RAMBLINGS ON A TUESDAY

back in their heyday :(

It's been a while since I rambled.

The weather has been beautiful here.  Sunny and high 70's-80's.  I lehrv it.  So on my lunch breaks, I break out the ol' FiveFingers and hit the trails behind our plant.  There's a lush arboretum filled with ponds, wooded paths, and nature at its very best.  So I take full advantage.  But as I noticed the other day, my FiveFingers are running a little ragged.  To be honest, I'm surprised they've even lasted this long.  So I'm scouting around for new running shoes.  I'm all about minimalist footwear... I'd go barefoot everywhere, if I could.  FiveFingers are the next best thing.  So I'm trying to decide between Vibram FiveFingers and RunAmocs.  I'm sure I'll go with the FiveFingers, purely for shock value :)  There's nothing more exhilarating to me than watching someone do a double- (or triple, or quadruple) take on my uber-weird toe shoes.  Score.

Shopping for shoes... it's like opening Pandora's Shoebox.  Not even for me, necessarily.  My heart just does a flip when I see itty-bitty shoes.  For itty-bitty people like Solchop.  And I swear, she started it.  This chick loves shoes.  LOVES them.  She's always picking up shoes (hers, mine, anyone's) and sitting down to try and put them on.  It's pretty freaking adorable.  I assume it's my maternal instincts, then, that compel me to shop for shoes for her.  But seriously, take a gander at these moccasins and tell me Sol doesn't need these...



She also loves hats.  She's constantly picking up loose hats (I know, it sounds like there's rubbish strewn about our entire residence) and dipping her head down so that I can put them on her head.  My grandma got her this little Hello Kitty hat, and that's one of her faves.  I myself am not really one for licensed apparel, but if Sol likes it.. hey, more power to her.  She loves accessorizing.  And if you're wondering if she ever toddles around the front yard on a warm summer afternoon, wearing nothing but her birthday suit and a hat... yes, yes she does.

So one of my favorite places to go for lunch is (are you ready?) the local hospital.  They have the most delicious pita chips I've ever tasted.  And in my opinion, their per-pound salad bar pricing is pretty stellar, so I'm all about truckin on over to the hospital and grabbing a few ounces of Mediterranean fabulosity.  The other day, on my way back from the hospital, I was behind this really cool car that was reverberating with the frequencies of something slightly resembling music.  I could feel it in my car, I'm sure the other cars nearby could feel it, and frankly I was angry that I was stuck driving behind this moron in a Hot Lips Olds, skatin' on Dayton rims, thumping himself right into the "oh-you're-irritating" section of the minds of everyone within a quarter-mile.  We pulled up to a stoplight, and
just when I was mumbling some choice words under my breath, dreading the next 30 seconds of sitting there behind his subwoofer-on-wheels, the vibrations stopped.   This guy turned his music off at the stoplight!  I love when people surprise me.  Thank you, Mr. Hot Lips, for allowing me to sit at the stoplight in peace.

But not everyone turns their music off when the car is stopped.  My sister called me yesterday after work.  First thing she said: "Hey, can you hear this?"  I listened closely... and heard someone belting out some unknown tune at the very tip-top of his lungs.  She was stopped at a stoplight next to with a man who was so happy with life in general that he was singing.  Delightfully loud and lovely.  Says me to sister, "What is he singing?"  Says she to me, "I don't know what song it is; it's very monotone with zero melody, but it's something about a perfect life."  Cheers to you and your perfect life, sir.  You are the epitome of Guts and Glory in an S10. 

Sisters are great.  Sisters make your day by calling you with random things like that.  Sisters are certainly something to celebrate, and today especially I'm celebrating my sister Amanda.  28 years ago today, the world became a little brighter because of a bubbly little redhead named Amanda Jane :)  A loving daughter, a loyal sister, a wonderful aunt, a very dear friend, and arguably the world's greatest movie-quote-knower EVER, my sister Amanda is one of the most amazing people I will ever know.  After putting up with years of sharing a room with her bratty little sister, or being attacked with a constant, "You gonna eat that?" she still loves me.  I tip my dark brown bowler hat to you, Amanda.  (and in case you're wondering, we're putting on a magic show in the following photo. yes, we are very talented, and we wear many hats. pun intended.)

