hey, so I was reduced to reality television last night. Seriously, pray for my soul. Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie. Men, this is all I want to say. If these two idiots ever show up with 5 million cameras in your local bar, McDonalds, national zoo, etc, buy a lot of stuff and then look around helplessly claiming they have no money to pay for it, DON'T be THAT GUY in the back who's like "Hey, I'll pick up the tab". These girls are gogillionaires. They have money. You will not look cool. You will look stupid. On national television. And then I will write about you on my web page. And we will all laugh.

What's up with the hatred of my picture? Just for that, I'm going to start posting every picture I have of myself winking. And believe me, there are many. Andrew from Minneapolis (CU Baby!)- and Andrew from P-Town, You guys rock! Thanks for your disclaimers. Annonymous Andrew, I'm hot on your trail and by the way, you're siding with my MOTHER. (Losing MAJOR cool points my friend).

I'm full of myself, eh?

Dang, "Anonymous", Way to pick on a sick girl! Ouch. How was that last entry "full of myself?" It was all about how I'm a disgusting, sweaty, nausious mess. Wait...yeah, that's pretty hot. (okaaaaaaay...)
Staying home sick is boring. I've watched a movie, read, and now I want to shoot myself. I even called work just to make sure everything was okay and I didn't need to come in for a while. They were like "GO BACK TO BED".

Oh well... maybe "anonymous" has some more mean comments headed my way for entertainment.
Hit me up, big guy!

Pickles are Suck

Hmmm. I think I might have the stomach flu. I don't feel (or look) so hot today. I made it through the majority of the work day before I finally realized that if things progressed the way they seemed to be, the drive between my office and my home would be the longest 11 miles of my life. I'm so mad because I have been saving my time off for MONTHS so that I can spend a few days with my Hero when he finally comes home (13 days and counting)- NOT so I can sit at home and watch Oprah give away cars. Sigh. I feel like crap.
-- I know most of you have no idea what my title is all about today. I'm okay with that.

Read this to feel good about yourself

So today I made a blinding discovery of other things I do not excel at. Crafts.
I was thinking that it would be a cool idea if I made some sort of "welcome home" attire to wear to the airport when I go to pick up Rob. You know, tie the yellow ribbon and and all that. I felt very "domestic" walking through the aisles of the craft store as though I knew exactly what I was looking for and exchanging the knowing smiles of soccer moms and school teachers. HA. So I finally made my decisions and brought all this stuff home and laid it out on my bed to begin. 2 hours later I own the ugliest "welcome home" gear in the United States. There's actually a good chance that Rob will see me and then get back on the plane. Am I going to wear it to the airport anyways?? If you silently asked this question, you obviously don't know me that well. YOU BET I AM.
In order to make up for my craft disaster I decided to work on other areas of my domesticity (actual word?) so that at the end of the day, I would still feel like a female. I cooked dinner. Sort of. I was going for Shepherd's Pie... I ended up with what I am going to call "Clumpy mashed potatos with bits of hamburger and corn". I hope Rob likes Take-Out.

I Love This Guy!

Okay for those of you who still haven't seen this guy, (which means you are living under a rock) check out http://www.albinoblacksheep.com/flash/numa.php

Other than my apparent fascination with foriegn men who can't dance, nothing much is going on here. Rob's arrival date has been moved up. I would love to be excited about this but this date has moved back and forth so many times that I'm not going to think too hard on it until he calls me from the airport and says "hey...so, you coming to get me or what?"
I need to go find something to do... It's a very unfulfilling realization when you become aware that you no have life at all. For example, right now I am anxiously awaiting the availability of the dryer in our house. Ahhh, the stuff of life.

Bad Boys Bad Boys...

20 MORE DAYS. (That's right. This annoying countdown will continue for 20 more days).

Well I seem to be rounding out the week in style. Today I got a letter from the Department of Police (gasp!). They know what I did at 5:23pm on March 2, 2005. They were watching me. They even have pictures. On March 2, 2005, I, Danielle Kukich, shamelessly ran a red light. dun Dun DUN!!!!! They even have a cute little close up of the back of my car speeding through the light. If you look at it just right you can see the red glare on my little silver "Jesus Fish". I've been thinking though, this is America and somewhere there's a lawyer who wants to sue the Police for taking pictures of my cars rear end. My car feels violated and I, as the car's owner, should be compensated. A lot. I mean, let's be serious: What if my car begins to shy away from traffic signals altogether for fear that a member of the Police Department is waiting just around the corner to start snapping photos? We could hit another car and now we've got people with broken bones who can't walk anymore, car tires that will never again see the pavement, and I'm sure some kid will end up with Mono AND HER FRIENDS WILL NEVER CALL HER. And all this because someone felt the need to cite me for a tiny little traffic violation. I ask you, citizens, has it come to this?

yeah...that's what I thought.

