Pre-New-Years - New Year's Resolution

So, I know... I have completely failed at blogging this year... But, as a New Year's resolution, I hope to blog more! SO, to get a jump on it, here is a post! I feel my life is usually so ordinary, it isn't worth blogging about, but here I am!

Last night I baked GFS's pre-made sugar cookies, so that I could decorate them tonight, and bring them to Shared Leadership Council (SLC)'s cookie exchange in the morning (my idea :-D) Here are some of my favorites! And they don't taste all that bad either! Now what to do with all the extra frosting.....

Honeymoon Teaser

Lest the honeymoon be shown up by a perfect wedding, our honeymoon has done a pretty good job so far of living up to that standard. I've been keeping a decent journal describing everything we did, but it's hard to find the time to assemble my record into something worth reading. Everything has been a blast, and earlier today we had trouble deciding what has been our favorite part of Aruba. I'll try to give you a little taste...

After getting in, we had our first meal at the Casino attached to the hotel. We met two Honeymooners from Colorado, who we met up with a couple of more times. It was the first of many surprises of how great the food is here, even at

little unassuming cafes and restaurants. The fresh baked buns for our burger and awesome onion rings made for a great meal off the plane. I also got my first taste of Balashi, which is a pretty darn good local pilsner.

We didn't waste much time Wednesday getting to our first tropical drink on the island, which came at the Iguana Cantina. Jill is drinking a Pink Iguana.

Iguanas are native to the island, and

they're all over

the place. Hence, there are plenty of drinks and restaurants with Iguana themes.

Thursday we rented a car (which has turned from a Mitsubishi Gallant to a Nissan Altima, but that's a long story that ends in a quick change of a tire by me). We took that grocery shopping, and eventually made it out to Senor Frogs in downtown Oranjestad. We actually ran into Wit and Courtney (from Colorado) after dinner. Things got a bit crazy,

but it went something like this:

We had a great time, and also hung out with another couple of honeymooners, who were out for

their last night on the island. [Note: As I'm writing this, it's getting close to time to go out, so I'm afraid the narration is getting shorter...now...]

We found time to make it to the beach:

(my shadow)

I'll leave you with just a couple more pictures, with explanations to follow later.

Sunset Catamaran Sail

Near the Natural Bridge

Aruba or Bust!

It's 5:56 AM, and we're all checked in waiting at our gate for our flight to Atlanta, and I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who made this past weekend so unforgettable.

The past week, for me, has been a busy blur of finishing a semester and preparing for and celebrating our wedding, followed by moving in with Jill. Everything went so well. Jill did a fantastic job planning our wedding, and I have to thank her mom and dad in particular for supporting her from the biggest decisions to the smallest details. I'm sure Jill's high school friend Lauren, who had been looking forward to Jill and Helen's innumerable hand-made touches, didn't leave disappointed. The church and the reception hall were both decorated perfectly. Our accommodations at the Amway Grand Hotel were beautiful; we had views to the North, West, and South, overlooking the Grand River from the sixteenth floor. It was a perfect weekend.

My only regret is that I didn't have more time to sit and visit with everyone who came to the wedding and reception. It was truly an honor to be surrounded by so many of our friends and family. I hope everyone knows how important it was to have you all there with us. We couldn't have had the amazing time that we had without each and every one of you.

Well, I'm sure I forgot to say something that I wanted to, but our plane is boarding now. Be sure to check back in for updates as the week goes on. No promises, but we hope to have the time to check in.

Now, off to the honeymoon...

Just a quick post with some pictures from this past weekend's camping trip...

12 people, 12 million misquitos, 285 jello shots, 1 rascally racoon... I know I had a blast... :)

Wedding Prep

As the wedding prep continues, here are some updates!

We've now had engagement photos taken...

And I picked up my practice bouquet this weekend... It was beautiful!

We are adding red dahlias, but couldn't get them this early in the season...

