Weekend Update

Friday seems like it was so long ago, yet the weekend passed so quickly!

After work on Friday, I met a couple of friends at Happy Hour at Art's Bar in Lansing. We had a great turnout eventually, and live entertainment from one of our Lansing Jaycee members. It was a lot of fun, and I was there for most of the night. Then I went home and finished my book. Woo hoo!

Saturday was the Michigan Jaycees Model Legislature here at the Capitol in Lansing. I was the Majority Floor Leader for the day, and whew!! What a busy day! After we were done, I went home, went to dinner with Eric, and then came back to take a nap. Yup, a nap at 7pm...because we were planning on seeing Watchmen on the IMAX screen at the 9:40 showing! I LOVED the movie...I'm hoping to do a post on it soon.

Then slept in on Sunday, watched Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, and slept some more in the afternoon. It was quite the lazy Sunday!

Now I feel like I'm playing catch up at work on this Monday...

Bacon ice cream and a long weekend...

All week I was planning on going to Muskegon on Saturday morning. By Friday night, I was just so spent that I decided to just drive there after my Happy Hour event for the Lansing Jaycees.

On Saturday, Eric, his mom, Nancy and I went to Mia & Grace. I could eat there every day if it were possible for me (since I live in Lansing...)

I had the Roasted Butternut Squash soup, and it was amazing - I dug into it before I took a picture.

I ordered the Chicken and Mushroom Ravioli with Roasted Yellow Pepper and Tomato sauce. It was amazing. The seasoning in the ravioli was great, and the pasta is made in house.

Eric ordered the Cornbread Stuffed Pork Tenderloin with a Molasses Blueberry Reduction...this might be my new favorite...the cornbread didn't overpower the pork tenderloin, which was seasoned perfectly. The reduction was soooo yummy.

Nancy got the Pecan Crusted Chicken...so good.

And of course....dessert! I got the carrot cake...

Nancy ordered the Fresh Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream - this was fantastic!!!!

And having this made me order the Creswick Bacon fresh ice cream...

The bacon was fantastic in the ice cream - the ice cream had rum in it also, so the sweet/salty combination was great.

And today, my day off, I'm relaxing, hanging out with the dog, catching up on the blog, and watching Countdown with Keith Olbermann from last week, Dexter Season 1, and I'll probably finish watching a disc of Weeds later. I probably have other things I should be doing, but oh well!!!

What a weekend...

Eric came to Lansing this weekend, and we started Friday night out with sushi. I left my camera home for this weekend. After the Thursday night fried food fest, I was just in the mood to have some sushi.

Saturday, we ran errands. Eric decided that we would go shop for my birthday present, which I told him that I wanted golf clubs and shoes. After a trip to Dick's Sporting Good in Okemos, the Pro Golf Discount store in Okemos, and the Golf Haus in Lansing, we decided to pick up the Wilson Hope set.






I also ended up with golf shoes!





That's right, those are argyle accents...

Now, time to just learn how to play golf! We also both ended up buying bowling shoes, since we're on a league that plays at Royal Scot every other week until April. Before bowling league, we went with Runs with Spatula and Corky to dinner at Ukai West. Again, no pictures from me, but it was day two of sushi.

Today there was much less going on. Eric made breakfast of eggs, bacon, and toast, and then we got ready and went to Forest Akers for some golf. We were there about 2 hours. I did a lot of putting, and found out I'm not too shabby at it. But, of course that's the easy part! Now, at some point, I'll have to learn how to drive...

Then, came home, read a bit, fell asleep for about an hour, and then went to dinner at Emil's on Michigan Ave. Yay for all you can eat pasta!!!!

I need more days in the weekend...

Lazy weekend...

I'm enjoying my weekend thus far. Last night the Lansing Jaycees had a Dinner and a Movie night. We had a great turnout, and had dinner at Claddaugh Irish Pub in Eastwood Town Center. I had been looking forward to having fish and chips all day, and it was fantastic.







Afterwards, we went to NCG Cinema to see the new Coen Brothers movie, "Burn After Reading". I enjoyed it - Brad Pitt was hilarious as a gym worker, and there were quite a few moments that made me laugh. Some of the group didn't like it at all, some people liked it and there were also a few in between. The story was somewhat ridiculous, but that's what I tend to expect from their movies.