I feel the need to share this with you.
When I was a junior in high school I got Mono from kissing (mom thats slang for "studying with") a boy who had shared a hamburger with like 8 other guys (they were starving wrestlers trying to make weight before a match). Anyway. That's all background information, there for the sole purpose of your entertainment. (cue the applause).
Moving On.
I had Mono so bad that I didn't sleep for 3 days and ended up literally in my mother's lap in the emergency room of some hospital. (you know you're miserable when you're 17 and lying in your mom's lap...shameless). During the few weeks that I was "blessed" with this excused school absence, I had maybe ONE visitor. One. If anyone did call me, I don't remember it, except for Mr. Wrestler guy who called to break up with me over the phone that week. On Valentine's Day. Nice. Anyway, my point in telling you this is that while I, Danielle, A HUMAN, suffered through this near death (sort of..okay not really) experience alone, MY DOG has received multiple emails, phone calls, and IM's concerning his well-being and health from his dog fight yesterday. I don't think Scout even remembers that he was IN a dog fight. But here I am, 8 years after my NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE (do you like how it gets worse every time I bring it up?) still scarred that none of you called me. And don't give me the "But Danielle, I didn't know you back then". I think we both know that's a lame excuse.

Funky Butt Loving

As I predicted yesterday, it snowed today. Not only snowed, but also rained and sleeted. I will remember in the future not to get sarcastic with Puxatawny Phil as he obviously has no sense of humor.
I just had the most liberating/guilty moment ever. I drove to my class at the gym, like the healthy citizen that I am. Upon reaching the gym I had an epiphamy (good spelling is overrated). I didn't want to be there. 15 minutes later, here I am in my pajama pants with a pint of Ben and Jerry's (Cherry Garcia), 5 cookies, and a glass of milk. You might call me an extremist.
The title of today's entry was inspired by a little mishap that occured approx 4 minutes ago. I sat down at my computer and pulled my knees up Indian style - as I do everyday. But I hit my knee on the table, somewhat severely and it hurt. No, like HURT. I should take a moment and inform you that I am in the process of reforming my language barriers. Working in the corporate world has actually made me prone to swearing. In my efforts to express my pain, while also not offending anyone in earshot (Hey, Scout still has one good ear) I said the only thing I could think of... a direct quote from that 90's movie, Rookie of the Year -"funky butt loving". It never struck me as funny before but for some reason it hit me as hilarious just now. I mean, really- WHO SAYS FUNKY BUTT LOVING?


...i guess i do.

Jesus in....Danielle out.....Jesus in.....Danielle out....

So, fellow blog readers. Today's lesson is all about how to not piss me off. It's very simple really as I am not generally an angry person. Ready? Here it goes: DON'T MESS WITH MY DOG. This entry shall be called "The Sequel to the entry about the dog who's human doesn't mind when she jumps on people"(circa de november). It's gotten worse. If you read my previous entry, you know that today I took Scout out to the park to play. There we were, a Norman Rockwell in the making: human and dog happily tossing and chasing the frisbee (respectively). Out of nowhere comes the dog from Hades (slight exaggeration possible), who immediately (and this part is 100% fact) ran up to my dog and pulled a Mike Tyson on his ear. Scout's ear started bleeding all over the place. I confronted my fellow dog walker who told me it was "probably fine". Yeah. $110 later my dog is on antibiotics for the next two weeks with a jacked up ear. I think more than anything, he's mad he got his tail kicked by a girl. But seriously. You gotta be freaking kidding me with this dog. When your dog reaches 60+ lbs it's a TAD too late to "begin" training. I'm so mad I'm sweating.

Is that the sun?

It is so nice outside today! (What's up now, Puxatawny Phil!?!?) Actually, I am trying to appreciate the day for what it is and not expect anything near this nice tomorrow... haha, that sounds like a typical first date. I just know (the same way a guy knows that the gorgeous girl he just met and is nuts about will one day turn into a raging, clingy, jealous lunatic), that tomorrow it will probably snow AGAIN or something equally pleasant. Work is slow. I swear, there are days that go by and all I can do is stare at my computer screen and say "you have GOT to be kidding me". Anyway, I'm going to go make use of this day and take Scout to the park. I like seeing my dog smile. :-)

Oh man. I sound like a Hallmark Card. Shoot me. Shoot me now.

Mother Rucker!

Man I'm a bad friend. Folks, below is my friend, Angie Rucker, who just had a baby! Check out her "before" and "after" pics. Congrats Ange! Evan James!!!!!!

This is the "Before" shot. Ouch... 

This is the "After" shot! - Starring Baby Evan James! 

28 DAYS

ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh
Rob will be home at the end of the month!!!!!!!!!
I got to talk to him last night but we had to hang up when his base all of a sudden came under attack by some rebels. I could actually hear the rounds going off through the phone. If you think about it, say an extra prayer for our troops tonight. They've been through one heck of a lot.

I just found out my old college roommate, Bramley, is getting married in April. Holy smokes we are dropping like flies. To commemorate this day I would like to site the top 5 moments in our roommate history that I enjoyed most.
1.)"why do I see tigers on campus"? --
2.) American Pie (shielded by some government thing on TV)
3.) Our "son" Ecclesiasties
4.) The "Fish" bruise
5.) Lying on our beds with our heads back and making that awful noise that we thought was hilarious

Congrats Bram!