And last Saturday, I had my Bachelorette party! We had so much fun... Here are some of the girls and I,

enjoying some wine and hors devours...

The we went downtown.. And I of course got lots of looks with my veil and sash designating me as the Bride!

We all went to dinner at Ottawa Tavern, which has great food

(just don't ask about the service...)

Then we went to Mojo's the dualing piano bar, and had blast... Lots of dancing and fun times!

And then we ended up back at the hotel for the night.. Here is me and two of my favorite girls!

(Emily and Suzy...)

Spring time!

Hi Everyone - Sorry it has been so long since I've last posted... I've taken pictures with the purpose of posting, they just havn't gotten here yet... So, other than wedding planning, this is what we've been up to!

Grill Master Jim has been preparing some wonderful meals...

We used our new veggie griller to make a great side to go with our chicken. The veggies were marinaded in olive oil, a little lemon juice, and... from our new spice rack... which I had never heard of....

It went very well with all the veggies... I just had never heard of or used it before!

I've also been doing a ton of spring yard work... Just for Dad - Diagonals!

Also, planted some flowers...

Jim already got started enjoying the scenary and relaxing!

We are going to ARUBA!!!!

Jim kept telling me - everything will work out.... Now I finally believe him!

I got a call this morning, and we have finalized our trip to Aruba thanks to Uncle Bill and Aunt Robyn's timeshare club! Yippee!!! The timeshare starts Aug. 28th, so we will be able to use the whole week... We will probably also look into going a couple days before that as well as flying will probably be easier midweek.... So, I bought some sunscreen today, cuz I'm headed to the beach! (in 4 months... haha) The Aruban Resort and Casino (www.thearuban.com) will be wonderful - take a look!




This weekend was also my first bridal shower! It was so much fun.. Everyone who reads this and is female was probably there, so I'll just say that I had a great time, and appreciate all the hard work and wonderful gifts! It is finally starting to feel real - Jim and I are getting married!!!! :-D

The main issue - resolved

Thanks to everyone for their thoughts this week... we got the reception place! I guess the other party was small enough to move to a different room on a different floor... So there will be two groups there at the same time, but we will dominate in number. As long as the other bride doesn't make a scene, I'm fine with it. So yay! Now if we could only figure out the honeymoon......

My Mini-melt-down

I also have failed to blog... I think it is that I feel nothing really exciting has been going on in my life... Except for yesterday. Not one exciting thing happened... but two utterly disappointing things happened...

1st: They double booked our reception hall. I am just drained from the anger, resentment, disappointment, grief, etc. that I feel... It is not yet decided if we or the other party gets the place, but I'll keep you posted... It's a long story of who bought out who, who no longer works there, blah blah blah.. All I know, is that I want my reception there. The only glistening sparkle of hope I acquired today is that our second choice of locations is still available. However.. due to #2, I'm really considering eloping...

2nd:We can't go to Aruba for our honeymoon using my uncle and aunt's gift of their timeshare. Aruba is all booked... If we wanted to go Sept 28th we could.. but we can't.. We are still 2nd on a waiting list for one that starts the 21st, but then we miss 2 days of it :( Very disappointed... We are trying to figure out if we can afford to go without the timeshare, or try and figure out somewhere else to go... A big boooooo there. We have already researched all the activities and everything... augh.

But now I get to go to work. Yay.. Meeting from 2-3, 330-530, 6-7, then work on the floor 7-1130. I would say that at least it will help me to not think of 1 and 2, but these meetings are not the most exhilarating... ::sigh::

I Passed!

I know we haven't been very good at posting.  Sorry about that.  I don't think I will be much better in the short term, considering my schedule for the next couple of weeks (finals season).  But I thought I would take the chance to share some good news.

I finally recieved the results of the Multistate Professional Rules Exam that I took on March 7th.  I'm not sure why it takes a month to get results for a test taken on scan-tron sheets, but what can you do?  The scaled scores range from 50-150, and Michigan currently requires a score of 85 to pass.  I scored a 110.  What this means, exactly, I'm not sure, except that I passed on my first try.  So that's awesome.

