Murdock

A legend has died. We put Murdock down today. He had gotten really skinny the last couple of weeks and we brought him to the vet last night and the vet thought something was definitely wrong. Blood work showed final stages of kidney failure, dehydration, and anemia, among a long list of other minor things wrong that all added up to a terminal diagnoses. We decided it was best to put him to sleep and today was the best day. He only had days or possible weeks left of getting sicker and sicker. Possibly the hardest thing I have ever done. I will miss him so much.

April Plans

The month of April is here, already. This year is almost a quarter over. School is going pretty good. The class I'm in is a breeze for me, so much that I wish I'd taken two classes instead of one. I looked at my classes the other day and after this class, I'll only have 6 of the 20 I need for an Associates in Business. That makes me sad. :(

I had alot of fun making my niece's 1st birthday cake. I made my own marshmallow fondant for the first time and it turned out pretty good. People have been asking if I could make cakes for them, and I decided to pick a name, make some business cards and get a business email. So.. Taste of Fantasy Cakes is now it. Matt helped picked the name. lol

Scott, Sarah, Matt and I are all going to Chicago for C2E2 this weekend. We are all super excited. Neil Gaiman is Sarah's favorite author and he is doing a special reading we are all going to. One of my favorite vampire romance authors Sherrilyn Kenyon is going to be there. Matt's favorite comic book illustrator Alex Ross is going to be there and I sure Scott will have something he thinks is really neat too. Oh, and Carrie Fisher will be there too. :) And all sorts of other really neat people and things. We will spend way too much money, I predict.

Matt and I are going to The All Michigan "Not So Taxing" Wine Event at the BOB Thursday and then getting my free lobster dinner at Gilly's. I cannot wait. I love food and wine.

Stick a Fork in Me

The Twilight geek in me squealed a little when I discovered one of the B&B's I've had my eye on is in Forks, WA. Anyone have $799,000 to spare?

Also this B&B is right by Rialto. Coincidence? I think not.

(And New Moon comes out on DVD Saturday)

The Big Switch??

After being a dedicated Sam's Club member for 10 years, I am thinking of switching to Costco. A few weeks ago Sam's fired all their sample people and brought in an outsourced company to work the sample booths. Sunday was the first day I had seen these new people and I was even more disappointed than I thought I would be. 90% of them were staring off into nothingness and not even acknowledging the people grabbing samples. I've never cared for the fact the Sam's is owned by Walmart, but I kinda pushed it out of my mind and ignored the issue since I liked going so much. I do enjoy the products and I am hoping Costco will have similar options. Costco is also significantly geographically closer. When we go shopping, it will save time and money to shop at Costco. Hmmm....We are going to go investigate Costco and see if we can live with this switch.

2010 Olympics

I really enjoy watching the Olympics. I think I might like winter Olympics more than summer Olympics, just for the fact of fewer events to keep track of. Summer Olympics seem to have hundreds of different events to watch, and winter Olympics feel much simpler. Ice dancing, speed skating, snowboarding, skiing, ski jumping, and so much more. So much fun to watch. Also the Olympics are in Vancouver this year, it just makes me want to visit Vancouver all the more. Maybe on the Alaskan cruise we are eventually going to go on we will make sure and have a stop here.

I Heart Sushi

Our foray into the world of sushi has been slow and careful, until now. Lotus Garden, by Rivertown, has sushi included in the buffet, which is actually not too bad. We had been making a few more visits, and experimenting with different varieties here, Matt more so than I. And are really enjoying expanding our sushi world. Since the Dragon Room has supposedly closed, we are going to have to find a new go to place for sushi. It seems to be gaining in popularity in the area and downtown and Kentwood has some really good looking places we are going to start trying out. :D On our trip to Traverse City last week, we stopped at Red Ginger for dinner one night and thoroughly enjoyed every single thing we tried there. There are way to many good restaurants in Traverse City. We have a hard time choosing where to go for dinner when we are up there, but Red Ginger may become a mandatory lunch or dinner place for us.