100 things about me that you don't need to know

I have seen this everywhere and if it weren't for a SERIOUSLY boring evening I wouldn't put you through it, but I have nothing better to do, so here you go!
100 Things About Danielle
1. I am scared of flying
2. I hate wearing high heels
3. I always wanted an older brother
4. I hate cats
5. I don't like to be the center of attention. It makes me nervous
6. My favorite color is red
7. I own a Hanson CD
8. I LOVE "Family Guy"
9. I prefer to write with a pencil
10. When I was younger, I lived and died by "Little House on The Prairie" and I wanted to be Laura Ingalls
11. I'd like to be a stay at home mom someday
12. I worry that I'd get bored
13. Childbirth scares the hell out of me...especially that needle in the back thing
14. I still cry when Bambi's mother dies
15. I wish I could speak Yugoslavian
16. I remember my first crush ever....Billy Cash where are you now?
17. I'm a die hard Eagles Fan- because my dad said so
18. I had to quit working at Bush Gardens before they fired me.
19. I've delivered pizzas for two pizza places: Little Ceasars and Dominos
20. I am ridiculously independant
21. I still can find no good reason why Western Civilization is a required subject in college
22. Sometimes I miss college...but I'm always glad that it's over
23. I have absolutely no sense of direction
24. I can't cook
25. I have a love/hate relationship with scary movies
26. My favorite move of all time is "The Three Amigos"
27. I hated "Brave Heart"
28. In the past, I have ended 95% of all romanitc relationships within the first 90 days.
29. Some might say I have a commitment problem
30. I am claustrophobic
31. I am the shortest person in my immediate family
32. I am taller than my future husband
33. I love to play sports but get bored watching them
34. I graduated highschool as a thespian (read that carefully, NOT lesbian)
35. Most of my friends are already married to the rest of my friends
36. I've never lived near family
37. I started playing the saxophone 14 years ago
38. The first time I was ever asked out by a boy I was 13 and it turned out to be a cruel joke
39. The same boy asked me out 5 years later in high school "For real this time". Not so much.
40. I love to dance
41. I am extremely sensetive
42. I actually made up the excuse "My grandparents are flying in from England that night" to NOT go on a date (I still cringe)
43. Worst "meet the parents" moment ever- involved the death of their family cat under a car I was in.
44. I wish I had waited a few more years to get a dog
45. If I could change anything about my past, I would have worried less about my weight (and maybe paid a little more attention to my hair)
45. I have seen almost every episode of the Brady Bunch
46. The first thing I do every day when I get home from work is change into pajama pants
47. I love acting, but public speaking still makes me nervous
48. In everything I do, I seem to either have increadibly good or unbelievably bad luck
49. I have WAY more guy friends than girl friends
50. I hate being called "Big D"
51. F. Scott Fitzgerald is my favorite author
52. I believe in God
53. My first kiss was the quarterback of our football team. I was 16 and it was a disaster. And he told EVERYONE.
54. I love raw vegetables but I hate cooked vegetables
55. My most common meal is cereal (a direct result of #24)
56. I don't think I could survive without coffee.
57. I think Starbucks is overrated
58. My socks almost never match - but they are always clean
59. I still look like I'm 18 years old
60. I still don't know how to check the oil in my car
61. I hate watching old home videos because I was a HUGE showoff
62. I have always opened all my gifts on Christmas Eve
63. I get irritated if I feel like it's rained for too many consecutive days
64. I love going to the gym
65. I have coached cheerleading but I have never actually been a cheerleader
66. I cried when I didn't get the part of "Mrs. Claus" in my 5th grade Christmas Play
67. I suck at Chess
68. I could never understand why Popeye loved Olive Oil. I believe he could do better
69. I don't sweat what I can't control but I do stress over stupid things like "what am I going to be for Halloween this year?"
70. I won tickets to a Harry Connick Jr. concert by giving the best fake "calling into work sick" demonstration at a radio station
71. I ended up having to give the tickets away because I got sick
72. I plan to make a patchwork quilt out of all the bridesmaid dresses I've ever worn
73. Worst pick up line I have ever tried: "So...are these plants plastic?"
74. My most embarrassing moment happened when I was 18 and is actually still too embarrassing to post here
75. I have been a bridesmaid 4 times in the last year
76. I don't believe in Love at first sight
77. I drive a stick shift
78. I almost always talk on my cell phone when I'm in the car
79. I hate to admit it, but I am judgmental
80. I believe all men should experience cramps JUST ONCE
81. I also think it would be fair if men were capable of getting pregnant and it was a 50/50 shot on who would carry the baby
82. I love sushi - I eat it almost as much as I eat cereal (again, no cooking required)
83. My second toe is WAY longer than my big toe...it looks wierd.
84. I am very passive agressive
85. I'm an early riser
86. I only have one sibling
87. I can write with both hands
88. I enjoy everything about camping except the sleeping outside and peeing in the woods stuff (i.e. - S'mores)
89. I believe that swimsuits are a very cruel joke on women. What CAN'T you see in those?
90. Flip-flops are the ultimate shoe
91. My favorite actor in the world is Bruce Willis. To this day I have no idea why.
92. I am addicted to Hot Tamales
93. My tailor told me my arms are "abnormally long"
94. I recently switched tailors
95. I feel guilty when the nail salon lady has to take the old polish off my fingers before she can start
96. I'm obsessed with taking pictures
97. I still feel surreal about getting married
98. Somedays I just miss my mom
99. I'm STILL relieved (and shocked) that I found a job after college
100. I enjoy using 'out of date' phrases such as "Tom Foolery" or "Hot Dog!"