For anyone who I didn't explain it to before, the MPRE is sort of like the  first part of the Bar exam.  It covers the Model Rules of Professional Conduct (the law of being a lawyer).  It covers everything from conflicts-of-interest to advertising rules and everything in between.  You have to pass it to be admitted to the Bar in any state.  

Jill 101

To follow Amy's lead... Here is a survey!

1. Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed?
Open—they are hardly ever close-able..

2. Do you take the shampoos and conditioner bottles from hotel?
I used to, but I don't as often... I usually end up throwing them away anyway...

3. Do you sleep with your sheets tucked in or out?
They start tucked in.. but never stay that way long...

4. Have you ever stolen a street sign before?
Not a street sign, but I do have a "For all your septic needs - 254-POOP" and many "Jill for Congress" signs...

5. Do you like to use post-it notes?
I use them at work.. and make notes on all sorts of things at home...

6. Do you cut out coupons but then never use them?
I cut out a lot when I had the paper, but now I'm still using my stock pile...

7. Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of a bees?
I agree with Amy on this one.. I'd rather not be attacked.

8. Do you have freckles?
No, but lots of moles.

9. Do you always smile for pictures?
If I know someone is taking it, yes...

10. What is your biggest pet peeve?
Hmm.. I can only think of work things... Like when ER sends patients during shift change.. or I get 5/6 isolation patients...

11. Do you ever count your steps when you walk?
Every now and then.

12. Have you ever peed in the woods?
Yup.. and the weeds... Pat tried to get a picture of that one...

13. What about pooped in the woods?
Unfortunately yes... That's what hiking for 5 days will do to you...

14. Do you ever dance even if there’s no music playing?
Not usually...

15. Do you chew your pens and pencils?
Yuck. no.

16. How many people have you slept with this week?
People? None.. Dog - 1.. Cat - not so far this well...

17. What size is your bed?
Full - however a queen is in my near future..

18. What is your Song of the week?
Can't say I have one

19. Is it okay for guys to wear pink?
I'm not usually a fan.. But they can do what they want.

20. Do you still watch cartoons?
Family guy occasionally...

21. What’s your least favorite movie?
LEAST - Not usually a fan of horror stuff, but can't think of a specific one...

22. Where would you bury hidden treasure if you had some?
"I probably wouldn’t bury it. I’d do something boring like invest it." -Agree with Amy... Burying isn't safe...

23. What do you drink with dinner?
Skim milk or Riptide Rush gatorade

24. What do you dip a chicken nugget in?
Honey

25. What is your favorite food?
Ice cream

26. What movies could you watch over and over and still love?
Wedding Crashers

27. Last person you kissed/kissed you?
Jim

28. Were you ever a boy/girl scout?
Girls scout for a couple years (Speaking of which, I just ordered cookies last night! So everyone - find a girl scout! Now is the time!)

29. Would you ever strip or pose nude in a magazine?
That'd be a negative.

30. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper?
I wrote Valentine Card's with messages for a few people...

31. Can you change the oil on a car?
Nope.

32. Ever gotten a speeding ticket?
Unfortunately the total is up to 4...

33. Ran out of gas?
No, but I've been close more often than i'd like to admit...

34. Favorite kind of sandwich?
Salami and butter... mmm...

35. Best thing to eat for breakfast?
McDonald's Sausage McMuffin with Egg

36. What is your usual bedtime?
930am... The only thing i'm consistent about is when I have to go back to work the next night... Otherwise I vary - alot.

37. Are you lazy?
Only about little things like picking up the clothes off my bedroom floor... And half-painted bathrooms...

38. When you were a kid, what did you dress up as for Halloween?
I don't remember them all.. But I know i've been Rainbow Bright, A #2 Pencil, and a Grandma (wrinkles drawn on and all...)