Happy birthday, AJ!

RAMBLINGS ON A TUESDAY

It's Tuesday!

<<<>>>

First off, look how big my MiniMon is getting!  I picked her up from daycare last week and she had a ponytail... hard to believe it's been 10 (yes, TEN) months!

^^ channeling Cindy Lou Who

  A few weeks ago the Sol child went to her 9-month appointment.  We got shots.  We were sad.  Well, she was sad.  I was sort of geeked that she was adequately inoculated by the standards set by the State of Michigan.

 You know what's reaaaalllly good?  Real carrots.  Not the fake baby carrots that are bleached beyond recognition and pressed into nubby little hunks.  Real carrots.  If you haven't had a REAL carrot in a while, do yourself a favor and try one.  They're so sweet... I almost forgot about real carrots.

Last week my sister and I ran a 5k - the Run Through the Lights in downtown Kzoo.  It was more of a "run through the sketchy neighborhoods" than "through the lights," but whatever.  People get CRAZY dolled up for this run, and Liz and I were no exception.  I donned as many red and green clothes as I could find, and Liz and I strapped some battery-operated Christmas lights to our persons, and we were off.  Then we went for dinner and a beer afterwards, still in our hodge-podge holiday outfits, Christmas lights still ablaze, and of course I saw some people from work.  They asked me if I lost a bet.  Awesome.  And in keeping with the holiday spirit, I found these uber-fabulous Christmas-color rhinestones that I wanted to put on my face.  They wouldn't stick to my face, so of course I pulled out the superglue (and my mom will tell you I've been banned from superglue since 2001) and adhered them.  Stuck 'em on real nice and good.  THAT, ladies and gents, is a mistake you make only once.  Note to self: supergluing anything to one's face is poor planning.

Liz told me I looked like an Indian princess at Christmastime.
I'll take that as a compliment... though I'm not sure it was one.

 Last week we had an office Christmas party/gift exchange over lunch (Yankee Swap, Dirty Santa, Chinese Christmas, etc... pretty much whatever derogatory name you can think of for a "random gift exchange").  Ant it was fabulous.  We had these uber cool Solo cups where you could scratch your name into the side of them.  AWESOME.  And I got a "Christmas survival kit," complete with a bottle of wine and goodies from a local shop called The Cheese Lady.  And lately I've been all kinds of interested in fancy cheeses (which are so not vegan, but at least they're vegetarian).  So this camper was a happy camper.

 This past Sunday I took MiniMon to an urgent care center; little lady had an ear infection.  The doctor who saw us looked just like Santa Claus (and yes, I actually do believe it was him), and he told us Merry Christmas {whoa}.  I had the very best service I've ever had at this particular center (for the record, Kzoo-ians, it was Hometown Urgent Care).  They were fast, VERY friendly (something you don't get often at an after-hours doctor's office), and today I even got a follow-up phone call to ask how Sol was.  I would go back there any day. Thank you, Dr. Santa.

I went for a run on my lunch break today, and my shoes were digging into my ankles.  It was sunny... sort of cold, but decent enough.  So I took my shoes off and carried them the rest of the way.  And ran barefoot.  {if I never had to put another shoe on again for the rest of my life, I'd die happy}

It turned out okay, and I was fine for the duration of the run.  When I got back to the office, however... I realized the toll it had taken.  That's gonna hurt for the next few days... So will the blister on the other foot.  That'll teach me to run barefoot in December.

Ouch.

<<<>>>

And with that, I'm out.  Talk soon :)

RAMBLINGS ON A TUESDAY

It's Tuesday.  And this week is a short one, so I'm pret-ty excited about that.  I could use a day or 5 of sleeping in.

If you had to assign a caption to the photo below, what would it be?

We were looking for: "Melanie went to see Breaking Dawn Pt. 2 on Friday with sister Amanda, and [to the dismay of sister Amanda] was proudly representing Team Jacob."

Oh yes I did.  Amanda (an avid supporter of Team Edward) was soooo excited to arrive at the theatre with THAT.  Am I in love with Taylor Lautner?  Yes.  Do I enjoy any scene where he's shirtless?  Sure.  Do I want to marry a werewolf?  Obviously.  I heard on the radio the other day that Taylor gets an additional $20k for each scene where he's shirtless.  He made some good money this time around.  Those pecs are quite an investment. 

