2 days!

Ladies, and gents, the moment we have all (and when I say we, I mean me) been waiting for is coming in two days.

Move Day.

I'm signing my lease tomorrow afternoon, and plan on waking up very early on Move Day to ensure that I have had enough caffeine, and that my little movers (Andrea, Scott, Paul, and le Father- if he can come) have breakfast food ready when they arrive at Casa De Gaga e Papaw.

Paul laughs at me for making a big production out of Move Day, but it's not just about moving-it's my last morning to wake up in Casa De Gaga e Papaw.
Yes, I will insist on calling their house this from this point further.
No, I don't find it ridiculous at all, why do you ask?

My mother, Gaga, or Grandma if you're no fun, is going to be hanging out with Aiden all day while the little movers work. She's a champ.

I have been packing little by little all week, but I always procrastinate, so I'm sure that Friday night will be a late night, as I will be getting last minute stuff shoved into boxes. Packing party at Casa de Gaga e Papaw's!
Weird.

So, that's all that has been going on with me this week...move, move, move, move.
Oh, and getting my new pizza cutter in the mail. That was exciting.
I think it's actually a dough cutter/scraper with the word pizza on it but...to each their own. It will serve many purposes in my new little kitchen. I cannot tell you how long I've been wanting a scraper. Probably ever since I first saw one.

So, to close up the pack/move portion of this chapter in my life, I've composed a list of demands for my new apartment that absolutely are not needed, just wanted, because I'm a woman and can never be satisfied.
And here it is:
1) A kitchen torch. Because you know why.
2) The new Charlie book by Ree Drummond, set to hit stores this fall.
3) $600 total for a pet deposit. C'mon. You want to.
4) A kitten.
5) A visit from the dog whisperer to advise me on how to teach Layla to use a litter box.

See? I'm easy to please.

Brunch. I like that shit.

Why has no one informed me of a good brunch place in Wichita Falls?
Is there such thing?
Besides IHOP?

I had brunch for the first time in Galveston, and maybe I'm obsessed with the concept.
What constitutes brunch?
Is it just brunch because of the time you eat it? Or is what you eat?


That's it.

I will be cooking brunch every weekend possible after I move.

As soon as I learn how to poach an egg.
PW showed me how once...or there's some kind of kitchen gadget you can buy for that. Probably not the same, though...
Anyway, Anna's Kitchen will feature all kinds of benedict's.
And lots of bacon.
If you're sweet, you're invited. The end.

Okay, so here's my plan:

Unless I have a change of heart between now and Friday, I have planned to live without cable for as long as possible.
I cannot, however, live without internet.
That is not okay.
So, I'm on the hunt for internet providers.

I still don't have dining room chairs, but I'm okay with that for now.
I have also decided on finding some kind of sofa table or something for my tv instead of a tv stand...because a table is higher up. You get it?

I'm glad we had this talk.

1 week & 1 day

I still check my stats daily, y'all.

Someone did inform me of how all that works (and by "all that" I mean, how a person looking at filmhill.com could possibly get to my blog.), and actually I still don't get it, but I'm okay with it.

It's been a busy week, and I've had nothing to write about. I'm sorry.

If you can't say anything interesting, don't start a blog, amiright??


Except I did make brownies from scratch for the first time last night.

I have two bridal showers this weekend.
Two lovely ladies are saying their "I-do's" a week apart from the other in October. Both ladies are very dear to me, though they don't know eachother.
Unless they met once and didn't tell me.
Sneaky bitches.

I'm leaving tonight to stay at one of those Sneaky Bitch's houses. Because her shower is actually a brunch thing, and it's hard to make yourself appear collected at a brunch if you had to drive two hours to get there.
At least it is for me.
And for christ's sake, it's the weekend.
Let me sleep a little more than usual.
Sheesh.

I had a bad lunch date today, so I won't be seeing him again ever ever ever ever.

I am moving in one week and one day.

I am in need of some dining room chairs.

And artwork or something to decorate with.

.........Curtains. Ug.

I need more coffee. Then I will be done with the beverages until later.

I'm sorry that I'm boring today.

Page Views

My fellow bloggers:

Have you ever viewed the stats from your blog views?
It's quite interesting.

For instance: My blog has 7 views from RUSSIA.
Russia.
I will not rest until 140% of Russia is reading my blog.
That is a joke...and if you don't get it, you aren't a 9gagger.
It's fine.

I also draw a large crowd from filmhill.com, which, after extensive research (me just googling it), I found that filmhill.com is a place to pirate movies. Like still in the theatre.
Figured I'd plug that there for all 8 of my filmhill viewers. HOW DID YOU GET TO MY PAGE FROM THERE?

I find it impressive that I draw a crowd other than my family at ALL, since...I don't promote my blog anywhere.
Not facebook.
Not twitter.
Not even instagram, which I luff.