January 2010

I can't believe it's 2010. This year will be the 10 year anniversary of my graduating from high school and I am doing almost exactly the same thing I was doing when I graduated. Same house, same company, same man. :) We are thinking of making some sort of big decision this year. Not sure exactly what, but something drastic. Probably in Novemberish time frame. Planning a change for a year+ away doesn't seem very daring, but it is for us.

My resolutions from last January were a big fat failure. I didn't do anything productive in 2009, other than audition for American Idol. (Which is on TV as I type.) And I think I will audition again this year, even if Simon will no longer be there. It will be my last year I am able to try out, but I can always start trying out for X Factor. lol Recap: 1. Lose weight - Nope, fatter than ever. 2. Continue learning French - Nope, hardly touched the program all year and ever forgot some of what I had learned. 3. De-Junk House - Not really, brought a few boxes of crap to Goodwill and sold some bulky items at a garage sale, but that is all. I doubt we even got rid of as much as we brought in.

I don't have a good feeling, but I will set some resolutions again this year.
1. Lose Weight - I need too, and I will.
2. Learn French - Still always wanted to be multi-lingual. Must try harder.
3. De-Junk house - If life changing potential is to happen, we need less stuff.
4. Drink more wine - I really think this will happen.

I think this will be the year of mini-vacations. Looking ahead to the year I see a trip up North in Feb for a long weekend, a trip to PA for a long weekend in March, Ted's wedding in June for a long weekend, a potential AI audition which would be a least one long weekend, and a potential long weekend with the Markanovichs. Plus we need a wedding anniversary of some kind in May too. That's going to take most of my vacation that I have left. It really doesn't look like we are going to make it back to Maine or on a warm weather vacation that Matt promised me for 2010. Sigh, too much fun to have. I'll just have to plan better for 2011.

Christmas Cookies 2009

Christmas is coming sooooo quickly this year. I'm not even working a 2nd job this year and I can't believe how busy things feel. I loved baking with my new Kitchenaid. I just need spare bowls now to have one soaking while I'm using the other, at least for high volume days like yesterday. I made 9 varieties of cookies yesterday, with another half made and ingredients ready for 3 more plus I want to make some more caramels. So I still need to make more cookies. One of the cookies are the Lemon-Thyme cookies that I had made a couple of years ago. Matt's friend Thom (comic store) still talks about them, but not in very glowing terms, so I was going to make a whole batch. Just for him. lol


List of cookies:

-Espresso Hazelnut Balls
-Pistachio Lime Balls
-Hot Chocolate Pecan Balls
-Coffee Shortbread
-Pistachio Trees
-Gingery Cranberry Pecan Cookies
-Dried Cherries and Almond Cookies
-Carrot Cake Shortbread
-Triple Layer Decadence

Winter Wonderland

Historically I have blogged 4 times in December. I'm not thinking that is going to happen this year unless something really interesting happens. Winter is here. I love the start of winter. We started up the wood stove tonight for the first time, and I closed the bedroom window all the way, it's pretty cold out tonight. I have also started planning my bake-a-thon for my Christmas cookies I make. Super excited. :) Might be slightly odd that these things excite me, but they do. Also, Matt got me a Kitchenaid mixer for Christmas this year and I am hoping it makes things go more quickly. I've always wanted a Kitchenaid. Now to rearrange my whole kitchen to find the best place for it. I will also come in really handy for making royal frosting.

Ross Sisters

Watch past the song for some amazing stuff.

Holy Goats, it's November.

Time is just flying. I really don't know where all the time is going, since I don't really feel like I have accomplished to much. Thanksgiving is a week away and we are not really looking forward to it this year. Matt's dad hasn't found a way to balance his new family with his old family and we are feeling abit abandoned. Sadly we have Thanksgiving at his house this year, at least that is how it worked out since it was actually his year last year but he wanted to meet all his new family since he had just gotten engaged, which was understandable. It's really confusing. :( He practically told us not to bother with Christmas. Whatever.

