I've been cheating

Don’t worry it’s a loveless affair, but I have to admit… I’ve been spending time writing on another blog.  I’m awful.  I meant what I said in my last post about trying to get back into the groove, but with having to write for my company’s blog a lot lately, I’m drained.  By the time I get home, the creativity is gone and I definitely don’t want to sit in front of a computer.

Do you forgive me?  I hope so.

A few things have happened since Thanksgiving.  There was of course the whole Black Friday experience, Tech won the ACC Championship, I made cookies and an apple crisp from scratch, we decorated our apartment for Christmas, and Jake started wearing his “Believe” t-shirt every day since December 1st.

In other news, I’m almost finished Christmas shopping & bought the most recent Twilight movie, Eclipse, but haven’t found time to watch it.  Life’s tough.

Jake declared that he officially finished all of his shopping today, which has me intrigued.  I sent him some ideas for gifts, but they were all niceties and not necessities, and if you know Jake then you know that if it isn’t practical he isn’t buying it.  So I’m not sure what Santa is bringing this year.  Here are some things from my wish list (of course, I don’t expect to get a single thing, let alone multiple things from it):

1.    a new raincoat
2.    the first Harry Potter book (I’m behind)
3.    a scarf- I can’t get enough of them
4.    one of those tervis tumblers with a lid for my sweet tea
5.    bananagrams (fingers crossed Alison and Will pull through)
6.    a framed picture of Tank for my desk (Jake has 3 pictures of Tank up at his work)
7.    a shelf with hooks and baskets for our entryway, although I hate asking for house things for xmas
8.    a few seasons of my newest obsession, Bones, on DVD (that actually wasn’t on a list before this one)
9.    the Twilight ornament (of course!)
10.    a Starbucks gift card to feed my chai tea addiction, with 2 pumps of Pumpkin Spice (I’m sort of hoping my mom gets a bunch of these from her students though, because she doesn’t go there and probably would share them with me instead)

Is it weird that I just shared things from my list?  I thought it could make for a nice post Christmas blog.  This way if I posted a picture from Christmas day holding my new Twilight ornament and tumbler up close with a huge smile you’d really appreciate it.  Can you picture it?  I can.

Keeping it Going

Continuing to read made my 30 before 30 (more specifically, averaging a book a month) and I am taking the task seriously. I just finished The Host and really loved it. It definitely took awhile for me to get into it but once I committed to reading it while traveling recently, I could barely put it down. As a matter of fact, I bought it for the flight back from Buffalo mid-May but didn't pick it up it again once home. I finally decided to finish it this past trip so I could move on to another book (I can't stand stopping midway through to start something else) and who would have known it turn out so good!

Long story short, I'm really glad my sister suggested I might like it and that I took the time to see it through. It was an interesting concept and a complex love story (not to be confused with a romance novel in ANY way) that I would recommend.

The novel is by Stephenie Meyer, but it isn't at all like the Twilight Series so you can't start it with those expectations. The story takes place in the future, which I think is why it was hard for me to get into at first. If you like that sort of thing then its right up your alley and if you're like me, just try it and trust that it does eventually get good.

Worth the Wait

I can't believe it took me this long to post about the Eclipse premiere!!! It was AWESOME! I arrived at the theater at approximately 9:15pm with a bag of swedish fish and a big water bottle. I wanted sweet tea to keep me up, but I was concerned about having to use the ladies room all night long... which wouldn't be tolerated after the movie started. I found my friend Gillian there along with some other faithful Twihards and we began to wait.

All kinds of crazy things were happening. There were two local radio shows there: Hot 100.5 was offering photos with a Jacob cut-out and Z104 was giving away seats to their reserved theater. Neither of these appealed to me, 1. because I'm Team Edward and 2. because I already had a seat in a private theater (so take that). The lines were already formed when I arrived but we were shuffled to wait outside our specific theater around 10 until it opened at 11:30. However, the people waiting for admittance into the other theaters were waiting in a line that swept beyond the theater itself and the surrounding restaurants. Insane, I know, but totally expected.

