Friday, March 30, 2007

The Mitchells

Wow am I ever humbled at the moment. I really can't complain about anything. I am in awe of my friends, Joe & Andrea, as they raise their precious daughter, Ella. Please be praying for their wisdom and that God will give them strength and hope.

I mentioned their story last May and you can read it here.

TGIF for REALZ

Blah, I have nothing to say today. I feel like any creative juices that once flowed through my vains have been sucked dry by a cubicle and it's chair. Can I get a witness?

I love my job. Wait! Let me rephrase that. I am thankful for my job. I work with incredible people and have the knowledge that I am helping people every day. I also have flexibility and the stress level is low to non-existent. But I'm not inspired and most of the time I'm thinking about how to entertain myself to make the work hours go by more quickly. If I knew that "this was it" and that this is what I've been dealt for the rest of my life then I think I'd cry.

I sound pathetic. Don't worry. I won't be posting any drawings of ways I could kill myself with a hole puncher, a #2 pencil and a paper clip. I'm not creative enough for that today.

I have had a great week actually. I've been running non-stop and am looking forward to a weekend that might give me a few hours to rest.

Monday: Okay, so I did take some time to watch Dancing with the Stars. Here's my recap: Laila & Joey will excel. Shandie, I don't care about you. Leeza, you'll be out soon after her. Question: Why can't they pick some talented female celebrity dancers?

Tuesday: I began rehearsal for a new sketch show I'll be performing in that begins at the end of May. It's called "Heavy" and I'm supposed to be the "attractive" portion of a trio. Why thank you. I'll be excited to do another sketch show. Hopefully it will be funny.

Wednesday: I ran four miles (it took every ounce of strength within me to go to the gym) and then hit the Patty Griffin concert at The Vic. She is a fantastic performer straight out of Austin, Texas. If you've never heard her music or seen her perform live, it's a must!

Thursday: I finally got my long locks cut. It's similar to Britney Spears' except it is about a foot longer and involves wispy bangs. Basically nothing's changed. Then I had an audition for a student film and it actually wasn't so bad. They liked me and are interested in using me for this project as well as future projects. That's nice! I have another one this Sunday. I also couldn't get Beyonce's Irreplaceable out of my head. To the left, to the left....

Friday: I'm going to see the long awaited Blades of Glory! I cannot wait to see this little piece of cinematic genius! Wigs, spandex, sequins and ice = recipe for perfection.

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Ready to Run

Jessie and Janell gave me the perfect birthday gifts. I guess living with someone for three years gives you a good idea of who they are, what they want and what they need. They know me so well! It's kind of scary.

Janell got me a year long subscription to Blockbuster online rental. It's like Netflix but you can actually go to the store! It's only $9.99 a month. Now if I could just make the time to watch a movie! My roommates claim that this is a present for me but everyone wins with it. Little do they know that I like really cheesy dance movies or foreign flicks that make you go "huh?" Well actually they do know because they've lived with me for so long.

Jessie knows I'm in training for a half-marathon this coming May. I'm a little behind in my training because of a severe case of laziness but I think I'm back on track! I've completed all my scheduled runs so far this week! AND I did the Chicago Shamrock Shuffle and didn't die! Tangent. Anywho, Jessie got me the new Nike + ipod thing for the shoe. I'm so excited to use it. Apparently at the end of a really long run Lance Armstrong will come on and congratulate you. The next best thing to that would be having the actual Lance Armstrong running with me. It would be a win win for both of us. He could cheer me on and I could make him laugh.

Because I do not wear Nike's when I run I just went online and bought this nifty little clip for it. I think I'll like it. I chose pink because I like the color. And of course I support Breast Cancer research! And it reminds me I'm a girl when I'm all salty and sweaty from running.

What are my running shoes of choice? I run in the Mizuno Wave Inspire shoe. They are light, supportive and don't cut too high on my cankles. I actually don't have cankles but I love the word. Cankles. See? It's great! I'm in need of a new pair if anyone wants to spring for them for me. I wear an 8.5 in women's. That's an 8.5 in a running shoe. Should you want to buy me these, I'll take them in an 8.

I Heart Golden Retrievers

Yet another reason to love Golden Retrievers.

Monday, March 26, 2007

Fresh Face

Here's my headshot. I'm not exactly fond of it but it has received a compliment or two from directors and people casting for shows. I don't know why. I am looking to get this retaken considering it was over two years ago. I wasn't so happy about it at first glance.

Home Sweet Home

Praise God I have found an apartment! I was a freakin' mess last week. I do realize that I have six weeks until I move but I needed closure!