30 more days!

I'd repremand the person who left the cheecky comment on my last entry but hey, at least they left a comment! ...it was probably my mom. It's dark outside, the weather is crap (7 more inches of snow today) and I have just finished consuming a half a bag of Tostitos... and a huge bowl of salsa/melted cheese/sour cream. I now have that half "Oh Lord. What was I thinking?" and half "MAN that was good!" feeling. In approx. 3 months when I start complaining about how I look in a bikini, do NOT pull up this archive and email it to me. I will not find it amusing and you will not be invited to my wedding WHICH IS THIS FALL!!!! Rob and I are getting married in Yorktown, Virginia ON OCTOBER 8TH! I HAVE NO IDEA WHY I KEEP WRITING IN ALL CAPS!! OKAY, THAT'S ALL FOR NOW!

hahahaha...shaddup.

Sooo, it's Friday night and -jump back- I HAVE PLANS! Hey, smirk if you must, but see how many times you go out on a Friday night when your boyfriend is in Iraq. Everyone either wants to double date or have a "singles' night" and I qualify for neither. I get it that while Rob, ever the hero, is out saving the world I should be the model female sitting at home, darning his socks and singing the national anthem but dang it- I need a life! Anyway, my chiropractor gave me tickets to a comedy club in Baltimore this evening soI'm taking my Princeton buddies out to raise some hell. Hopefully the guy will actually be funny. I hate going to a comedy club where the standup isn't funny because you feel obligated to laugh anyways. Then they think they're actually funny- because people are laughing, and they continue telling ridiculous jokes. At the end of the night you paid $30 for a beverage and the company of a guy who starts every story with "so a duck walks into a bar and says..."

33 MORE DAYS ROB!

Is it getting hot in here?

Wow, so Laura came up this weekend and had a KILLER interview with a good company up here! With any luck I may actually get to see my sister more than once every 11 years (slight exaggeration). 35 more days left till Rob gets home. Today at work I was bombarded with concerned married people making sure I know what I'm getting into before Rob and I decide to "tie the knot" (for those of you just joining us, this is a definite topic of conversation lately). You would think I had agreed to set myself on fire. Everyone was like "DON'T DO IT!!! MARRAIGE IS THE DEVIL!" Sheesh. A memo to all people of sound mind and body: Whenever, in life, you are presented with the opportunity to give advice to someone who has not asked for it- KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT. There is a REASON they aren't asking you. My favorite "pearl of wisdom" that I was offered today was "Don't marry someone just because they are attractive now".

Woah. Now THAT'S Deep.

P.S. Tara, I can hook you up ;-)

False Start! Begin Again.

Just when I thought I could start the countdown, the Marine Corps put me in my place. Rob NOW won't be home until the 30th of March. Yes, I realize this is just a matter of a few extra days, however, when you have waited 6 months and are now on "The Final Countdown" (cue theme music here) a few more days doesn't do anything but really tick you off. Grrr. So we're back to "38 more days".
In other news, my sis is in town this weekend..... :-) ....okay. well that's all I got. I'm out.

An apple a day won't do JACK for your knees.

I started physical therapy for my knees today (For the running injury from November). THREE TIMES A WEEK I have to go in and stretch in front of doctors. It's a 6-week rehab And, AND I have to pay like $15 every time I go. Go ahead, add it up. I'll wait. ...okay, you're taking too long $280.00! TO STRETCH! I hate being an adult. I guess it's cheaper than knee replacements though...
So Rob's adopted pup has left the team out in Iraq. Jester was adopted by some locals in Baghdad and is probably flopping around their house driving them nuts at this very moment. (Rob don't worry... you can HAVE Scout!) It's been a while since my last "Rob update" so I figured it's about time I get back on track with those! Rob has exactly34 DAYS LEFT IN IRAQ! He leaves on the 24th of March and should be home within 2 days. All I have to say to that is "IT'S ABOUT TIME". I'm getting pretty excited about it (if this is a surprise to you, you should be slapped). Everyone who has yet to meet him...which is....everyone, you may have to wait a little longer yet. I appreciate all the invites but honestly, I think we are just going to decompress for a month before I start showing him off. Don't worry, pretty soon you'll be thinking more along the lines of "Get out of my face already!"

This is Rob's latest picture- with the ever famous dog, Jester.  