I hung out for awhile and then got really pumped when they opened the doors to be seated. We found great seats and I immediately got into my perfect viewing position: indian style, candy out, drink in holder, sweatshirt on lap for warmth, with my phone off. The coordinators started passing out raffle tickets for the door prizes and asked trivia questions for a chance to earn more tickets. We had to raise our hands before answering to keep things fair and I definitely got a question right for an extra ticket. They had a costume contest which 5 people from our group participated in (one person had fangs) and then drew tickets for all sorts of prizes. I'm talking bags, posters, buttons... it was so fun! The only thing that would have made it better was if I won something instead of the people sitting directly beside me on BOTH sides. The girl to my left actually won 3 times! Lucky duck.

The movie started at midnight and I sat entranced until 2:15am. By the time I got home it was closer to 3 and although I was still elated from the movie, my age got the best of me and I fell right to sleep. Thank goodness I took Wednesday off, I don't know that I could have woken up on time let alone been alert.

So Close!!!

11 hours until the premiere of Eclipse!!! I can barely stand it! With the movie on my mind, I've barely been able to talk about anything else... and since I'm at work that means I haven't been talking that much at all (except to other Twihards, of course). I have seriously been waiting months to see this movie and it shows. Poor Jake, he sees the worst (a relative term) of it.

Awhile back I got an invitation to buy a ticket for a reserved theater. I kid you not, some women from work reserved an entire theater when New Moon came out and took their chances on selling all of the seats. Of course they ended up getting rid of all of them and people were so happy with the arrangements that they asked them to take on the task again for Eclipse. This is not a joke, these ladies are serious... and frankly, so am I. They created a website (check it out) and have been keeping it updated as the time passed before the premiere. I snatched a ticket pretty early on and have been anticipating this evening- the trivia, costumes, and finally movie for quite some time!

I'll be sure to recap everything tomorrow and if they'll let me/if I remember, I'll try and snag some pictures of the festivities! Bring on 88 adult Virginia Beach Twihards- we're finally united!!!

making a list and checking it twice

There has been a TON going on (or so it seems) with Jake and me the past few weeks! To keep you in the loop, I've listed the things we've checked off so to speak. I know it isn't a lot for you to read, but it was a lot for us to do in the past couple of days. Enjoy and I'll post something more entertaining soon!

1. Jake started work @ Sentara this past Monday.
2. We've started making arrangements to pick up Tank/Samson/Dotson during fourth of July weekend.
3. I went with my mom to take care of just about all the graduation party needs... the beer is Jake's job.
4. I decided to join the YMCA and keep up with my spin obsession.
5. Bunco took place this past Wednesday at Dani's house and I didn't win a thing, not even most losses.
6. Jake started and finished the MS 2 day bike challenge last weekend & I cuddled with Boomer (our favorite Boston Terrier to dogsit) in his absence.
7. I bought a new bathing suit with not exactly perfect matching bottoms- this is a first for me, although I feel like it's becoming a trend.
8. I almost got a speeding ticket.
9. Jake and I tried HK on the Bay and had some awesome seafood (this is blogworthy because we never go out for dinner).
10. Jake finally took his PT boards today!
11. And most importantly, I purchased my ticket for the Eclipse midnight movie premiere!!!

sweet relief

Phew! My good friend Meredith's birthday was yesterday and I am relieved to say that she loved my gift. My relief may seem trivial to some, but I consider gift giving to be one of my love languages (except when it comes to Jake) and so the recipient's reaction is important to me... not to mention, I find Mere to be an extremely easy person to shop for! However, this year presented a unique obstacle, as she happens to be right in the middle of packing for a BIG move to St. Louis and it isn't the best time for acquiring trinkets, etc. This meant I had to make sure whatever I bought for her wouldn't be a nuisance to pack or move.

What did I get???

I ended up going with a variety pack of blank note cards (for keeping in touch) and the novel, Twilight. Before you judge me about the book, let me explain...

When I started reading the Twilight series Meredith mentioned that she was considering reading the books but was going back and forth about it. She told me that her hairdresser raved about them, but then later shared she was unhappy with how the series ended. This made Mere unsure whether or not she should read them at all. So truth be told, I wasn't forcing my love of the series on her out of nowhere- I just gave her the final push she needed to get started. Honestly, I thought a longer book was the perfect gift; she is about to move and have the summer off, affording her lots of free time. I figured if she ends up wanting to read the entire series she will have something to pass the time.