39. What is your Chinese astrological sign?
Rat?

40. How many languages can you speak?
English only... I understand more Spanish than I ever let my Spanish-speaking patient know about... But can't speak much anymore

41. Do you have any magazine subscriptions?
Kiplinger's financial Magazine

42. Which are better legos or Lincoln logs?
Legos... although I only ever made spaceships with oven's and couches...

43. Are you stubborn?
About some things yes..

44. Who is better...Leno or Letterman?
I'm either working, sleeping, or doing something more fun...

45. Ever watch soap operas?
Nope

46. Afraid of heights?
Not really

47. Sing in the car?
Sometimes

48. Dance in the shower?
Nope

49. Dance in the car?
No? I usually drive or sleep when in the car...

50. Ever used a gun?
Dad used to let me sometimes growing up.. But I've never shot a living thing.

51. Last time you got a portrait taken by a photographer?
Oh my... Summer of 06.. Nursing Graduation photos.

52. Do you think musicals are cheesy?
Chessy? Not necessarily... My thing? No.

53. Is Christmas stressful?
Not really.. more fun than anything :)

54. Ever eat a pierogi?
Emily introduced me to them in college... so yes.

55. Favorite type of fruit pie?
Strawberry, Blueberry, or Rhubarb.

56. Occupations you wanted to be when you were a kid?
Vet, Doctor, Nurse, Teacher, Gymnastics instructor (from the kid who dropped out because she couldn't do a backwards somersault)

57. Do you believe in ghosts?
Only the kind that chase me from Ghost towns in Colorado...

58. Ever have a Déjà-vu feeling?
Not often.

59. Take a vitamin daily?
Lately - yes. I have a hair and nail one.. I need longer hair before the wedding!

60. Wear slippers?
I got some for Christmas, but I still often forget to wear them

61. Wear a bath robe?
Yeah.. after a shower... and often when I'm just cold.

62. What do you wear to bed?
Long sleeve shirt and flannel pants

63. First concert?
No idea...

64. Wal-Mart, Target or Kmart?
Don't have a Kmart close, Target is closest, but Walmart has Groceries. Most often - Meijer.

65. Nike or Adidas?
Adidas, although lately New Balance

66. Cheetos Or Fritos?
Cheetos for sure. Don't mind Fritos, but Cheetos are awesome.

67. Peanuts or Sunflower seeds?
Sunflower seeds on salads... Peanuts to eat by themselves.

68. Ever hear of the group Tress Bien?
Uh, no.

70. Ever take dance lessons?
No, but I really wish I would have.

71. Is there a profession you picture your future spouse doing?
I've always pictured my future spouse to do something like my dad - me not having a clue what they do, but they come home at 5 o'clock...

72. Can you curl your tongue?
Yes

73. Ever won a spelling bee?
No, I've always been a horrible speller.

74. Have you ever cried because you were so happy?
Yes - When Jim proposed :-D

75. Own any record albums?
No

76. Own a record player?
No

77. Regularly burn incense?
Nope.

78. Ever been in love?
Yuppers!

79. Who would you like to see in concert?
I'm not really a concert person... However Bless You Boys play on Friday...

80. What was the last concert you saw?
No Idea.. probably Bless You Boys (local group.. )

81. Hot tea or cold tea?
Hot only.. Can't stand iced tea.

82. Tea or coffee?
never coffee, occasionally tea.

83. Sugar or snickerdoodles?
Anything with chocolate?

84. Can you swim well?
I can keep afloat... but that's about it.

85. Can you hold your breath without holding your nose?
Yes, why wouldn’t I be able to?

86. Are you patient?
No.. i make whiny noises.. and Jim tells me to "use your words...."

87. DJ or band, at a wedding?
Planning on DJ

88. Ever won a contest?
I don't remember winning much.. However I did win $5 from a $1 lottery ticket at the bar the other morning!

