Mr. Snoop's Very Bad Day with the law

The week prior to Match Week, Mr. Snoop had a terrible, no good, very bad Monday with the law. We were beginning to feel the pins and needles of Match Week, and it had been a truly exhausting six months. So Mr. Snoop decided to come with me to the grocery store to get out of the house.

[Side Note: You have to pay to park at the grocery store where we shop. The store reimburses you for an hour and has really long lines, so it is a mad dash to get everything done in there. Especially because they ticket if you are 30 seconds over]

Well, those of you who know Mr. Snoop know that he is Mr. Responsibility USA. He washes the bedsheets every saturday morning, always pays bills on time, works out every day, worries when my girlfriends have porches in their apartments that face the street, etc. Basically the guy was made to be a dad. And I love that about him.

Somehow in the midst of interview season hell, Mr. Snoop let his car (It's a subaru. I told you.) registration lapse. Highly uncharacteristic, to say the least. But I didn't just call it six months of hell for nothing. He sent in the registration as soon as he discovered it had lapsed and was waiting to get it in the mail at the time of The Bad Day With the law.

Anyway, Mr. Snoop goes to the grocery store with me. We make it out super quick, like 30 or 45 minutes. And get to the car to discover that we have a ticket. Initially we thought it was a parking ticket. But alas, it was the registration. Boo, right? So that sucked, but whatever. $50. More than our weekly grocery budget but we'll deal. We

get back home and check the mail, whereupon Mr. Snoop discovered A WARRANT FOR HIS ARREST. From the City of Austin. Some of you may remember that Mr. Snoop and a friend got jaywalking tickets there nearly three years ago. While crossing at a crosswalk. During which the little hand stopped flashing midway through. The other 10 or so friends got across before. Oh, and did I mention that this was his bachelor party? And that he had opened up his head water-skiing and required 7 stitches just hours before? Yes, indeed.

Given that it was, you know, his bachelor party, Mr. Snoop and Co. went out and had an awesome time. In that process he lost his jaywalking ticket. Then somewhere in the mix of getting married, going on a honeymoon, and completing 3 years of medical school, he forgot to pay it. Imagine that. So it cost $250 to clear it. BURN. Talk about an expensive walk across the street.

Morals of the story:

- If the little hand stops flashing midway while you are crossing the street, I guess you are supposed to Stop Right There and risk getting hit by cars. Otherwise you are jaywalking.

- If you get a $10 ticket from an eighteen year old cop, pay it.

- Don't Mess With Texas.

In conclusion, let's all say a prayer of thanksgiving that Mr. Snoop's brazen criminal past didn't prevent him from getting a residency in Texas. Phew. Thank goodness for small mercies.

Trip to DC

Well hello friendlies.

Mr. Snoop and I are back from our epic adventures. He was gone from NY for two weeks, can you believe it? The first stop on our journey (excluding his real first stop for an interview in the midwest) was to D.C. And it was the very best time. There was much brunching and hanging out with girlfriends and karaoke-ing and lounging and hanging out with brother and coffee drinking and celebrating of birthdays. Absolutely divine.

Have we discussed how lucky I am to have such marvelous college girlfriends? Because it is true. Not only are these KD ladies the prettiest, but they are also the smartest, the kindest, the funniest, and the best-hearted girls around. I just adore you gals.

Onward! To pictures! As you can see, there was much (inadvertent) matching of outfits. At some points over the weekend, the following people matched: Jenny + Dave, Mr. Snoop + Tom, and Mr. Snoop + Chris. And probably others, too.

Additional observations from Our Nation's Capital:

- I like D.C.

- The D.C. metro is much better labeled and more civilized than the NY trains.

- Georgetown is a great area in which to run.

- It is a terrible idea to go up the exorcist stairs (see pic) 3.5 miles into a run. I thought I was going to die.

- Pho is delicious.

- My friends think my brother is attractive. This makes me simultaneously proud and slightly nauseous.

- Did I mention I heart my girlfriends?

Next Up... on to Texas!

In Which I Fainted In Bikram Yoga

So we all know I have major issues with winter here in the Great White North, right? Serious ones. What can I say, I am a Texas girl through and through.

This November and December I tackled the issues head on with exercise. Once my initial yoga groupon ran out I went ahead and signed up for another, since the sun still goes down too early to do a good run. Bikram, y'all. You know, where the room is 105 degrees. Great idea when it is 20 degrees outside and the sun goes down at 4:45, right? Sure it is.