This morning, I went to the Localvore breakfast at Gone Wired Cafe. It was soooo good. They had pancakes that are so dense, eggs, sausage from AppleSchram farms, and bacon...







The rest of the day, I've been lazy. I did have to go to the Michigan Jaycees Meet the Candidates forum, but that was about an hour or so. I also signed a 6 month lease for my apartment, and picked up some books and movies at the library. Since I've been home, I've been watching college football, reading, and working on some of the things I need to do for the Jaycees.

Tomorrow is going to definitely a movie day...

Gentlemen, start your engines!

Yup, Eric and I went to our first ever NASCAR race on Saturday. It was held in Brooklyn, MI at Michigan International Speedway.

Now, I know you're saying "Ugh, NASCAR", but we had a pretty good time. We never watched it before this year, and only because of friends of ours did we start. I watched some Indy car last year, but not really a lot of NASCAR.

My only complaint about the race was smoking was allowed in the stands. I'm not used to this - when I go to a football game or other sporting event, there's no smoking in the stands. The people next to me kept lighting up, and of course, their smoke ended up in my face. Yuck.

For those of you that don't know, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. won his first race in the last 76 starts! So, it was a good day for most of us. The weather was beautiful, and man are those cars loud! I know, I look more like I went to a football game...

And, my favorite driver (and former Indy driver), Sam Hornish, Jr.

Reconciling...

I'm having a hard time lately reconciling my desire to do lots of different things with the fact that I can't plan everything. I have a lot of ideas of things to do lately, but I just have to recognize my limits in time. But then, I feel like I'm surrounded by people who aren't stepping up and doing what I think they're supposed to be. Then, of course, I run the risk of looking like the overachiever...

Then again, here I am writing on my blog when I should be packing!!! I am not looking forward to filling up my gas tank in the morning either - I'm scared to see how much I have to spend! Contrary to popular belief, state workers pay the same amount for gas as everyone else...

Oh, how I'm looking forward to the weekend and sleeping.

Currently watching: The Office Season Finale

Just another Manic Monday...

So, I woke up this morning, and I was a little sluggish. However, that didn't last very long - I ended up being a little manic all day. I got quite a bit of stuff done, so my to do list isn't quite as long. Though, I'm sure that I will end up adding more to that soon. Sigh.

I know it's only Monday night, but I'm definitely looking forward to this weekend. The week is going to be quite busy - I won't get home until later on Tuesday night, Wednesday night, and Thursday I'll be working the late shift for Texas Hold 'Em. I don't currently have anything planned for the weekend, and I'm hoping to get some good sleep and hang out with the dog (I have her this week).

Currently Reading: The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

I was alone, I took a ride...

You all thought I was getting a car this weekend? Yeah, me too! Unfortunately, it didn't happen, and I will be getting my Taurus fixed. Though, I am currently driving a rented Chevy Cobalt. Woo hoo! It's a two door though. Blech.

I'm feeling overwhelmed right now. I have been busier at work, I have lots of stuff to do for the Jaycees (I'm currently taking a break from my hard work this evening), and the car issue has just been frustrating. Then, this morning, Eric and I were getting ready to drive back to Muskegon from Lansing, and he had a flat tire!!! Needless to say, what should have only taken us an hour and a half took more like 4 hours. Sigh. So, there was a lot of wasted time today, and I'm trying to get all my laundry done!!!

I have tomorrow off, but I don't think it's really going to feel like it. This week is super busy for me, as I'm doing two shifts for the Jaycees for our Texas Hold 'Em fundraiser. Sigh, oh well, I will enjoy the time I do have for myself!!!

Off to finish my part of the chapter plan, do laundry, and then finally read. It's going to be a looooooong night.

"You're so wise. You're like a miniature Buddha, covered in hair."

If you saw me right now, you wouldn't know that I'm super excited that tomorrow is Thursday. I have Friday off from work this week. But, I'm starting to feel like I'm getting sick. I am hoping I can stop it by sleeping and drinking fluids. Luckily, I've been getting some rest, as I've been able to leave work early this week.