Amanda and I went to the 8:55pm showing of the movie.  The day after it came out.  And seated behind us were 2 women with 3 young girls, the little chippies averaging about 6 years old, maybe?  Okay, ladies.  If you're that much of a Twi-hard, maybe you should find a babysitter instead of subjecting the theatre to your children throughout. the. entire. movie.  And maybe you shouldn't even have your 5-year-old watching a bunch of bloodsucking vampires ripping each other's heads off (the fight scene in the end is awfully graphic and disturbing, even for adults). 

Clue #1 that your daughter doesn't belong at the theatre watching Breaking Dawn:

she shouts, "Oh look, mom!  Justin Bieber!"

when Robert Pattinson appears onscreen for the first time.

#facepalm

The movie was okay; definitely 1.5-star-worthy (at best).  I'm a little bummed that this marks the end of the Twilight saga.  Booooo.  But all good things must come to an end.  Side note: During the opening credits, the casting director (Debra Zane) is listed.... I'm sorry, but should she even have been paid for this one?  I feel like casting the fifth Twilight movie is sort of in the bag.  Talk about easy money.  Was it really that difficult to determine who should play Edward? 

I picked up a free turkey yesterday.  My company gives each employee a turkey for the holidays.  I was planning on donating mine, but my family (all carnivores) wanted me to grab a turkey for our Thanksgiving meal.  So here I sit, a dishonorable herbivore with a heavy heart, all because of the 14.36 lbs of treason thawing in the fridge upstairs.  I am ashamed of myself.

This past weekend was a busy, whirlwind weekend.  I was even able to sneak in a few photo shoots for some friends. (how adorable are they?)

Something tells me this coming weekend will be just as busy.  If you're traveling this week/weekend, have safe travels!  And have a happy Thanksgiving.  I know you all have much to be thankful for, so take some time to say thanks for the fabulous things in your life.

RAMBLINGS ON A TUESDAY

If a picture is worth a thousand words, what's a video worth?

This weekend Joleen and I had a project.

The video below is Sol's first time seeing the fruits of our labor.  Pure elation.

I bet you reacted the same way the first time you saw one, too.

And don't judge me.  Last year I put my tree up on November 1.  

I waited a whole 10 days longer this year.

Go me.

Whooo wants an owl tree topper?  I do, that's who.
But unfortunately it wouldn't stay on the $%^* tree.
So this sad little owl is going back to Target...

...which is okay, because Sol loooooves Target at Christmastime!
(yes, that's garland, courtesy of Aunt Joleen)

This weekend was also the Kzoo Holiday Parade.  Which was phenomenal.

Here's Aunt Liz and Eloise... with Santa in the background!

I made the mistake of going to Hobby Lobby on my lunch break yesterday.

Nothing will empty your pocketbook like Hobby Lobby during the holidays.

On a random side note, I ate a pomegranate the other night.
At first I thought, Why don't I eat these more often? And then I tried to peel it and remove the seeds.
Oh yeah, that's why I don't do it more often. 30 minutes later, it was ready to eat.
What's the best part about eating a pomegranate?
NOTHING.
I am not a patient person.

RAMBLINGS ON A TUESDAY

I've been swamped at work.  Therefore, very little rhyme or reason to the ramblings today.  ...But isn't that how it should be?

First things first... look at what I'm dealing with now.  She learned about stairs.  What has two thumbs and is not ready for such a mobile baby?  THIS GAL.

This past weekend, I took MiniMon to Ann Arbor: a little hipster haven planted in eastern Michigan; a little slice of Pacific NW nestled in the midst of the Great Lakes.  Downtown is great.  The dining is fabulous.  And the grocery shopping is phenomenal.  Especially if you're a veg-head like I am.

Sol, my sister, my niece, and I arrived in Ann Arbor on Saturday morning, and met my mom and other sister in Sweetwater Cafe.  This lovely lass was sitting at the table next to them and just couldn't help but be all googly over my baby.  Smart lady.  My offspring is pret-ty cool.

I love the city Ann Arbor.
It has some fabulous stores.
Among those shops,
there's one that's the tops.
And it's called Hollander's.
 