But really, what I would like to say is that...when looking at the map of where my pageviews are coming from, Alaska is highlighted as views coming from there.
There is no way to tell if they're actually from Alaska, or if my view count is counting them as 'Merica.

But if you ARE from Alaska, and you ARE who I think you are:

HELLO, SARAH PALIN!!
We finally meet! Sort of!
Huge fan! Kinda? Okay, actually what it is ... is that... I do an awesome impersonation of you.
When my hair was brown it was uncanny.
I got REALLY good at it during the last election, but seeing as how there's less of a demand for people who talk like you down 'round these here parts, I stopped...and now it's rusty.
Don't get your feelings hurt. It was all in the name of fun.
For us anyway.
For the record, I didn't vote that year.
So, I didn't vote FOR you, nor AGAINST you.
But I was totally rooting for Obama.


Now that I got that out of the way...
I can tell you that it is raining. (Well it was...)
This rain comes as a direct result of me washing my car on Monday.

You're welcome, Wichita Falls.

Also?
Still sick.
Tattoo getting better.
Going to visit my grandma and pick up a couch this weekend. :D
So all is well in Anna-land.
Minus the being sick.
Meh.

Sniffle/Ouch.

I have been sick more this past year than ever ever ever before.
I'm pretty sure it's due to the fact that my son entered daycare and now carries home every disease introduced in every household in Wichita Falls.
I'm exaggerating.
His daycare is not that big.
I still blame daycare though.
(Cough.)

Anyway, I started feeling a bit puny Saturday, but it didn't hit me until approximately 24 minutes before Katy arrived at my hizzie.
So, I took some tylenol and moved on with my life.
Sort of.
Not really.
I'm such a pansy when I'm sick.
So we went ahead and got me some DayQuil while we were out that afternoon.

Katy demands three things every time she visits:
Sevis.
Ganache.
Charming Charlie.

The times she visits are the only times that I do any of those things.
For the most part.
Sometimes I do get a wild hair and decide to venture to Ganache.
Not the point.

Our afternoon consisted of Katy's demands and then Target, and then we got ready for Saturday night.

We are never bored.

Saturday night my cold thing or whatever in the world it is hit me hard.
I hate being sick.
I hate being sick.

Sunday at noon, I went and got my tattoo.
I had an appointment at Artistic Ink, which is by the base.
I had never been to this tattoo place, but my Cowboy friend said that's where he goes so...off we went.
The place is clean.
The place is charming.
The place does not make you fear infection.
These are all very important, in my eyes.

Originally, the tattoo was supposed to go on my neck...on the back...sort of at my hairline.
Once I saw what Brad the Tattoo Artist drew up, I decided that it was too big to be on my neck.
So then I had to decide sort of on the spot where to put this tattoo.
When I mentioned my ribs, Brad the Tattoo Artist sort of made a face, and told me he'd rather put it on my neck.
The ribs hurt.
I know this because...that is where my tattoo ended up.
Brad the Tattoo Artist is awesome, though.
He talked about how Tattoo Artists forget how much tattoos hurt, and as a result sometimes show no mercy.
He knew the guy who did my last tattoo.
We agreed that he is one of the nicest people on planet earth.
He let me know what he was doing while he did it.
These things are good things to know.
A huge thanks to Brad the Tattoo Artist.

Now the worst part is over, and I just have to deal with the stinging pain every time I clean it.
Well worth it, though. I am so happy with it.

I may post a picture in a few days, when it's not so...new. And red.

Until then...

BritiUsh.

I tweaked my blog's look a little.

It was quite fun playing, and now I'm satisfied.



Just an update:

This weekend Katy is coming in to town, and we're going out for Linny's birthday. Location TBA.

I am going to attept to re-create The Mosquito Benedict as pictured in my previous blog.
Attempt.

I am also getting another tattoo on Sunday.


Have I mentioned how rough it is transitioning into 5 day weeks?
So worth it, though.
Vacations should be mandatory.

Another part of my Vacation Hangover is that Keeley, Katy, and I have an ongoing group text where basically we tell each other how much we miss everyone and how much we want to move to Galveston.

Enough about the vacation. I promise.

Now, you'll have to listen (read?) about the apartment.
For approximately four more weeks. And then I will leave you alone about it. Scouts honor.
If we were in England, it would be "Scouts Honour".
Do they have the scouts?
I guess my point was, they put random U's in words.
I have a friend who's parents are British...or maybe just one. I don't know. Anyway, he used to always text things about flavour, or colour. Did you know that? Little bit of trivia.
Also, realize is spelled "realise". So. If someone misspells it, just assume they are British and move on with your life.
Unless he is just really a terrible speller and is pulling the British card because he knows I don't know any better.
Little did he know, I'd turn around and try to drop the knowledge on my poor blog readers.

WOW, I can get off topic.
I would be a terrible teacher.
But a class favourite.
Did you catch my extra u?
If you did, you get a cookie for attention to detail.