So I went to my first class. Tried to drink tons of water that day, like they recommend. Brought my mat, water bottle, and towel like a good girl. Signed the waiver saying I and my nearest and dearest wouldn't sue if I died. Later regretted that one. Wore less/tighter clothing than I am generally comfortable with. Tiny biker shorts and tank top, if you are wondering.

Initially the room felt great. It had only been getting up to like 30 degrees outside, so the heat was most heavenly. But then there were about 40 people in the class. All of them breathing, for some reason. Which creates lots and lots of humidity. Also, {any boys skip this!!} it was the first day of my monthly friend, which means I had some crazy hormones/cramps going on. I thought a heated room and exercise would be great for that, right? Wrong. It gets better. Aren't you so glad I'm sharing my humiliation for you to laugh at?

The whole experience felt great right up til the 8th pose. See?

source

After Pose #8, my head came up and the room went down. All kinds of shaky and wacky. Once I realized that in fact I might pass out, I made a run for the door. Fortunately I was on the same side of the room as the double door. Of which only one side opened. As the room was getting progressively blurrier and shakier, I vividly remember reaching for a door handle and thinking, "This better be the door that opens or I'm goin' down. Right here in the classroom. And I will die of humiliation and never show my face here again." Luckily, I chose wisely and made it out.

Reaching for the handle is the last thing I remember. Blessedly, I did not in fact face plant onto the ground when I passed out. There is a God. I just "woke up" some time later in a forward bend with my fingers on the ground. Having no idea where I was, what I was doing, what time it was, what day it was, etc. I slowly figured out I was in bikram yoga and that thank God, the room was no longer going wiggly. So I sat down, cooled off, and when back in.

As it turns out, I only left for the 9th pose and was back in time for the 10th. But I really felt like I was out for like 15 minutes. Meanwhile, all the sexy bikram people were just grooving along with their poses, all smooth-like. Unlike me, they also had the good sense to remove their mascara before spending 90 minutes sweating in a heated room. I went home and told Mr. Snoop I almost died. He said, "Did it also make you cry?" Yep, on top of passing out I had mascara running all the way down my face. No amount of cute yoga gear makes that a good look, y'all.

Has anyone else ever passed out in bikram, or am I just the Wimp Of All Wimps? I suspect that I am. And just fyi, I did go back for a second class and really enjoyed it. So don't let me tale of woe prevent you from trying bikram!

2012 Quickie Recap

I saw this floating around the blogosphere, and while I don't typically like these things, I thought it would be a great way for me to focus on the positives of a rather crappy year. So here goes:

Favorite trip? Easter in Austin and a family wedding in Michigan. Here are Mr. Snoop and I at said wedding. Selfie!

Favorite book? Columbine by Dave Cullen. If you liked In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, you should read this, though it is not as gory as In Cold Blood. Well-researched, well-written. Amazing book.

Favorite movie? Hmmm... Les Miserables.

Favorite TV show? Downton Abbey and Boardwalk Empire. Gosh, I am such a girl.

Favorite song? Album? Call me maybe. So sue me.

Favorite purchase? New workout clothes to replace the ones I've had since (yikes) high school. It was time.

Favorite meal out? Peekskill Brewery with Mr. Snoop.

Favorite new recipe? I love to cook! Cauliflower Cheddar Soup from Martha and Spicy Ham and Greens Quiche from Southern Living

Favorite day? March 17. A beautiful, unseasonably warm Saturday. I had just gotten great news about my health after a long, really rough month. So I sat outside in our front yard in shorts (in March! in New York! alleluia!), read a book, and soaked up the sun. It was heavenly:

Favorite development? Running again. It took some hellacious stuff to get me to go there, but I'm so glad I did.

Favorite outfit? Hmmm... anything summery, as usual. I liked the navy dress + coral necklace + yellow purse I wore to the family wedding. And of course any colorful top with white jeans and summery shoes!

Favorite Holiday: Easter, always.

What about you??

I saw Lady Mary Crawley on my run

On Monday the high hit FIFTY EIGHT degrees. Alleluia! It was kind of nasty and insanely foggy, but nevertheless, alleluia!

Since the temperature was above freezing, I had to take my new lululemon shorts out for a run. I got to squeeze in a quick, easy three miles on the aqueduct before yoga. The great thing about my yoga studio is that I can park there and then run up to the Old Croton Aqueduct trail. So convenient. Since it was an easy (and wet!!) run, I had to stop to take a picture of this sight. It was a billion times more awesome and eerie in person.