One, Two, Three, Quatro!

Any of you Campbell University grads remember my pal Peter Hanna? I went to see Pete's Band, Subject to Change, play this weekend at the Norva. They rocked the house! If you still haven't checked out their website (www.subjecttochangemusic.com) you really need to. Especially since I just made it a link and all you have to do now is click. They packed out the venu this weekend with ONE THOUSAND, ONE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-SEVEN PEOPLE! (This number was actually made into a little song by the end of the night...I think there's a beer company out there that should get some credit for making that happen). Pete's "best GUY friend" John (Me being the "best GIRL friend") flew in from Nashville to hang out, too. We had a blast backstage feeling like important rock star groupies. My favorite part of the evening came after the show. The Norva was closing down and we were all leaving and then it hit me. My car keys were gone. They had been in a plastic bag that got thrown away as garbage by the staff HOURS ago. So, like any normal girl, I freaked out. I found some staff member who told me in a very "I-don't-care" voice that the trash was right outside in the dumpster. (Obviously he didn't know I was with the band) No, it gets better. So outside I go, only to find out they have something like SIXTEEN dumpsters right outside. (sigh). Well, what can I do? I start looking. A minute later the band walks out and asks me the obvious question - what are you doing? After explaining my crisis, these guys that have been there since early afternoon setting up, playing, cleaning up, etc. immediately roll up their sleeves and start digging through piles of garbage with me. We're not talking garbage like "eww, a kleenex". This is broken beer bottles, soaked cardboard, bathroom trash (don't make me explain) I think I even saw a shoe. We had gone through about half of the dumpsters when John *My hero of the day* came up with the most gorgeous set of germ covered keys I've ever seen. They all gave me a hug, pointed my car at the highway, and sent me off. And so, my fellow Americans, this is why I say to you- go check out Subject to Change. Not only are they awesome, but if you lose your keys- you're in good hands. See below for pictures from the concert :-)

This is Roan (bass) and Josh (guitar). These were the first two to throw their arms into dumpsters and help me fish out my keys 

Pete and Jason rocking out at their show. Seriously boys, if you ever find yourself lacking female companionship, learn an instrument. The ladies were ALL OVER these guys. 

This is John (aka finder of the keys), me, and Pete after the show. ....I swear that's orange juice.

I need that on my desk by COB

I would like to start off this email by stating that I WON the poole my family had going for the Eagles Superbowl. $20! (almost pays for the gas and tolls it cost me to get there).

So, now that I'm all corporate and grown up, I've decided something. Work is boring. No, but I mean like BORING. A lot of my day is taken up by adults who need to feel important through using too many acronyms, scheduling pointless meetings (where all you decide on is that you should meet again) and using RIDICULOUS metaphors. I plan to take the next few weeks to exploit this discovery even more, but I want to start with the metaphors. Why? Because THEY'RE HILARIOUS. This past week a buddy and I have taken it upon ourselves to write down every time someone uses a metaphor. Kids, ask your parents, it's like a whole other language. After just four days (it's Thursday) this is what we've come up with (I'm curious if anyone else hears these at the office):
1.) That program is the long pole in the tent
2.) presenting this document is just another stick to beat them with
3.) You're putting the cart before the horse
4.) Could you shed some light on this for me?
5.) There's no need to re-invent the wheel
6.) I don't want to go hold hands and sing kum-bah-ya
7.) Everyone has a hand in the pot
8.) Let's throw this boomerang and see what comes back
9.) You don't want to pull that string. It goes a long way
10.) They're in there having a peeing contest.

Okay, I'll stop after ten...I may have to add more later though. There are some REALLY good ones out there. Other than this, I'm going to VA this weekend to hear my pal Pete's band play (Check them out at www.subjecttochangemusic.com) They have two bands opening for them and they're playing at the Norva and if you know anything about Hampton Roads, you know this means they can walk and chew gum. Seriously, they rock the house. Okay y'all. Have a good one.

This is our "Sad Picture" for after we got our you-know-what's handed to us in the 4th Quarter. If you have the SuperBowl on tape and haven't seen the ending yet. I'd say this pretty much sums it up. The guy doesn't get the girl, Bambi's Dad gets shot, and the Eagles lose the Superbowl.

My mom and Alex....We aren't graceful people. This is why you can trace my family roots as far back as you want, and you will never find an actual cheerleader. 

I love it. This is my mom leading the Eagle's fight song. 

This would be a picture of my "wholesome" family placing bets on the game. Yeah...we take eachother's money. Isn't that what family is all about? 

Don't get all "where's Rob" on me. This is me and my COUSIN, Alex (He's the scrawny looking one)  

This is the extended Kukich family BEFORE the second half. You can tell because we're still smiling.  

Hit 'Em Low....yeah, that was below the belt

Donovan, Donovan, Donovan. What were you thinking, my friend? Well, once again the Eagles blew it. Have no fear, in a few months we niave Kukichs will be ready to start all over with the "this is their year! I just KNOW it!" (just like last year, and the year before, and the year be- yeah, you get it)
It was good to see the family and all that though, and since I got to see them, YOU get to see them! Scroll down for pictures that will make you feel like your family really is normal. (hey, we're Yugoslavs. We do things OUR way).