I have TWO bridal showers to attend in two weeks. TWO. As in one Saturday, and one Sunday.
Please say a little prayer for me.
Or happy thoughts.
Or xanax.
Whatevs.

For my foodie friends, you should know that I finally made some risotto last night.
And I had never had it. Never.
And you know what?
I don't know if I did it right or not...since I've never had it.
But it was pretty damn good.

I think that's all for now. Nothing else too exciting is going on.

BE GOOD.

Vacation Pictures. :)

This is Beach, Day one. This is from the Seawall. This is beautiful. End of story. (This was actually in response to a text message I got from my mother, asking how the weather was. Bwahahaha.)

This is a black bean burger. I have yet to find another since I've been back. I have not looked, though. Notice my avacado and pico addition to said black bean burger. It was so...so...so good. (This can be found at The Spot in Galveston, TX.)

This is the Galveston Bay. I took this picture from my table at the Cadillac Bar on the Kemah Boardwalk. Kemah Boardwalk is one of the top 10 in 'Merica, and is located on the mainland, about 30-esque miles from Galveston Island.

This is some of a Corona-Rita. If you have not yet experienced one, and you are a fan of Corona and/or Margaritas, this is a must. I should have taken a photo of the drink when it came out, but I was very...thirsty. So. Anyway, if you've never seen one, it's a margarita with a Corona in it. Bottle and all. So, as you're drinking your marg, you get a little Corona.Very tasty. 

Let me tell you about this little beauty. This is from The Mosquito in Galveston, TX. It is called The Mosquito Benedict. It is served on a chive scone, with shrimp, artichokes, asparagus, and mushroom, and of course-poached eggs with hollandaise sauce. Served with your choice of side-I chose roasted potatoes. I cannot say enough about this, at all. Except that it's one of those dishes that you don't care how full you are, you're going to keep eating until it's gone or until they whisk you away. On an ambulance. 

Beach-Day Two. Up close and Personal. SEE MY KNEES?! They were later scraped on the ocean floor when I was trying to attack Katy for putting sand in my drawers. 

This is where we ate Dinner Saturday night. I think it's neat that they have the message board. Also, Congrats to Yousef and Nadia, wherever you are. 

Nom. 

Asparagus. Rice Pilaf. OH, and...Tilapia with Lump Crab meat, Mushrooms, and a white wine Cream Sauce. Thanks. 

This is was my first time eating this. How was it?

You be the judge. 

Lemon Rosemary Martini. Pretty name...strong drink. I poured it out. I'm not man enough for that drink. 

Brunch on Sunday morning. Salmon Filets with...poached eggs and hollandaise. Side of potatoes. Can you tell I was into eggs benadict that weekend? This was at The Sunflower Cafe in Galveston, TX. Three thumbs up! 

We didn't do much else on Sunday, except walk up and down the Strand. Then drove home, where I spent some quality time with...

Theeeeese. 

And there you have it ! Pics from my trip. 

You're welcome.

Vacation Hangover

This is the first week back to real life from vacation.
Insert my saddest face ever here.
But really, does everyone feel this depressed when they come back from vacation? Yes? Thought so.
I have the "I would much rather be at the beach or tasting amazing food" blues.
Because....okay, I didn't do much beach laying, honestly. I spent most of my time at the beach in the water. The time spent on the actual beach resulted in a sunburn which has now turned into a tan.
Pretty cool, huh?

I can't imagine how much worse it would be if I had gone to, say, Florida.
Or California.
Or NYC.
Or London.
Actually, scratch the London idea. Too much going on there right now.

But still. I got to spend time with my best friend, and got to know my other friend Keeley even better.
She's the sweetest girl in the whole wide world, I'm sure of it.
And she put up with Katy and I for three whole days, so...obviously she's gold as far as friends go.

The only bad part of vacation is that now I have learned of the awesomeness of Beaver Nuggets.
Beaver Nuggets come from Buc-ee's.
Buc-ee's is the mother of all convenient stores.
In fact, I believe I dubbed it "The King of Convenience" in earlier times.
But that was before I tasted Beaver Nuggets.
Now, Buc-ee's is simply, "The Home of Beaver Nuggets".
And until you taste Beaver Nuggets, you cannot possibly understand why I'd devote an entire paragraph to junk food.
And if you have tried them, you will understand. You will nod your head knowingly. You will pity me for only  having half a bag left. You will ignore that I didn't say that I STILL have half a bag. You would understand.
Do you get it? They're awesome.

Okay, so here's the skinny:

Now that I'm back from vacation I am in full speed ahead mode as far as the apartment is concerned.
I spent a nice sized chunk of money yesterday at Target on towels and kitchen gadgets...and bathroom necessities. Like a shower curtain. And rugs. And a soap dispenser.
I've decided on colors for my kitchen and bathroom.
Living room decor TBA.
Happy colors though, is the main focus.
Or calm. I like calm.
In the past, everything has been red. And I do mean everything.

I see a trip to IKEA in my near future. Any takers?
No? K, fine.