Seriously, those robber barons sure knew what they were doing. You can't see it due to all the fog, but the Hudson is right behind the mansion. I am pretty darn grateful that I get to take in view like that while I run. Does anyone else suddenly have the Downton Abbey song stuck in their head now? Right? Where's Lady Mary?

I somehow managed to fight the urge to pretend to live in Downton Abbey land and go dramatically sweeping down the rolling lawn (but y'all, I do have an antique, 1920s engagement ring. That counts for something, right?) Naturally, Bombs over Baghdad came on my shuffle as soon as I put my headphones on after taking the picture. Of course. Gosh, I'm so hardcore. I really should sync my playlist to play the Downton Abbey music right when I come out of the woods onto this estate. How amazing would that be?

Speaking of amazing, the English countryside, and Lady Mary Crawley, and majesty in general, here please appreciate another view from my run on Monday:

Downton Abbey still stuck in your head? Before I moved to the Great White North, I thought the South had cornered the market on tacky. Wrong again! You better believe this place had loud music to accompany their decorations. Merry Christmas and you're welcome.

This One Time At Yoga

In order to combat my well-documented crazy at this time of year, I had planned to do lots of running. But then I remembered that the sun goes down before I leave work. And I can't run on a treadmill because I'm high maintenance and it makes me feel like a hamster.

Since I can't run on week days, I had the great idea to get a groupon for a month of unlimited yoga at a studio just down the road. So far I really like it and it is helping my daylight savings induced crazy. But y'all, these yoga people are intense. My mom (Hi Mama Cat!) is a super yogi, but she doesn't take herself so seriously.

The other day at my class, I saw this guy walk in wearing jeans and a fleece. He set up his mat and everything, and I was thinking, Wow, he really must be awesome to do yoga in jeans. Well, I looked away and then next thing I know, Bam! There was a guy wearing a black spandex shirt and.... panties! Yep. The jeans and fleece guy had transformed. Quite suddenly, I might add. Teeny, tiny, itty bitty, little, black man panties. Very tight, they were.

Now I don't know if wearing man-panties to yoga is normal. The first time I took Mr. Snoop to Barton Springs in Austin, there was a dude doing this inversion in a blue speedo:

Source: http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/481

But that's Austin. Totally par for the course. I didn't even really think twice because it wasn't a thong or women's underwear, you know? But seeing man-panties here in the suburbs of NYC (in late November, nonetheless) took me completely by surprise. I mean, men wear suits to casual gatherings here.

I guess if I were a real, honest-to-God, crunchy yoga person I would totally not be sharing this information with you. But I'm not. And let's face it, I'm just not mature enough to let this one slide. Fortunately, the panties guy was waaaaaay across the class from me, and I was too focused on not falling down to spy on him. Thank God, because if he had been next to me I'm positive that I would have been comepletely unable to control my giggles. Oh, and after class he just walked around talking to the teacher and other students, right there in his panties like "Hey, here I am, me, my panties, and everything else."

So now I'm doing research. Since Toto, we are not in Austin anymore, is this normal? My co-worker is a total yoga person, so I asked her. After she nearly peed her pants laughing, she told me that no, no it is not. In your experience, are man-panties in yoga an acceptable and normal occurence?

10K Update

Remember that? How I was training for a Halloween 10K? Well, Mr. Snoop and I ran it and had the best time. I have had some issues in the past with running, and doing this 10K totally got me over all of those. My goal was to run the entire thing (no breaks or walking), which I accomplished. Not having a set time to make and just enjoying myself allowed me to let go of all my "issues." It was so much fun. Since it was Halloween-themed and in the Halloween capitol of the universe, Sleepy Hollow, nearly everyone wore costumes. Some of them were pretty amazing. And oh yeah, the Headless Horseman was there! He even started the race.

Those of you who have known me for a looong time know that I dressed up as the Headless Horseman for Halloween one year (5th grade? 6th grade? Mom??). A little bit of foreshadowing on God's part, no? So here we are pre-race with the man, the myth, the legend.

Yes, our "costumes" were super homemade. But also super cheap. You can't see, but my socks said "eek!" in rhinestones, naturally. One of the best parts about this run was that everyone had their homes totally done up in Halloween decorations. And all the neighbors were out cheering us on, also in full costume. We really had the best time. No, we did NOT run together. I am way too crazy and Mr. Snoop is way too fast for that. This was Mr. Snoop's first fun run, can you believe it? Here we are after the run, not looking nearly as cute.