(sorry, I know that was shaping up to be a perfect limerick but I just don't have time to rhyme too perfectly)
 But seriously, there's a store called Hollander's, and it sells paper.  And paper.  And more paper.  IT ROCKS.  I got something for my Wall of Whimsy, but I'll post that once it's framed and up on the wall!

Have you ever seen so much paper?

In Kerrytown (Ann Arbor), there's a store called Elephant Ears.  WARNING: DO NOT STEP FOOT IN THIS STORE IF YOU HAVE A CHILD, KNOW SOMEONE WHO HAS A CHILD, IF YOU'RE PREGNANT, OR EVEN IF YOU JUST HAVE A HEALTHY OVUM.  It's filled with wonderful tiny things for wonderful tiny people.  Annnnnd they have this shirt: It's Cookie Monster.  In 3 languages.  #solneedsthis  Maybe I should just start a new blog called "Does Sol Need This?"

So we had to eat lunch.  And normally, when I go out to eat, it takes me about 2 seconds to choose what to order.  Because there are 2 vegetarian options in a sea of carnivorous grotesquities [yeah, I just made a word up].
But then you get to Ann Arbor.
And Melanie's party is waiting 30 minutes for Melanie to decide what vegetarian deliciosity [another new word] she's going to get. 
So while we wait, we order samples of different beers (because the beer list is a mile long too... don't even get me started on that). And we order the greatest rosemary-truffle oil french fries ever to touch human lips.  And then Melanie picks her poison: a chickpea-salad sandwich with cucumber yogurt sauce and roasted eggplant.  Ehrmehgerd.  AMAZING.

 Okay, and here's a video of Sol.  Remember how she used to spit her food back out at me?  Now it's the opposite.  She takes a bite, and immediately both her hands go up to her mouth to hold it in.  Can't figure this little lady out.  But it's entertaining, nonetheless.

 

 Now take a look at the following sequence of photos and tell me this isn't love.

 Also downtown, there is a bookstore called Falling Water.  It boasts many fabulous upside-down umbrellas.

 And it introduced me to the greatest book I've ever read.  It's called "C D B!"  by William Steig.  I died laughing.  And I quoted it (and attempted to make up my own version) for the remainder of the weekend.  The book has no words, just letters, but the letters (when read out loud) make sentences.  ie: C D B is "see the bee."  I M N-R-E is "I am Henry."  Just... ohmigosh. #solneedsthis

The below card was in Whole Foods.  Surrounded by cards that featured other quotes by famous people.  This says "Blow out your candles... happy birthday," by D.H. Lawrence.  Call me cynical, but I almost feel like that phrase isn't owned by him.  I feel like someone, somewhere, said that before him.  Maybe that's just me.

These cards were in a bathroom (weird, I know, but seen by almost everyone that way!).  What an amazing message to reinforce in the minds of women everyone.

 The following mints are the cutest little mints you'll ever see.  I got them in the mail from my bestie Kenny.  Aren't they adorbs?

 When in Ann Arbor... you shop at the Briarwood Mall.  I stumbled across these PJ's, and I feel like Sol just needs them.  There's sort of an inside joke associated with dinosaur pajamas, but they're fabulous regardless.  And yes, they're boys pajamas.  I have a tendency to not care which section of the store I'm shopping in when I'm shoppnig for Sol.  My excuse every time?  "It's gender neutral!"  My sisters' response: "No, Melanie... it's not."  #solneedsthis

My mom was in heaven.  Surrounded by her granddaughters, she was one HAPPY lady :)

Oh!  Oh!  Sol's first taste of Pinkberry!  Please see the following photos as a chain of events:
Sol tries Pinkberry, Sol's face shows that she does not care for the Pinkberry, Sol decides that maybe Pinkberry is okay, Sol wants more Pinkberry.  Lather, rinse, repeat.

Just in case I didn't see enough cute things that Sol needed (ugh... Christmas shopping, anyone?) I stumbled across this luggage.  Sol and I will do TONS of traveling. I feel like monster luggage would just be an investment.
 

Side note: C D B?

And to relax at the end of a very tiring Monday, I made myself some dinner last night: strawberries, mango, kale, and agua.  MMMMMM.  :)

RAMBLING COMPLETE.