Apartment hunting in Chicago is completely different than most places I've lived. There are no "apartment complexes" that show you a nice clean demo and tell you what units they have available. Apartment hunting here is like a rat race. You have to call frantically, be open to seeing anything and hope for the best. The pictures make a slum look like a palace. Plus there are thousands of other people on the hunt too. We're all looking for the best apartment at the cheapest price in a prime location. It's a game of "take what's 'okay' now or risk losing that for a chance at something better...or much worse." I would have preferred getting a shot that put me out until this whole miserable hunt was over! But God is faithful, as always. I'm shocked by my lack of faith in this whole thing.

I saw some real treasures. Most three bedrooms have two bedrooms that are nice in size and the third that could barely fit a twin bed. Or they are just fantastic but located in a place where I'd fear for my life. I'm so glad I'm a girl. I am clean, smell nice and care about hygiene. I mean, we have a chore chart! Most of the apartments we visited were occupied by the male gender. I had to walk over clothes to peak in a closet. I saw cigarettes on the ground, beer bottles turned over on every table, unflushed toilets (for the love!) and I even once saw a syringe. Want some pot? I can tell you where to get it. This place smelled like stale sweaty underwear, a crack pipe and fresh syrup. I need another shower even after just talking about it!

So we've found our dream place that overlooks Lincoln Park and Lake Michigan. It's bright, HUGE, 3 bedrooms and 3 baths. It has character, wood floors and an elevator! I'm a happy happy girl!

I'll be sure to throw a housewarming party soon!

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Watch This!

Picture this:

You're trying to hail a taxi with your two big bosses. You're dressed to the 9's as far as work standards go: heels, suit and corporate bag. There are no empty taxi's to be found. You figure you'll entertain your bosses for a few seconds to remind them how witty and jovial you can be even on the way to an important meeting. You say to them, "remember Ally?" And you imitate this Ally trying to hail a cab by running into the street and high kicking the left leg while throwing her arms in the air. By the street corner you begin your imitation that is sure to draw a laugh. You kick up your leg and throw your right arm in the air. Your left arm stays by your side holding onto a large stack of folders. As you successfully complete the task and receive a laugh you bring down your left leg. On the other side of the folders, hidden from you is a fire hydrant. The heel of your Franco Sarto brown leather pump catches the top of the fire hydrant. This sends a reverberating shock from the heel of your straight leg all the way to your lower back. You hop and hop and hop trying to catch yourself from collapsing to the cement sidewalk. Success! You are safe! Your bosses laugh and the drivers of the cars on the road join in on the fun.

Picture it? Okay, now tell me this: How does one recover? Just wondering. No reason in particular. No reason at all. Not that this happened to me last friday at 1:57 pm.

Tuesday, March 20, 2007

DWTS Recap 1

Two words: Joey Fatone.

Five words: Billy Ray Cyrus is out.

I shockingly didn't see most of the show. GASP! I know you're disappointed in me. I had a board meeting and forgot to DVR it. But I saw the recaps and this is what I can tell you:

Best male: Joey Fatone. I so knew he'd kick a$$.
Best female: Laila Ali. She could totally kick my a$$.

Wasn't she just gorgeous? She even made the fox trot interesting. Nice.

I'll be sure to tune in monday night.

Monday, March 19, 2007

Breakfast of Champions!















Breakfast is my most FAVORITE meal in the world. Last night my wonderful roommates, Jessie & Janell, threw a little birthday gathering for me last night. They made a gourmet spread, as usual. Seriously, it was fantastic! After two mimosas, crepes, french toast, yogurt parfait and a quiche I was filling ill today. Wait, I forgot to mention the birthday cake fabulously decorated! Here are some pictures. I felt loved!

Fancy

Dancing with the Stars begins TONIGHT! Yes! The gods have heard my cries! Tune into ABC at 7:00 pm to watch some B-level and no name celebrities battle it out in glitzy outfits. And HELLO! When did Cliff join the group? This is awesome!

I love all things dancing. I don't care how bad the movie or television show is, I WANT to watch it! Dirty Dancing Havana Nights? Yeah, I own it (I'm a little ashamed). Who spent a couple of hours the other day watching Take the Lead? Me! Who loves Strictly Ballroom? Nobody puts me in a corner! Especially you Neil! I carried a watermelon.

You Had Me at "Take a Deep Breath"

So most of you have been asking for details about my new hot doctor. I'll give them to you!

Flying up to Denver I was hit with a severe sinus thing that left me with a fever and a bad case of wanting my mom to take care of me. Waiting in the airport for the family to arrive I fought back tears. I seriously don't remember the last time I cried because I didn't feel good. It could have been PMS, but I sincerely doubt it.

The ride up to the mountains was borderline hilarious and borderline just-go-ahead-and-knock-me-out-because-I'll-make-this-trip-miserable-for-you. I literally could not breathe out of my nose. After a game of "I'm going to breckenridge and I'm bringing....(everything to do with sickness and medicine)" we finally made it. Here's the view we had from the backseat forwards:














We had to text Drew in order to communicate. I think he grew quickly tired of our "hey, can I borrow a tampon" texts. We, on the otherhand, couldn't stop laughing at ourselves. Too much Affrin? Perhaps.