89. Ever have plastic surgery?
Not yet...

90. Which are better black or green olives?
Yuck... neither.

91. Can you knit or crochet?
No, but I should learn.. I like to keep my hands busy.

92. Best room for a fireplace?
Don't currently have one, but probably a family room...

93. Do you want to get married?
YES YES YES YES YES!!!! Can't wait to marry Jim in August!

94. If married, how long have you been married?
Negative 6 months!

95. Who was your HS crush?
Had a couple.. but I'll say Phil Treadway

96. Do you cry and throw a fit until you get your own way?
I make whiny noises and thrash around on the couch when tired... haha.. Jim loves it (not really at all.. he is very patient with me...)

97. Do you have kids?
Not yet!

98. Do you want kids?
Sure do! The debate is 2 or 3....

99. What’s your favorite color?
Usually purple

100. Do you miss anyone right now?
Lots of people! Mostly female friends... (Megan, Suzy, Emily... ) I don't get enough girl time.. Not that we were ever all that girlie, but I still miss it...

101. Did you watch, Next Great American Band on FOX?
Who added this stupid question? Never heard of it...

Apologies

First, I'm sorry for all of the comma and spelling errors in my previous post.  I just read it, and I'm ashamed.  Mostly, I wanted Amy to know that it was an error due to rushing, not ignorance.

Also, I don't know if anyone has noticed (even Jill) that I posted her work schedule on the blog.  It appears as a calander at the bottom of the page.  Scroll down; you'll find it.  This is hopefully an effective way to share her schedule.  If you're wondering whether to call at any given time, remember these two simple rules.  (1) Try not to call before 5:00 (4:00 at the earliest) the day after she works.  Twelve hour shifts make for a sleepy Jill. (2) Remember that she naps before work starting at about 3 in the afternoon on days when she didn't work the night before.  Doesn't she have me trained well?  

Valentine's Day is this weekend.  I hope everyone enjoys this made-up, ahem, I mean, wonderful holiday.  Jill and I will be celebrating with dinner and a movie, I think.  Other than that, not too much is planned.

Jim

Stopping by to say hi...

I said from the beginning that I probably wasn't going to be very good about keeping up with this blog.   Here's a little taste of how things are going for Jim.

All of my grades are finally in from last term, and I'm a little disappointed.  My last grade to come in was Professional Responsibility, which covers the ethical rules that all lawyers have to follow.  The exhaustive code covers everything from advertising and marketing to conflicts of interest to (gasp) even naughty relationships with clients (a no-no, unless the physical relationship began before the attorney-client relationship, in case you were wondering).   I got a C-.  I kind of expected that one of my classes was going to fall through the cracks, considering that it was the hardest semester I've had so far.  Consider this however:  my GPA is now just below a 3.0, which still puts me in the top 20 percent of my class.  Law school is hard.

This semester looks to be more promising.  I'm enjoying my classes, especially health law.  I am applying for an externship with the Spectrum Health's general counsel, which would take place this summer.  Hopefully that position would be a springboard for another externship in the fall with a health law firm, which would then open up an employment opportunity for after graduation next spring.  That plan sure sounds good on paper (or on the Internet, as it were).  I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Besides school, not a whole lot is going on.  I've made going to the YMCA a pretty regular thing in the past month or so.  I'm actually starting to enjoy working out, and that accomplished, tired feeling.  It doesn't hurt that I get to sit in the hot tub and sauna after the workout, which makes for much less soreness in my flabby muscles.  I'm almost as much of a regular at the Griffins games.  In about half an hour, I'll be sitting in the arena for the fifth strait week in a row.  Jill even made it to the game two weeks ago.  She learned a lot about hockey that night; specifically, she learned that if you have an aisle seet it makes it much easier to go buy more $1 hotdogs and $1 beers.

So, with that, I'm off to the Van Andel Arena.