Anyways, we got the new ATT Uverse a couple a weeks ago and are having fun with the DVR. We are recording way to many shows and with us as busy as we have been, haven't watched as many as we hoped. I saw 99 shows we had to watch a couple of days ago...mostly Matt's cartoons. We also have lots more channels, all for just slightly more than we were paying for Comcast. I really was trying to reduce our bills when I went looking for new cable/Internet, but this just looked so cool and has really worked out great. Other than the installation and the stupid customer service people from India, but that's all in the past now.

We went up to Traverse City again last weekend for the Toast the Season wine tour on the Leelanau Peninsula. There are about 20 wineries on that particular peninsula and 17 were participating and we could get wine and food at 16 of those 17 wineries. It was a lot of fun and we bought some great wines. Our main problems came at the hotel and the barking dogs in the 2 rooms next to us. We eventually complained and the people and their dogs got kicked out. Ironically the first winery we went to after that night had the people directly in line in front of us complaining about getting kicked out of their hotel since their dog was barking. How many people could get kicked out of their hotel for barking dogs in one night?? Same people?? More than likely. I kinda wish that I had waited and talked Matt into going up next weekend to Old Mission Peninsula's Macaroni and Cheese Bake Off. Maybe next year.

Have you all been to http://icanhascheezburger.com/ and http://www.peopleofwalmart.com/? Funny Stuff.

Maine Thoughts

Yes, it's true. I am thinking that Maine might be our vacation destination of choice next year too. I LOVED Maine, and if it is possible, I want to live there some day. But it is awfully far away, which is appealing as much as it is daunting. I am already looking for rentals for June 2010. :) Is 9 months too early to start dreaming about your next vacation? It feels like forever since I stood on the rocky shores of Maine.

The High Points...Kinda

I can't believe September is almost over...Time sure flies. I think bullet points is the way to go today...

- Cake class with Brie is a ton of fun.
- Intro to Business class isn't bad. Teacher is nice, mandatory group mates are cool, slightly worried I'm not taking class seriously enough...
- Cat's are cute.
- Won a free book from goodreads.
- Garage Sale was a bust. :(
- Scott and Sarah's Halloween party is coming soon. Yeah!!
- Josh Lieske is getting married Saturday.
- Karaoke is a blast. Need duet partner...hmmm
- Bought a guitar.
- Cool weather has arrived in all it's awesome coolness.
- Ball fields will be torn down and replaced with a Family Fare and strip mall. Super Pissed.
- My Grandparents are getting sickly.
- No October Dykehouse Family Christmas.
- Car is making weird noises.
- Still want to move.
- Artprize looks neat and I want to check it out.
- Dragon Room sounds tasty.
- Want to buy a bushel of apples and bake constantly.
- Saw Kelly Clarkson concert.
- Michigan Renaissance Festival was cool.

Videos

I feel like I should be blogging something important....but I am going to post a video instead.

Cat Takes a Bath @ Yahoo! Video

Also, totally can't wait for the next Twilight movie. I'll have to read all the books again before it comes out.

'New Moon' Theatrical Trailer @ Yahoo! Video

Traverse City Lovin'

I love "Up North". We just booked another vacation for next weekend, Labor Day weekend, in Traverse City. We are really hoping to be able to move north someday. We may even take one more trip up north before winter hits. We will have to see how the finances hold up. We have always loved the scenery and all the lakes and it is hilly, not mostly flat like it is here. There is also the whole cherry thing. lol Which Matt may hate, but I love. Cherry Republic is a great store and they have wine and cider now too. It is too cool. We are hoping to explore a little more of the area on this trip too. We went to the Old Mission Peninsula last time and I am hoping to go to the Leelanau Peninsula this time.