Saturday I was too ill to ski. My friend, Hannah, used to be a ski patrol in Summit County (she's unbelievable!) and now works at the ER just outside of Breckenridge. She told me to come in and we would get to catch up as well as heal my sinus issue. Her boyfriend also works at the ER. I saw her wave to a tall cute guy and I said enthusiastically, "Hey! Is that your tall cute boyfriend?" She said "No. My boyfriends cute but not that tall. Do you know who that is though? He was once The Bachelor on t.v." "So you're saying I have a chance!"

He walked into my room and immediately I felt flushed but I played it off as a fever. I had to breathe for him while he listened to my back and chest. He looked down my throat and then came the horror. He, without warning, started feeling my stomach to ask if it hurt. I was sitting hunched over and there were definitely rolls! Couldn't he at least ask me to lay down so he could see I have a two pack? That or buy me dinner first.

I'm pretty sure I made an impression on him: one of a weak girl who couldn't handle a sinus cold, needed to eat healthier and probably had snot bubbles coming out of her nose. I'm sure he's still asking Hannah about her cool hot friend who came into the ER.

At least I got to ski.


Andrew's Blog

Drewby called me last night and said he was going to start a blog. I'm so freakin' excited because he makes me laugh HARD! You can read his blog here. He only has one entry but hopefully there will be more. DON'T DISAPPOINT ME DREW! No pressure or anything.

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Breckenridge, CO














We headed up to Breckenridge, CO for Andrew's spring break and my 31st birthday. Yes, Happy Birthday to me. Thank you to all those who sent such loving texts, emails and phone calls!

I'll be sure to post more in a bit but you can guess the story by this picture:















Oh, and this was my doctor:

I kid you not. Hello Dr. Stork. Yes, I will accept this rose. Thank you.

Thursday, March 08, 2007

More of Liam

Here are some more pictures of Liam that Patrick just sent. They totally made me cry! They are such joyful parents and it makes me so happy to finally see them as a family...that and the Judd's song, "Love is Alive," is playing and always does that to me.

Liam Joseph Orender

He's finally here! Patrick & Alicia welcomed Liam into the world at 8:08 this morning. He's 6 lbs. 7 oz. He is 19 inches long. I think he has my brothers nose. It's hard to tell. I cannot wait to meet the little guy!

Here are some pictures!

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

Happy Birthday Connor!

You turn one today. In the past twelve months your personality has grown and we're beginning to see what you will be like when you're older. You'll be a laid back guy who makes people work hard to get you to laugh. I hope that last part changes because you're my toughest critic!

Look how much you've grown!
You've still got the chubby cheeks and even chubbier thighs.
I hope you hold onto those for a little bit longer.
You'll be walking soon and we'll all be chasing after you.
You'll be a great big brother. I loved having a big brother. You better treat your siblings with love, kindness and just a little bit of roughness to toughen them up. That's what brothers are for, right?
I'm so glad to know you and can't wait to spend a few days up in Colorado with you. We'll celebrate both our birthdays! I'll be your favorite aunt. MARK MY WORDS! I love you!

Monday, March 05, 2007

I Need My Dones!

Note to self: don't eat pounds of salt. I'm not certain but I have a hunch that my salt binge last week culiminated in the seizing of my neck and shoulder muscles on the right side of my body. Friday morning I woke up to extreme pain in my right shoulder blade and neck. I couldn't lift my arm above my shoulder which resulted in me not showering. Don't look at me that way! I couldn't shower! It was physically impossible! I've showered since, okay?

I went and saw an amazing massage therapist, Mimi. This one was not quite as enjoyable as the massage given to me two years ago by Nathan. She beat me up and made me feel a little better. I'm still trying to recover. She said that the entire right side of my body hurts because I work at a desk. Working at a desk also makes my personality hurt too.

Big Brother Connor

There is so much to celebrate in my family! My little sister, Erin, is pregnant again! You can check out Connor's website to see the moment Erin & Chris revealed the big news to the family at Connor's first birthday party. I'm hoping they upload the video soon so I can see it! It's hard being away while the family has so much to celebrate.

Have I mentioned how much I love being an aunt? It's true. I LOVE it! And this thursday I'll get to be an aunt again. We're welcoming little Liam to the world!

Spin Class

Um, no thanks. I am seriously wondering what kind of sanitation methods were used. Hello, fungus! And ew. I would NEVER use a machine knowing that someone had once used it...naked.

Thursday, March 01, 2007

Katy Ore-Ida Tator Tot

I have been the laziest of human beings the past two nights. I have sat on the couch and watched a box that showed other human beings living their lives. One night of pajamas, dinner on the couch and American Idol is fine. But two nights in a row? AND I was too lazy to get up and run this morning. I blamed it on the "scary" thundering weather.

I also just ate some tomatoes with salt. What is up with that?