Puxatawny Phil

Ahhh Saturday Mornings.
It's threatening to get warmer outside. Even though Puxatawny Phil screwed us and claimed to see his shadow. Jerk. I love how our society is full of amazing things. We're America. We have satellites, rocketships, vaccinations, etc. But we all get excited about a little beaver (or whatever he is) getting pulled out of his cage to PREDICT THE WEATHER. I mean seriously you guys. It's FEBRUARY 2nd. There is snow on the ground, my car has been covered with a sheet of ice every morning, and by the time I walk from my car to the building I work in, I can't feel my extremeties. YA THINK MAYBE WE HAVE 6 MORE WEEKS OF WINTER? And I can't justify pulling an animal out of hibernation to hold him up for everyone in the world to see. This always reminds me of the scene from the Lion King when all the animals gather to see the new baby lion on the cliff. You know an elephant or a hippo or something was sitting there going "big freaking deal. My kid is SO much cuter".
I better hear that everyone is cheering for the Eagles in tomorrow's Super Bowl!

Go Baby, Go!

I ran!
I ran I ran I ran I ran I ran!!!!
I swear I'm not losing it, but ever since my knee injury back in November I haven't been "allowed" to run. Okay, if I were being pursued by a robber or kidnapper or something, I think my doctor would make an acception, but under normal circumstances it's not encouraged. Anyway, I finally (I hope) have reached a point where I'm allowed to run short distances. Today I ran 2 miles!!!
...hey, it's the little things in life. And my mom says you make fun of me 'case you're jealous.

Advice? Please.

Oh no. I am guilty. I have become my parents.
Remember when you were a kid and your mom or dad would say stuff to you like "because I said so", "money doesn't grow on trees", and "Stop eating the carpet". (Any takers on that last one? I mean,... me either...). Anyway, today I actually heard one of those phrases come out of my mouth and, so help me, it was one of the worst of them all...
"Welcome to the real world".
Yes, I said this to a young adult who is just learning to pay her own bills. I used to DETEST this phrase because everyone seemed determined to say it to me as if I might confuse "the real world" with "the increadibly fun place where you work 40 hour weeks and pay for everything except your right to breathe oxygen". Imagine my horror. And so, I have resolved never to give advice unless it's fun advice (i.e. You should DEFINITELY try and ski down that hill backwards). Afterall, apparently I don't live in "the real world" anyways, so why should I give advice to those squares?
See you at the EAGLES GAME THIS WEEKEND!

To quote the mystery band....

Happy Sunday. It's snowing...and sleeting...again. We (me and Scout) got up this morning, took one look outside and my poor dog glanced my way and crawled right back in bed. Smart little guy- he knows the deal. This weather's gotta go though. I'm tired of digging out my car in the morning and shaking involuntarily while I wait for it to warm up. I wonder if I have any relatives in Hawaii.
By the way, Rob is doing great. 7 weeks left! To quote a band I'm too embarrassed to admit I can quote: "The minutes feel like hours and the hours feel like days". But either way, March 24th is getting closer!
Have a great day.


...You're wondering which band it is, aren't you? HaHA! I'll never tell, and if you know, you probably won't admit it either.

Who's the champion?

I got promoted today! No. . . seriously I did!!!
(cue the applause)
I was really excited until I found out that it actually comes with more responsibility. - who knew?? Any of you who know me know that my ultimate plan is NOT to climb the corporate ladder, it's to get married and be a trophy wife, wear hot pants to the supermarket and take sissy classes at the gym! (That was a test, anyone who REALLY knows me knows I have uncharted lengths of sarcasm all stored up for a time like this).
Anyway, seriously I'm super excited and terrified at the same time. Failure is a scary thing. It's like I have those two versions of me sitting on my shoulders. One is a devil (and I look hot as a little devil) and the other is an angel who, let's be honest, looks exactly like how I always look, only on a smaller scale. The angel is all "Way to go!", "You're Super!", and other encouraging phrases that your 3rd grade teacher would buy on a sticker and put on your spelling paper. The devil is more "So...you fired yet or what?" ... reminds me much more of the high school teacher who used her "Big, Red Pen of Death" to write things like "SEE ME AFTER CLASS" and "I'M CALLING YOUR MOM". That pen still gives me nightmares....

Hey, ICBS "24" THIS! (yeah, that's right. I said it) :-) 

Shamless Bragging

Yesterday was our (as Rob and Danielle's) One Year Anniversary! According to a note left on my door by the florist, I was supposed to get some flowers but I was not home as I was working oh, so diligently all day long. So today I called the florist and arranged to have them dropped off at my house. They were late and yet again I had to leave for work. So we agreed they would drop them off at Princeton Sports. (because I work there in the evenings...c'mon, catch up). The delivery guy beat me there. I've never gotten so many dirty looks from guys that I work with. (A lot of them are dating girls that I work with that were also present at the time of delivery). Three vases- each with a dozen white roses and a ton of lillies. I think part of Rob's plan is to make sure everyone else hates me so that when he comes back I have to spend all of my time with him by process of elimination. And just in case you don't hate me yet, I'm attaching a picture.
Honey, you are the best! Happy One Year (and one day)!