The next few days are going to be pretty busy. I've been baking cookies a lot, but no more for this week, unless I do them in Muskegon on Friday. I have to do a ton of laundry all day Friday, and while that's in, I'm hoping to watch a movie or two. Maybe do a little baking. We'll see though. I have to head back to Muskegon tomorrow night, which means I have to pack, get the dog ready for the trip, get gas, etc. Then I have to get out of here, spend all day Friday in Muskegon, go to Eric's holiday work party, then drive back to Lansing on Saturday morning.

I will be attending my first ever MSU basketball game at Breslin Center on Saturday. It should be fun. I've been to the UM/MSU game before at Crisler, but I have never been to Breslin, and I'm curious to see it. It should be fun. There will be sushi beforehand, so that makes me happy!

I have a quick gripe, and it's something that I've always kind of dealt with. Clearly, I'm a female. All my life, I've been better friends with guys. I don't know why, I think I just get along better with guys. I'm kind of a tomboy, so maybe that's what makes it easier. Anyway, why can't I just be friends with guys? Is there a reason that whenever a girl and a guy are friends, everyone else thinks there's something going on? I know most of the time, people just joke about it, but after awhile, it just starts to get on my nerves. I'm not sure if anyone else ever has this problem, or if it's just me. Ha.

"No matter how cynical you get, it is impossible to keep up."

This is a busy weekend. Last night, I went out to dinner with a friend of mine, and then we went to see the movie "Gone Baby Gone". I really, really liked the movie, and Casey Affleck was just amazing. There were some great scenes, and the overall message makes you think. I highly recommend it to everyone.

I was at a Jaycees event for a couple of hours today. We hosted "Stuff the Bus" to help 6 families we adopted from the Salvation Army. When I left, we had quite a few items in the bus. I hope the rest of the event went well!

And then, I have just returned from Grand Rapids. I met Eric there, since we both stayed at our respective homes this weekend due to scheduling conflicts. Anyway, we went to dinner, then did some Christmas shopping. I hate that I'm at a loss as to what to get for some people. Then, other people are just so easy to shop for. I decided that this year, I was going to try and spread a little holiday cheer instead of being a grinch. Let's hope for the best on this goal!

Then tomorrow is brunch and "Spamalot" with the office. That'll take up a good chunk of the day, then I want to make some more cookies, but we'll see how time goes. I could make cookies, make cards, do a scrapbook page, watch a movie, read a book - there are so many possibilities. Although, I may just be lazy - I'm starting to feel a little run down and sick, but I don't know if that's from just standing outside in the cold today!

Well, off to do something...

"If you love something, set it free. If it comes back to you, it's, well, broken."

Ah, the quote is from Grosse Pointe Blank. That movie always makes me laugh. Maybe a good selection for this week's viewing.

The weekend was pretty good. Got some things moved around in my apartment, and I'm still working on that, but I did get a table to do some scrapbooking and jewelry stuff on. So, that's helpful, especially since I have Dakota this week.

I'm at home for the moment, but I have to leave in a bit to go cover a meeting for my boss. Luckily, it's only a couple of blocks away, and there will be dinner, but I really just would like to be home tonight and finish my book. I'm so close - about 30 pages left! Then, I have to decide what to read next. Rearranging my apartment reminded me of exactly how many books I own that I haven't read.

I will probably bake again this week - snickerdoodles (yum!) and ginger snaps (yum!). That's my plan, anyway. Not tonight though, and not tomorrow night. Woo hoo, the work holiday party is tomorrow night. Should be fun, considering the last one I went to, I had only worked in my office for about, oh, one month. So, I didn't know anyone! Hard to have fun at that type of function...

Hopefully, this week isn't too stressful (it isn't so far!), and I can get some things done both in the office and at home. This weekend is going to be pretty busy. I'm helping out at Stuff the Bus for the Jaycees on Saturday, but not sure what time that I'll be out there (we'll be at the Wal-Mart, ugh, yeah, I know, in Eastwood Towne Center all day Saturday). Then, Sunday, our office is going to Wharton Center to see Spamalot. That makes me happy. I've heard it's funny, and how can you go wrong with Monty Python?