Planning a wedding...

I'm basically trying to avoid THIS. I apologize for the swearwords, I do not approve. But you get the gist of it, right? -also I would like to avoid being subtitled as the absolute worst.

I'm waiting for my "Best blog, ever" award

I know, I know. I'm really really bad at blogging in the last few months. I've been drowning in schoolwork. To top that off, Shawn and I got engaged a few weeks ago. Exciting, yes! A little daunting to plan? You got it. I'm pretty disheartened when it comes to politics. Maybe you are too. Quite honestly, I wasn't a fan of either option. You know why? I found this man. It's so rare that you find someone who just speaks common sense these days in politics, and Dr. Ron Paul does. This is a very long video, and I'm super impressed if you can watch over 8 minutes (that's about how long I had time for) but seriously, give it 5 minutes and try to tell me he wouldn't have been the guy you want running a country as precious as ours.

Before & After

Look familiar? As the summer gravel season is coming to a close, I got a good dose of nostalgia with this sight.

Happy birthday to me!

only a dental student would get teeth shaped soap for her birthday. But you also need a sister that only thinks of you when she sees teeth. Thanks, sis!

It's called the WEFest effect

My head's not quite all there yet as you can see

Too bad it's not June 26th...

This Monday's really lining up for Daisy

Photo search!

Can you find the one thing in this picture that just doesn't fit?

Race to Wendell

Playing chicken with the train. Think I can beat him to town?

Let's practice counting!

How many way-too-excited-to-be-on-a-day-long-ride-in-a-bumpy-dusty-semi dogs do you see? I see two!

Lily's gap-toothed smile

I'm behind on posting my gravel pit pictures but can you just count this as my Monday's post? It's my favorite of about 137 pictures that Lily took with my phone. I just love her missing tooth!

Shiney and new

This is a gravel operation's version of new tires for a dozer

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Early morning at the pit

Caleb running the loader.

Watch this. Now.

I can't wait to read the book!

In the passenger seat

Belle is excited to get in the truck every single day. Can't say I'm the same. But she sure is cute!

Well hello Wile E. Coyote!

I forgot to submit a pic this week but here ya go. Coyote in the ditch. Don't see that everyday!

Pre-trip!

This is me, airing up one of Miss Daisy's 22 tires. My eyes are closed because I just blew a burst of air and tire dust in my own face. What a way to start a Monday...

Oh Beautiful!

For amber waves of grain.

View from my cab

I've decided to keep a photo journal of my experiences on the road hauling gravel this summer. Here's my favorite of the day.

Duke. He came over the CB radio a few seconds later asking, "Was I smiling?" I don't know, Duke. But I was!

Eat your heart out Pinterest!

Karley is working on her latest project

My 1st year at dental school...

Went pretty well, dontcha think?! Click the pictures to enlarge :)

I'm fairly certain it's because Karley and Robby gave me an ice cube tray that makes your ice cubes look like sets of teeth, but I could be wrong.

Happy Monday back at ya, Mary

I'm not sad it's Monday, weird huh? Maybe it's because this picture is so delightfully hilarious.

Kelly and Nate came over with Tess this weekend to celebrate Kelly's 25th birthday. We took the pups down to the river, which is one Indy's most favorite places in this world. As soon as he get down there, he gets uncontrollably giddy. Anywho, the giddyness musta rubbed off on Tess, too. Happy Monday back at you, Mary!!

This is Alli to a T

If you wonder what living with Alli is like, here's a little taste of cold season with her:

You might want to come over

I have no school today. Hence, today is cinnamon roll day. The recipe comes from none other than Pioneer Woman, I still haven't made it all the way through her cookbook so this is one Alli and I have been dying to cross off the list. You might want to come over. It's going to be (and smell) glorious.

Pray for me

Because it's finals week. I've spent 7/10ths of my waking hours (oh yeah, I've calculated) dedicated to studying for what I'm beginning to call "THE FINALS THAT NEVER END." They started last Monday. I wish I meant yesterday-Monday, but I don't. They continue on through Friday. Eeeesh. Anyway, things are unraveling in brain. It became apparent when I made up song to help me remember information for my dental neurology exam. It's sung to the tune of the Taco John's commercial theme song: "There's a whole lotta dopamine going on! Going on in Schizophrenia!" I need help.

I went to the Blue Door Pub today and saw...

A burger the size of a lawn gnome

Tonight, tonight

I sing at the WEFEST karaoke roundup finals for the specific bar I won at a week ago. I still haven't decided what to sing.

It might be this one...


recognize any of Miranda's friends in this video? (that might require you being a big country fan which I'm pretty sure none of you are, so I'll assume no)

Wish me luck!

Just another afternoon lunch-time

Ham and cream cheese and pickle and yellow pepper rollups for lunch. Don't hate because you're jealous...

What an awesome week!