Look! Look! I'm a Recluse!

What has become of me? We have received about 6 or 7 inches of snow. It bites. The roads are icy, it's cold, windy, and my car is still covered in snow because apparently I'm the only resident of Howard County who is too lazy to go dig myself out. I am developing severe cabin fever but there really isn't much of anything to do around here except complain and watch season 1 and 2 of "Family Guy" on dvd. (which is what Leann and I have been doing for about 48 hours inbetween naps). I am actually EXCITED to go to work tomorrow.
- For those of you who are satisfied with my entry, you may go. Those who would like a sappy update on my Marine, by all means, keep reading.
Tomorrow, by the way, is my ONE YEAR anniversarry with Rob! (I just spent 5 minutes trying to figure out how to make that sentence grammatically correct...still not sure). In my 25 years, no man has ever managed to date me for an entire year. Kudos to you, Rob. This may be attributed to the fact that he is presently 6,000 miles away - and has been for almost 5 months now- but hey, that's not the point! And, AND, he's home in two months! Woohoo!

back to the slopes

Ta-da! I'm 25! I never thought I'd be this OLD! Today began with very early with a nice rendition of "Happy Birthday" from 6,000 miles away. (Rob, you're the best!). I spent all morning at work and now I'm heading out to hit the slopes again. Today is another snowboarding day and we're supposed to get anywhere from 4-10 inches of snow tomorrow. I swear, I should be a weather man. I could have told you that much. " Well folks, it's January so I'd say it's gonna be a cold one out today". No kidding. Okay, more later....woohoo!

Thank you sir, may I have another

Awww, I just received the nicest, most thoughtful birthday gift ever... and my birthday isn't even until tomorrw! The Howard County Circuit Court has chosen me, (Me!) for jury duty. Back off, Rain Man, here I come. Okay seriously, I can think of nothing duller than spending two days in a government building deciding if someone should be put behind bars, fined, or whatever else they can do to you these days. Oh well, at least my car insurance will be lower in about 7 hours.

Oh yeah, whoever "Anonymous" is... You tell me who you are and I'll tell you what "Buck 95" is all about.

White Christmas 25 days too late

Here's a fun story for you. I like to call it "I waited until the last minute to bring ALL of my 'work pants' to the dry cleaners, so now that it's freezing outside all I have to wear are skirts." Today I went to work in my pitiful "non-heat retaining" skirt. I went to a meeting at 10:30am. When the meeting ended at 1pm, we emerged to see 3 inches of snow on the ground (tomorrow's topic- why meetings are scheduled during hours when my stomache is the loudest). High heels and snow...not so much. I also like how last weekend there was no real snow on the ground when we went snowboarding and now, NOW that I'm stuck wearing skirts- it's everywhere.
That's it. I think snowboarding is in order this weekend too...I deserve it.

Allison, Holly, Matt, Haley. This is a Pre "Snow in the pants" picture. 

This is Joe, Jesse, and BUCK 95!!! (That's right, I'm proud of it) I'd like to thank the snow for killing my flash. 

You put your right foot in and you shake it all about

So, Yesterday I went snowboarding with the Princeton Crew. (For those of you who just got all excited about Ivy League schools- Princeton is the ski shop I work at, not the University). It was my first time ever snowboarding and I can sum it all up in one word - "Ohholysmokesthathurts". I grew up a skier- and honestly, I'm pretty good. So I figured I could pick up snowboarding just as easily. (Yeah, yeah, athletes think they can do everything. shaddup already.) The first two hours were very comparable to the seventh ring of hell. If it weren't for my buddy, Sabin (Sabin, you ROCK) I would probably still be on the hill somewhere, knees held into my chest, rocking back and forth. He turned me into a snowboarding chick by the end of my third run on the mountain. The first two runs were less glamorous. I definitely had a few "yard sales" (Yard sale = when you wipe out so badly that everything you have on lands about 5 feet away from you in all directions). The nice thing about snowboarding with Princeton guys is that they know everything there is to know about skis and snowboards. Sabin even fixed my board from goofy foot to regular right on the side of the mountain. You can't buy that kind of service. I think we're going again next weekend.... I only hope the bruises are gone by this summer.

If I were a rich man....