Also, please let the record show I checked with our friend Stacy before making this purchase. I knew everyone's first conclusion would be that I let the Twihard in me take things too far.

Might I suggest a book?

I just finished the book, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society over the weekend and would highly recommend it for a quick read! It may come as a surprise to most of you, but the story had nothing to do with vampires (well, the Cullens are really the only vampires I care to read about)! Anyways, it was actually suggested to me by a few people... and Stephenie Meyer just might be reading it as well. Regardless, I figured since I'm trying to form this hobby it couldn't hurt to try it out... and I'm so glad I did. I can't say enough good things about this book. The main character is entertaining in her own right and I noticed that I had a constant smile while reading- it was a true pleasure!

The whole book is letters written back and forth so it is incredibly easy to read and remain engaged. I know this isn't a witty post, but I just thought I would share my experience. Does anyone have any other book recommendations? I've moved on to, The Host for now but I don't have anything lined up after that.

Robsessed

I realized today that I might have a problem when during my lunch break the following happened:

My friends from work and I were walking through the mall when we passed f.y.e. (a store that sells cds, dvds, etc.). We were engaged in the usual lunch break talk when I stopped DEAD in my tracks!!! I am not exaggerating. You know when you're driving (not flying, but maintaining a reasonable speed) and out of nowhere you slam on the breaks for a small animal? That is what this exact moment was like! There he was, Edward Cullen!!! Completely forgetting what we had just been talking about I began running through the potential ways to get this life size cut out of Edward Cullen (aka Robert Pattinson) in my house. Like any true Twihard, I had to have it- Jake would understand...with time.

Now that I've come down from my adrenaline high I can rationally think through how to make this happen. I think a financial bribe would be my best bet. By now there has to be a waiting list for it, so the promise of money would be just the push I need to move to the top. The only things standing in my way would be a f.y.e. Twihard employee OR an impressionable teenage employee under the influence of his high school, Robsessed girlfriend (both of which are very likely).

Too bad I could never justify this expense to Jake. For now I've accepted the acquisition to be all together unlikely.

After hearing this story Jake seriously thinks I've lost it. To clear things up, I'd like to make the disclaimer that while the initial appeal and moment in the mall did happen, I am not seriously going to have a cut out of Edward Cullen in my house. If I cross that line, the next thing I know I'll be wearing Team Edward t-shirts on the weekends (too creepy for me)- I prefer fan to fanatic.

Let's redefine romantic comedy...

Monday morning (my day off) I woke up with a sore throat.

Was I surprised? No. Jake had a sore throat the week before, so I knew it was only a matter of time before it struck me.

Was I bummed? Yes. I actually had plans with some friends and had been waiting all weekend to see them.

Day's Activities: I spent the day watching movies and hanging out in my PJs.

Best part of my day: Getting to have ice cream sundaes...for medicinal purposes, of course.

Tuesday morning (work day) I woke up with a sore throat (possibly worse than Monday) and head congestion.

Was I surprised? No. The lack of sleep gave me reason to believe a rough and long day was ahead of me.

Was I bummed? No. For the first time, I didn't feel bad about calling out sick. Nothing I was working on was urgent and I knew if I stayed home that I might actually get to rest and not be disturbed with work related queries.

Day's Activities: I watched Twilight, napped, and then watched some tv snuggled under layers of blankets until Jake came home from work.

Best part(s) of my day: First, Jake calling to check on me between all of his patients- I thought this was adorable. He attributed his new vested interest in my health to the fact that we're married now...I guess when we weren't my health wasn't as large of a concern (I'm still trying to figure this out). Second, when he came home with a "romantic comedy" to watch. Here is how that conversation went:

Jake: Hey, I rented a romantic comedy for us to watch tonight, thought it might make you feel better.

Me: Really? What'd you rent? You hate chick flicks...

Jake: (threw the dvd my direction) You'll see, it looked like something you'd want to watch.

Me: (after reading the Law Abiding Citizen, title) Are you sure this is a romance movie?

Jake: Yeah, why?

Me: The font on the dvd is scary and the title doesn't sound very romantic...

Jake: It is, trust me. Just put it in.

Me: Ok.