Hot and Cold

I must say - some things you never appreciate until they are gone! I've been having some problems with my hot water heater... It made hot water, but not enough of it! The problem was diagnosed as soon as I called the people, but it wasn't worth fixing in the thing that was installed in 1991... So I got a new one yesterday! Yay! It felt so good to take a relaxing shower instead of hurrying so that I didn't run out of hot water!

However, I get a nice little story from Brad this morning... The house is 52º's... Yowza that's cold! I'm so mad... the furnace guys were just here yesterday! What could possibly be wrong?!?!?!?! Oh. The thermostat got bumped to "cool" instead of "heat." While easily fixable, still annoying that the house is only up to 62º... But at least this time it was a free fix... :) Oh the joys of being a homeowner!

So today, try hard to appreciate your warm home and shower... Because without them, it gets cold. Really cold...

I have THE DRESS!

In case you havn't heard yet, I ordered my dress on Thursday! :-) Yatta!!! (Heroes dork.. I know...) It was the one I saw almost 2 weeks ago with Holly in Fowler, at Becker's Bridal. SUCH a relief! Now I can move onto other things! We got a special rate on tuxedos locked in this week, and my mom and I started on some things for centerpieces and favors... Now I need to meet with Mel sometime soon to talk invitations, as he's going to help us design them. And decide what to do about a florist... I'm getting there! And still mostly sane! Once again -

Yatta!

You have to try this!

I've recently started getting into a bunch of Google's products, including Gmail, Google Calender, and Google Reader.  If you're not using any of those sites, you should definitely check them out.  But I was truly surprised how much I love Google Chrome, their new browser.

It's really quite a task to try to take on Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox, but I think Chrome has done it spectacularly.  I really love all the drag and drop features and the way the tabs can be rearranged, features that I know IE doesn't offer, and I don't think Firefox does either.  On top of that, Firefox made my computer freak out, a problem that I haven't had with Chrome.  Lastly, I think pages are loading WAY faster with Chrome than IE.  So, as the title of this post said, you have to try this!

And for anyone who is worried about losing your settings from your old browser, Chrome can import all of your bookmarks and history, and even does so by when installing unless you tell it not to.  Pretty sweet.

Alright...I should probably do something more productive.  I did some homework this morning, and now it's time for food and a trip to the gym.  Tonight, I am going a student organization fair on behalf of the Law Review.   Hopefully that goes smoothly.

PS.  I know last week was "national de-lurking week" or whatever, but I'm curious to see who has found our blog, particularly my family who is relatively new to all this.  I reset the security settings so anyone can post comments about a week ago or so.  So if you're reading this, drop us a comment please!

And...I'm Back

Let me first echo Jill's thoughts on her neighbor, John, passing away. He was a great guy who was always happy to chat or loan a tool or give advice. He had a relaxed attitude about life that always made you realize, hey, it could be a lot worse. "Whaaaatever..." he'd say, smiling away all the while. I was really looking forward to calling him a neighbor. May God bless him with peace, and his family with happy thoughts and memories.

It's impossible to think of a way to transition to lighter thoughts, so I'll just do it.

I realize that taking a week off from blogging will result in long posts that nobody wants to read. So, I'll try to keep this one short and post more frequently in the future.

Classes started a week ago today, and I think this should be a good semester. For any interested parties, my class schedule is:

Monday (6:00 PM - 9:00): Secured Transactions (creation of and issues surrounding debt)
Wednesday (9:00 AM - 12:00): Business Organizations (Partnerships, Corps., LLCs, etc.)
Wednesday (6:00 PM - 8:00): Health Law (EVERYTHING health related)
Friday (9:00 AM - 12:00): Wills, Estates, & Trusts (the probate system)

On top of those classes and the requisite homework each carries, I am also responsible for checking footnotes for the Law Review per my duties as an "Associate Editor." Hopefully, that won't be more than a 15-20 hour a week commitment.

