little update

Jon treated me to 6 roses for our six month anniversary last week. It's funny that now that we're married, he buys me flowers and then hands me the credit card receipt to record his purchase - just not the same as when we were single. But the flowers were a great surprise anyways. We celebrated by going to IKEA to buy recycling bins and then going to our favorite restaurant for sushi and udon noodles.

I can already see that remembering our wedding anniversary is going to be a tough one for us...is it the 17th, the 18th or the 19th? We both have to stop and think really hard to remember the right day. Last week September 17th was the one year anniversary of our engagement. September 18th was our 6 month wedding anniversary. And September 19th was our three dating anniversary (does that make sense?)

• • •

Well, it seems that I have abandoned blogging (and guitar) to take up my new hobby - quilting. I finished this quilt last week. It's a tiny one (40"x60") made from Denyse Schmidt's Flea Market Fancy fabric line. It loosely resembles the "Day at the Beach" quilt in her new book. I just used different fabric and spiced it up with some aqua ric rac. My favorite part of it is the fabric on the back!

Shinji was not a very good model for me. First he wrinkled it by sleeping on it too much and then he wouldn't sit still or look at the camera while I was taking his picture (and I was just beginning to think that he liked me!)

repeat one

I just realized why I like being home alone so much...I can play songs on repeat and no one has to get annoyed with me or badger me for my song choices.

Tonight, I've been listening to "Multiply" by James Lidell for the last few hours (from the good old Grey's Anatomy soundtrack).

Back in the day, I may or may not have made an entire mix tape of the song "Umm Bop" by Hansen. My family may or may not have wanted to disown me.

Or then there was the time I listened to "It ain't over til it's over" by Lenny Kravitz during my entire 6 hour drive to Chicago.

I'm pretty sure Kate has never wanted to share a room with me since our long summer together of me playing "Never My Love" by Etta James over and over and over and over again.

Jon turned me onto the wonderful iTunes feature of "Repeat One." Only after he had a Jon-style laughing fit when he saw that I made an iTunes playlist of one song listed 30 times. I guess I'm just not as tech savvy as I originally thought I was.

Jon has almost broken me of my repeat one habit by forcing me to listen to entire albums at a time. But I'll always enjoy my repeat one habit when he's not around.

•••

Poor me, Jon just came home and changed the song. "I think it's about time to switch songs..."

happy birthday jon!

I'm happy to say that I successfully made Jon's cake this year. No small feat considering last year's "birthday mound" (Jon's term, not mine : ).

(yes, I tried really hard to make it look this good!)

Just waiting for Jon to get home and then we're off to dinner at Nobana and then browsing at the Apple Store. I picked up Grey's Anatomy Season 2 today and we'll probably watch an episode or two after dinner.

new york city

Thought today would be an appropriate day to post this picture. Five years ago this morning I was in my car listening to NPR on the way to my morning class - sitting in my car and listening in unbelief at the news I heard. My roommates and I spent the rest of that day glued to our tv soaking in all the news.

I decided to download Jon's trip pictures to my computer and post some of them here for you all to see. He was in NYC last Thursday through Saturday on a business trip to see how his company's New York office sets everything up to get ideas for his new office building that should be finished in March next year. He got to view a couple of offices and see their systems and he also got to do a little bit of sightseeing and visiting with his friend, Michelle, from high school.

The rest of the album is here.

sick

I never thought I'd be able to say that I injured myself from coughing too much...until yesterday. The bronchitis that I've been sick with for the past two weeks has caused me to get costochondritis. The doctor told me that it basically feels like the equivalent of breaking a rib. Now, all I can do is lie around like an invalid because it hurts to breathe, cough, move, laugh, or lift anything. Luckily, I am well stocked with pain killers, inhalers, antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and cough syrups with strong narcotics. I've never been on 5 prescriptions at once before! They're starting to learn my name at the drug store because I'm in there so often.

Jon is out renting the next disc of House and we've been catching up on episodes we haven't seen before. I'm so glad he's back home so that he can open and lift things for me and keep me company while I sit in agony. He's very good with appropriately placed, sympathetic "awws."

laser

My mom and I went shopping yesterday and she (the finder of all good finds) spotted a laser kit. She asked the clerk how much it was and it was only $2.50.

I was so excited that she found this laser. Jon has been searching for a cheap laser to use as a cat toy for ages and I got to beat him to it.

My mom and I tried it out on the cats yesterday afternoon when we got back to our apartment. Shinji wanted nothing to do with it and completely ignored it. But NukuNuku fell for it hook, line, and sinker. I've never seen her run so hard or fast in circles before.

I surprised Jon with the laser as soon as he walked in the door and he spent the next fifteen minutes cracking up as NukuNuku chased the pointer around our apartment. In circles, on the couch, on the floor, up the wall, up the door...it's the most entertaining toy for her.

This morning, Jon finally got Shinji to respond to the laser (ever the cat-whisperer he is) and he started going crazy too.

Thanks for the great find, mom! This will keep us all entertained for days!

my new quilting buddy

Well, I officially have a new hobby. I was stuck inside all weekend over Labor Day and was able to cut, piece, quilt and finish my first project. I used a modified Turning Twenty pattern with 12" sqaures instead of 16" squares because I bought the wrong size fabric cuts (1/4 yard pieces instead of fat quarter pieces). The fabric is from the Free Spirit Bohemian line. As with all of my sewing projects it looks better from a distance. I really enjoyed the free motion quilting that I did on it and found it to be very relaxing. And the great news is now that fall is coming I can use it all the time to keep warm while I'm relaxing on the couch.

I enjoyed my first project so much that I bought some more fabric and have started on another quilt. Good thing I have such a helpful assistant!

my husband went to New York City

and all he brought me back was this newspaper.

That's right. This morning he tells me "Oh, yeah, I got you this newspaper. Well, it's from yesterday, but I got it free at the hotel so I wanted to give it to you."

He cracks me up sometimes most of the time. : )