Dexter is Cool

Life is boring again. I have zero plans for the rest of the month and I start school again on the 1st. I was so busy with homework and having fun for the last 6 weeks or so, I feel antsy with nothing coming up. Season 3 of Dexter came out today. I was going to start watching it tonight, but I had some season finales on tonight, so I might start tomorrow. Dexter is such a great show. It's so twisted it is perfect for me. :D

I had Matt dust off our bicycles the other day and we went for a short bike ride last night to get me some ice cream. My first in like 10 years or more. Ever since I got a car, I've driven every where. It was fun to ride again. I think I will have to ride my bike more often.

Also, I sick of my job again. The monotony of it all is really getting to me. Same things day in and day out. I'll get over it. It will help when one of my co-workers is on vacation next week and I get to do his job as well as my job. Still, sick of it.

Life is a Crazy Rollercoaster

So my current class has so much homework, I haven't had much time for alot of other things, particularly this last weekend. I procrastinated my 15 page research paper and all the extras that go with it until Saturday. I currently have 10 pages and the whole thing final draft is due this Wednesday. I may turn it in a little short. I am sooooo freakin sick of homework. Only two classes left.

Thought I'd say, best summer weather on memory. There have only been a few really hot days and I am hoping it doesn't get into the 90's at all this year. That would make my whole summer.

I am super excited about Julie & Julia coming out this weekend, and going to the Dragon Room and watching others eat sushi, since I can't do it. It's a texture thing. Not looking forward to dinner at our place on Sunday, feeling lazy and overwhelmed, but I suppose it's pretty much the only time I see Matt's dad and Beth, Matt's dad's new wife. I have absolutely zero idea what to fix.

I had an interesting conversation with some people about a thing that I am not going to go into, so as not to jinx what might be a great thing. More details after September 14. That's all you get. :)

Summer Plans

Matt and I had headed North on the Fourth of July this year to check out a B & B and we decided to stay over night in Traverse City. Our first really spontaneous trip. I had a spare set of contacts in my purse, which was the only reason we could do this. So we stopped at the mall and picked up a few necessities and I searched the Internets on my phone and we booked a hotel and we stayed the night. Yeah us!! We had traversed up the Old Mission Peninsula and stopped at most of the wineries and pick up a few bottles of wine too. :) In the morning we made a quick stop at the Cherry Festival and wandered around downtown Traverse City, tried some more wine, before heading back home.
I have started my party planning. I don't feel the urgency that I normally feel, so I think this year is going to be a little more laid back for me. Which will be nice. I am still planning tons of stuff, but most of it is easier and not as much new stuff. My grocery list is only 50-60 or so items. We haven't done much with the house since last year, and that makes me want to do something drastic, but we only have 4 1/2 days to get everything and there is lots of housework and cleaning. There just isn't time for me to go completely crazy. Maybe I'll do some more clutter clearing or organization.

It's a AI World

For those of you who didn't know, I went and auditioned for American Idol in Chicago this last weekend. I had coerced Sarah into going with me and we had a ton of fun. It was pretty much what I expected, a lot of waiting and then some more waiting. When we were not at the auditions or registration we spent a lot of time walking around the magnificent mile, looking for stuff we wanted to buy. Since we are both really broke, we didn't buy much and spent more time looking the our number one picks to buy at the end of the trip. We found the neatest store called LUSH. It's super cool, and all natural. Dinner was better at The House of Blues than The Cheesecake Factory, though I enjoyed both immensely.

I didn't make it to the next round, but I am considering going back next year.

Changing Dates

Yes, I did change the date of your annual summer party, exclusivly so Ted could come, and possible bring this girl I hear he's kinda into. :) This will be the last year that we will be doing this, since Ted will have a real job with a scheduale and everything. So he had better show up!! lol

I am really looking forward to our party this year, like every year. Yeah for partys!! Be there July 18, 2009.