Overall, I think this should be a good semester. My professors all seem like good teachers, which, as the last 19 years of school have taught me, is never a given. Three of my five grades are in from last term, the most exciting being that A- I got on my article, "Credit Where Liability is Due: The Need to Impose Vicarious Liability when Employees Obtain Credit Reports for Impermissible Purposes." I know - it's a mouthful! I recieved a B- in both Taxation and Constitutional Law I, which I'm content with, considering that I thought I failed Tax and the professor for Con Law was aweful. With any luck my last two grades will be better and save me from missing the Dean's list for the first time at Cooley, but it was a really tough term. I'll keep y'all updated.

Otherwise, nothing major going on. Had a blast on Friday at the Grand Rapids Griffins (the Detroit Red Wings' AHL affiliate, for those of you who don't know) game. The lost in a battle against the team they were tied with for the division lead, but it was $1 hot dog and $1 beer night, so Jason, Brad, Mike, and I had a great time regardless. The four of us have mini-season tickets (8 games over the course of the season) in a section where everyone else has the same ticket plan. Needless to say, we all get pretty rowdy together and have a good time.

I think that's it. I'll try to do better next time, knuckleheads. (extra points if you can identify that quote).

Sad news...

Got some sad news today from one of our neighbors... Our next door neighbor John passed away this week. He was only 58, and I am told he had cancer which progressed very quickly. I wondered why I hadn't seem him much this winter... He was such a kind man, always up for a chat. He knew a ton about my house, and was very quick to lend a helping hand or tool. He even insisted on picking up the leaves from "his tree" that fell in my yard! Does anyone have any suggestions of what I could get/do for his wife? There have been tons of cars there this weekend, but I'm sure they won't be there forever... I thought about offering to watch their dog, but it is actually one of their kid's dogs that they are watching for an extended period of time... Any suggestions? - Jill

long work week...

Good morning all! Before I head to bed, I thought I would explain my blogging absence. I just worked the last 3 nights, and while I prefer 3 12 hour shifts in a row, it makes me tired, and i do very little other than sleep and eat in between! So, I am off tonight (girls night!) and tomorrow, but work Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday next week. Then off till next Thursday!!!! Yay!!!! So have a good weekend to anyone I may not see! - Jill

Worst Foods of 2008

This is one of my favorite yearly articles. Put out by Sparks.com, it chronicles the Worst Foods of the year. I am proud to say that I am guilty of ingesting only two (haha - only...) of the eleven listed items: the Olive Garden Carbanara (minus the shrimp - ucky) and the KFC Fully Loaded Box. How many of these are you guilty of indulging in?

??????.blogspot.com

So, I totally agree that our address is lame and cheesy. I just picked something because "jimandjill" was taken, and I had just woken up (not my most creative time). Not realizing that Jill had disseminated our new blog, I briefly changed it to "jamesandjillian" but had to change it back so that you all could get to the page. That being said, I will be changing the address at some point, so here's your chance to pitch in and help us come up with a good handle -- cuz this ain't no free ride, folks!

Jill didn't like jamesandjillian, because no one calls us by those names. I kind of liked it, but this is *our* blog so I guess we should go with something we both like.

Jill suggested a play on my last name such as "kingandqueen" but the novelty of my last name wore off about 15 years ago for me. The fact that every English teacher or professor I've ever had thought seeing "King James" on the class list was the greatest thing since movable type also makes me lean away from my name as wordplay.

"redsbar" was also considered as a reference to the sweet bar in her basement that was left by the previous owners. I don't think either of us is quite sold on that.

So I'm fresh out of ideas. This is where you come in, oh trusty friends and family. What should we call our new blog?

Wordless Wednesday (a day late...)

(For a cat not usually allowed in my room, he sure thinks my dresser drawer is cozy!)
(Not really wordless... i know... But I havn't slept in 21 hours, and I wanted to post before bed! So shoot me!)

Good start Jim!

I DO like Jim's idea of a blog for us, and thought I'd add my own post. While my mind is pretty much mush from trying on almost every wedding dress in the Grand Rapids area, I'll do my best...