So far this week:

I got 100% on my physiology exam
Won a karaoke contest in a bar in Minneapolis is got 2 WEFEST tickets
Alli got a job at our favorite all-time radio station, K102
Started out the rollerblading season with a long ride up and down the banks of the Mississippi river getting a little help with Indy pulling me along
Pentatonix (from The Sing Off) came out with such a cool remix of the hottest song out there right now. See below :)
AND it's my favorite, favorite holiday; the Easter season
I wish every week could be a prepackaged bundle of awesome like this one has been!

Dear Mom,

Tell Dad I do NOT want to be a truck driver in Norway, no matter how much he begs me to!

Goodies on the grill

I got a brand new grill super cheap off craigslist and it's got me headed down all lines of supper adventures. Tonight: shrimp kabobs and pork chops after saving $65 (and spending $72) at the grocery store. Anyone have a good grill-breakfast recipe? :)

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Buenos dias!

Having a Mexican breakfast, and we're not even across the border yet!

Two Ls an I and a Y

Lily is a diligent name practicer. The classroom? Grandpa's RV.

My Saturday night

I stayed in and watched my favorite show, Saturday Night Live. If you haven't watched since the 90s, you need to get back into it. It has never been funnier, in my opinion. If you don't believe me, I give you this. Hop over to hulu and watch it and try not to squirt milk through your nose.

Romance

For Valentine's Day, Shawn and I had a VERY romantic evening at Anytime Fitness. Spotting each other's skull crushers and bench presses made for the best date ever, if not the most healthy!

Something to look forward to

It's booked! Alli, Shawn, and I have been tossing the idea of a spring break trip to Mexico around for a while. Well, it's finally official. We're beach bound on March 9th!

And guess what else? Mom and Dad are going too. They're pretty much pros at the Mexico beach vacation thing, so who better to come with than these two? Also they're celebrating their 38th anniversary later that month so it's a preemptive HOORAY for them :)

I. CAN'T. WAIT.

And no, those are not complete sentences but I don't care right now.

Some sleep for thought...

This week I've made it a point to get to bed much earlier than usual. It took some mental pep-talk, but I was snuggled up by 9:30 the last 2 nights (which is counter intuitive since it takes a MAJOR mental pep-talk to drag myself OUT of bed in the morning. What gives??!).

Some things I've noted in my self experimentation:
1) I'm more awake all day long. Duh, but it had to be said.
2) I pay attention really well in class. Last week, I couldn't bring myself to hone in on the lecture for more than 3 minutes at a time. But this week I'm like an band eagle focused on a little mouse in the brush. You can't shake me mouse. I'm onto you.
p.s.-one of my pet peeves is that movies and tv shows make people believe that eagles make that powerful shrieking sound, when they most certainly do not.
Exhbit A. The sound they would have you believe to be a bald eagle:

Exhibit B. The actual sound of our country's symbol. I hear this quite often in the morning from the baldies eating their fish out of the mighty Mississip'.

3) I was gonna say I'm not easily distracted...but I thing this blog might state otherwise.

You'd be mistaken

If you look at this pic and think, "Wow, what a pretty day in late March you must have pulled from the archives." or "Watch out for that spring puddle, Jill!" or "Hope you have your sunglasses on for that dual action sun protection AND way steezy style" or "hope you've kept up with your workouts because bikini season is clearly around the corner from the looks of that April scene!" But no, you'd be mistaken. It's January 6th.

It's January 3rd

...and I biked to school today. Have you ever biked in January? It was a first for me. It wasn't the most pleasant ride. First, there's ice all over the road so I was constantly slipping all over the place. To make matter's worse, my feet were tethered into the pedals so I couldn't even put my foot down in preparation for the major crash I was doomed to suffer. Second, my gear thingy (I'm speaking very technical, bear with me) was frozen so I couldn't shift down or up. So there I was, skidding and slipping and tethered, pedaling like a maniac because I was in the easiest gear possible. It was a terrifying and hilarious ride to school today, and it's January 3rd.

Delicious Day

I've been ripping through my Pioneer Woman cookbook, with the goal to try everything once before her new cookbook comes out in March.

Every single recipe has be splendid. Seriously.
One thing just out of this world was Rosemary Potatoes. YOU MUST TRY!!

Alli and I just filled up on Sherried Tomato Soup and I feel all tomatoed up and ready for school tomorrow.

I also made cornbread in my iron skillet! I am cool in an iron skillet kind of way.

Some other things that are just making my day as happy as a Christmas tree decorated with 30 ft of popcorn on a string:

Selling our Wii for $260!!! (To the nicest man and his 2 daughters who vowed to try beat my score in the ski jump. They won't.)
Buying a XBOX Kinect on major discount and having a blasty blast in our own living room.
My friend Carley had her baby girl. Emmerleigh Nicole is here and she is gorgeous and the delivery went beautifully and Carley and Brian are going to be great parents.
My new favorite book ever, The Hunger Games, is going to be a movie! Watch this!

I'm taking 21 credits starting tomorrow. Wait...that does NOT belong on this list.