Opening scene of the movie...a man and his wife are beaten, duct taped, and stabbed...then the wife and daughter are killed. YIKES!

Me: Jake, this isn't a romantic comedy. Is this a horror movie?

Jake: I don't think so, just watch.

Me: Fine, but you didn't have to trick me and act like you were doing something sweet.......At least Gerard Butler is in this, you know I LOVE him!

Jake: Exactly, thus what makes it a romance!

Me: Right...this makes sense now.

I'll stop there...after all this is a perfect snapshot of a typical night (and conversation) at the McCrowell household.

I Need a Hobby

It's been brought to my attention recently that I need a hobby...or so Jake thinks. We were having a conversation in which he confessed to struggling for gift ideas when it came to me because I have no hobbies! What was he talking about??? I have plenty of hobbies and shared each and every one of them...which he then argued weren't hobbies at all. And then I got to thinking, they were certainly things of interests, but which ones were actually hobbies? Here's the mental battle that followed immediately after our conversation regarding the "hobbies" I'd cited to Jake:

1. Shopping- certainly this had to qualify as a hobby. I mean I LOVE shopping and I do it all the time, but then I started thinking that I was trying to cut back on this particular habit of mine since lately I'd been doing a lot of it with not a lot of money.

2. Traveling- I love to travel...but road trips haven't been happening lately, or really any visiting of new places or old friends at all. So if I'm being honest, the only traveling in my life has been for work. How lame is that? Are hobbies allowed to happen in relation to work? It seems sort of contradictory.

3. Watching Movies- I am definitely still into this! I mainly rent movies from Redbox but over the Holidays "splurged" to see a few in the theater. Jake, however feels this isn't hobby-enough, so I am still left questioning whether I have any at all. I'm so confused.

So what should I do? What hobbies should I take on? I thought about reading, although this never really caught my fancy before. Maybe Twilight changed that, I don't know...will I be able to find another series I want to read so intensely?

What options are there apart from physical activities? I'll get back into running when it warms up, but Hip Hop Hustle is no longer being offered at the Rec (not that I took it when it was there) and I don't enjoy lifting weights.

What else is there? I'm not sure, but I'm open to suggestions as I suddenly feel the need to remedy void in my life fast!

Better Late than Never!

My latest obsession is the Twilight series...and yes I know, I'm a little late in the game. The truth is that I wasn't really interested in all the buzz despite so many of my co-workers reading it, for no particular reason, I just wasn't. Now, I can hardly hold back my excitement to get through the series, and my head is still spinning as a result of the new obsession!

It all started this past Saturday when I was babysitting. After I put the two boys down to sleep, I was looking for something to watch and wasn't sure how to work their tv. You know the feeling when you approach several digital boxes with 3+ remotes, it's terrifying. Well anyway, thank goodness a dvd had been running already so all I had to do was find a dvd to switch it with- I simply couldn't watch God Created Animals for the fifth time! Anyway, low and behold I see the Twilight dvd perched pretty on top of the tv and I thought, why not? I mean I heard it was a longer movie and I had almost 3 hours to kill so I put it in...and that's when it started. Immediately I found myself completely engaged in the film- in the love story, their characters, etc. etc. I WAS HOOKED!!!

The movie finished, and I asked the parents to borrow it. Who am I? I had already seen it and I usually try to leave a big enough gap between repeat watchings so that I can kind of forget the details. But no, not this time- I had to see it again. So as creepy as it sounds, I watched it again that night! I was up until 2am wide awake and mesmerized...still!

Sunday I woke up and knew what I had to do...buy the first book, immediately! I went out and got it as soon as the store opened, disguising the reason for my errand with a trip to the grocery store. I came back into the house beaming in light of my new purchase! Next, I persuaded my Dad to go see the second movie with me, New Moon, while it was still in theaters. It was ok, the ending made me even more determined to read the books and catch up- I HAD TO KNOW HOW THINGS FINALLY ENDED. Late that afternoon I started reading, taking a short break for dinner, only to return to my book and comfy corner of the couch afterwards. I finished the book the following day and am already looking forward to starting the second tonight!

Please keep in mind, I wouldn't describe myself as an avid reader by any means. Everything that has taken place since Saturday is truly not like me, but I'm sort of enjoying it.