Okay, in celebration of my new blog that ALLOWS COMMENTS (Neal, you rock), I'd like you to leave me a comment. Especially those of you who've been crying to me on my away message that you can't leave comments. (Stephen LeTrent, I expect a comment the length of a short novel from you, my friend).
Another weekend. (sigh). Tomorrow I'm actually babysitting all night. I'm 24 (25 next Friday. I'd like a pony, please), it's a Saturday, and I am babysitting. I swear I'm well on my way to being that crazy lady with all the cats. All I need to expand my "crazy lady" resume now is become a matchmaker for all single people. One of you is now humming songs from "Fiddler on the Roof"...I can hear you. Stop.
My favorite remark of the day yesterday came from my one and only "Robin Hamilton Townley the third, Esquire". I'm paraphrasing, but it went something like this:
"yeah, i have a yacht. it fits in our sink. It's called the "S.S. Shaddup"
Awwww, young love. ;-)
- Okay, there's a CHANCE that I provoked that one. hahaha. (How in the world am I not single?)

Sit Ubu, Sit.

Happy Thursday. Today I managed to elicit a COMPLIMENT from my boss! (No seriously, this is big). I mean, he didn't throw a raise at me or anything, but sometimes a little positive reinforcement is all you need.
So, it was a decent day today and I decided to walk Scout after work- mainly because he hasn't been for a decent walk since before Christmas and I'm starting to feel like a crappy pet owner. It was pretty muddy which is okay, except for when we ran into "Floppy" (name changed to protect the ignorant) and her owner who doesn't train her. Now granted, my dog is no saint, but I have managed to teach him not to jump up on people. This dog violated me. I was COVERED in mud and all she could do was give me that wink like we're both in on some big "Dog Owner" secret and say "oh, Floppy! Floppy stop! haha! She is SO playful- she just loves people". I don't get how just because we both own dogs I'm supposed to be okay with the fact that I am now wearing more of the park than the park itself- and it's because you don't train your 45lbs lab (who is supposed to gain another 45lbs by the way) not to jump. Sigh. I need a shower.

All together now, group hug on "3"

You've missed me haven't you? It's okay, be honest. I make your day. I've been a little busy the last few days. This past weekend my best friend from high school came out to visit. Ms. Shari Gross. There are very few people in life that you can go months without seeing, you run into them one day and feel like no time passed at all. Shari is one of those people. We had a great time talking about what HUGE losers we were in high school- don't be fooled by the amazing, beautiful, fabulous woman you see here, once upon a time I was "less than cool". Yes, even me. (yes, that was sarcasm. I am still "less than cool" -difference being that now I don't care.) We got to hang out and talk about who we hope "got fat" after high school and how the boys that shot us down (think "public humiliation") back then have definitely "Traded Down" because they missed out on us. Haha, just kidding. (sort of). I don't plan on bringing anyone on a Rikki Lake "look at me now" special where I walk in to a disco rythm dressed like the coordinator for the Red Light district and try to make some guy see the errors of his ways back in high school. Honestly, how did they ever talk someone into doing that in the first place?
Today is officially the end of 4 months that Rob has been in Iraq. (I say "officially" because I haven't seen him in almost 5 months, but the first two weeks didn't count.) 2.5 more months until he's home!

This is Rob and the new "Marine's Dog" Jester 

straightjacket for two

Okay Neal, why are my pictures blurry??

I am posting the picture of Rob with Jester not because I want the "awww, look how cute they are with their puppies" reaction, (but seriously, we ARE pretty cute) but to stop the emails and IM's from you guys freaking out over if that ring on his finger means we're engaged or, my personal favorite "secretly married" (Sorry Amy. Busted). Trust me, if either of these were true, you'd know by now because I would be shouting it from the rooftops.
(Rob, that's what some girls call a "hint")....just kidding honey!
The "bling" we sport are the ever famous, cheapie "True Love Waits" rings. Not the "comes with a complimentary human being garunteed to not put their dirty socks in the hamper" ring. Whew. Well glad to give some of you "peace of mind" and others a chance to roll their eyes at my blog AGAIN. (that's right- I see you.)

This is me and Scout on our way back from Christmas at the Kukich's. A week late, yes. But hey, I'm LEARNING here! 

For the Love Of Sandwiches!

What is up with the "comments" on here...? I can't find where they are and I just know that my millions of readers (i.e. probably three of you) are trying to leave me comments (i.e. "hate mail")! So frustrating! In any case, I'll get there.
Leann and I have joined a new gym. I'll be extremely excited when I actually have time to USE the gym so that I can justify handing over $37.00 each month. They claimed to have all these "bonus features". My favorite was the "Indoor track". This turned out to also be known as the perimiter of the Howard County Rollerskating Rink.... Something tells me I may have reached for the checkbook a little too quickly. The next time you see me, I better be RIPPED. :-)

And your name is.....?

So Happy New Year! I ended up abandoning my former New Years Plans (which consisted of reading a book with my dog). Instead I crashed a party with my roommate. On the last night of 2004, Leann and I conquered Annapolis - along with a bunch of her friends, none of whose names I can remember at this point... (and why do you care? You don't know them either.) We had a great time and drove home safely- thanks to Bret. (ha! remembered one!). Rob called around midnight to wish me a Happy New Year and once again I found myself at yet another "holiday gathering" feeling deep hatred towards all the couples surrounding me who were lip-locking and gazing adoringly at eachother. You cut me. You cut me deep. Sigh. Next year, it's on.