I can't give too much info on dresses, (or post pictures - ask for emails if you want them!) because Jim could get nosey, but I can tell you that I've had a great time with Mom and Emily trying on dresses! We now know the exact style I am looking for, but I think we still need to keep looking to find "the one." There was one that brought both Emily and Mom to tears, but I'm not completely decided on it yet... we'll see.

I can elaborate on New Year's a little bit. Jim, Allie and I did have a great time. I'll post a couple fun pictures from the night's fun.

Megan ~ Kevin ~ Jim ~ Jill

Someone (Mike?) had the idea for everyone to bring a couple mini-liquor bottles. We when put equal numbers of names into a bag, and names of liquors into another bag, and pull out one of each to make that person do a shot. In the next picture, Andrea wasn't very happy with the Jager that she got!

Allie was the hit of the party.. I believe Kevin even said I have to

bring her from now on! She was such a good girl!

Well, I guess that is all for now.. I'll try and keep you posted on dress shopping without giving Jim and hints. Also, please leave a comment so we know you found our blog! Hope everyone has a great week! - Jill

New Year - New Blog

Happy New Year everyone!

I don't know if blogging will catch on for Jill and I. In fact, I'm not even sure if she'll accept my invitation to become co-author of this blog. I think she will, because she has been reading other blogs and commenting that she should join in. In any case, once school starts again I'll either have no time for this or use it as an excellent procrastination tool, so we'll see how it goes.


The holiday season is pretty much over. We had plenty of activity over the past couple of weeks. The weekend of Dec. 12 we drove with Grandma Noordyke down to Jill's parents' house in Elkhart for Christmas with her immediate family. The next Sunday, we drove up to Greenville for Christmas with my dad's side of the family, only to turn right around and drive back up on Christmas Eve a couple of days later for Mass and Christmas with my mom's family. Both of these trips Jill made on little sleep after working the night before each (she had a couple of drowsy moments during Mass, but otherwise did awesome). We drove back to GR that night so we could have Christmas morning brunch with Jill's parents and Uncle Bill, Aunt Robin, Cara and BJ at Grandma's out in Lamont. With Jill's Christmas celebrations over, she went home to take a nap before working Christmas night, and I drove back up to Greenville for one more Christmas with just my parents, brothers and sister (and her boyfriend Matt). I stayed the night up there to get some quality time with the bros. I beat Vince Vaughn by one - Five Christmases for me! Every one of them was a blast and it was great to see all of our family. It was also fun how each get-together had it's own special personality. Elkhart was different from Lamont was different from Greenville, but all of it was special (and delicious).

Not to be outdone by Christmas, New Year's Eve had its own travel plans for us. We headed to Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Burns's house in Commerce Township, with a side trip to my Uncle Tom and Aunt Sheri's house in Rochester. The original reason was to get their Christmas gifts to them, since Jill had to adjust the bracelet that she had made my aunt and my uncle's gift had not come in the mail when we last saw them. Since they only live 20 miles from Kevin and Megan, it made sense to stop there for lunch and give them their gifts. One key element of that plan, however, involves actually bringing my uncle's gift and not leaving it at my apartment. Oops. Forgetfulness aside, we still had a great time visiting with them; we stay much longer than I had anticipated and enjoyed every minute.

New Year's at the Burns place was too much fun. Jill's dog, Allie, was the life of the party.

And after a couple of days of recuperating from all of that, I plan on taking advantage of my last week of vacation by relaxing and trying to get some things accomplished that have been on my to-do list since about September.

I hope everyone had as good of a holiday season as I did. Again, Happy New Year!

Jim

PS. Yesterday, I got my first grade back from last term (none of the grades are due until mid-February - it's excruciating). I got an A- on the article I wrote for Scholarly Writing, which means I will officially be on the Law Review! This is a huge honor and great resume-booster. It's going to mean a lot of work mostly editing footnotes, but it will be worth it. Here's hoping the rest of my grades are as good...