This is so sad and certainly cast a pall on the aftermath of the race, but someone died on the course. I found out a couple days later. So horrible and tragic. He had a heart problem, I believe. He was running just ahead of me, and though I did not see him fall, I was there right after. People were running backwards through the course screaming for a doctor. A doctor and nurse came right away, and it was right next to a local hospital, but it must have been too late. I felt so horrible, but I did not stop. I have nothing to offer, since people were already giving CPR. I would have just been in the way. So I said a prayer and kept running. Ugh. Guilt.

So aside from that awfulness, I am so glad I ran. And will definitely keep running as long as the weather allows for it. Which leads me to my other update...

SNOW. Already. Like 5 inches last night. I've already broken out the fleece-lined leggings. So grateful to have power and heat.

Lately-- October

So here's what we've had going on this month.

- Mr. Snoop and I went to Hill Country in the city to watch WVU beat Texas. Sad face. Hill Country is a bar/bbq joint in the city that makes real Texas barbecue. They even have LoneStar, Shiner, and sell mini blue bell ice creams. The mini blue bless are like $4 a pop. Seriously, gotta love New York. But it was fun to go on a little date and get a good taste of home.

This excursion was such a treat. It hasn't really been possible to be spontaneous like that in the last 3 years of med school. I am loving that aspect of 4th year.

- I finally put out Halloween decorations. Midway through October. So we'll only get to enjoy them for like 2 weeks. Oh well. These past few months have flown by so quickly and have been so busy that I constantly feel like I'm playing catch up. Woo was really excited about the decorations. He would spoon this vampire for hours:

- I got new running shoes. I really hate to spend money on shoes that are utilitarian rather than fun. But it was time. Since Mr. Snoop has been back, we've been doing trail runs. I don't run trails on my own, for good reason, I learned.

On Tuesday Mr. Snoop and I were doing 5 miles on a trail we recently found (thanks Emily!), the Old Croton Aqueduct. There are always lots of people out there and it seems super safe. Apparently not always. Mr. Snoop is faster than I am, so he runs ahead. At one point, I saw a man dressed in workout clothes with a dog talking to two women ahead of me. He flagged me down and told me that he runs a gym around the corner. Last week, one of his clients was followed on the trail and she ran into the gym. The guy following her pulled a 5 inch knife. Fortunately this man was there, and the bad guy ran off when he saw him.

So this good samaritan and his wife began warning their clients. Turns out 4 more ladies had been followed on that same section of trail. At all hours of the day. So scary. Goes to show that even in picturesque suburban NYC you are never totally safe. Needless to say Mr. Snoop and I will be running elsewhere.

Such a shame, because there are not tons of running trails up here. But I am so thankful for that kind man. He was stopping all the women and warning them.

- In more light-hearted news I was running on said Danger Trail and not paying attention. I took a good tumble. Of course it was literally at the halfway point in the run so I got to run 2.5 miles with a bloody knee:

Gross, right? Does that make me a hardcore runner now? The blood even dripped on my shoes. The bruises are pretty fantastic, too.

Lately

I've been the worst about updating.  Going out of town every two weeks is cramping my blog update style.  Here goes.

- This past weekend Mr. Snoop and I visited his sister Michele in Florida for Labor Day.  We went to the beach, ate lots of Bluebell banana pudding ice cream, and did DIY/odd jobs around her house.  Plus girls' trips to Target, TJ Maxx, and Homegoods.  My kind of weekend.  This is how I felt about being at the beach:

- A note on the Bluebell banana pudding ice cream.  My cousin's wife, Kathleen, introduced it to me when I visited Mr. Snoop while he was doing his away rotation in Galveston.  Now I'm about to make a strong statement here.  It might be better than Bluebell peppermint ice cream.  I know.  Amazing.  And I don't even really like ice cream.  Behold the crack:

 

- Michele and I spray painted her wicker and had planned to make new slipcovers for one of the sofas.   But then I was introduced to her sewing machine, my new mortal enemy. Have any of y'all used a computerized Brother?   It was ugly. After lots of bad language, tears, yelling, prayer, and wine I was only able to make two of the slipcovers.   Needless to say, I'm making the remaining ones here on my Singer and mailing them to her.   I'll post pictures of the "after."

 

- I will never complain about running in New York again.  Florida is so freaking humid.  Did I tell you my girl Keely and I are running a Halloween 10k in October?  It's true.  There will be costumes.  What is even more true is what my coworker said to me: "I was really surprised you were so into this running thing that you are doing a 10k.  But now that I know there are costumes it totally makes sense."  Truer words were never spoken. 

 

- Did I ever show you what we found on the beach in Galveston back when I visited? 

 

 

It's a Portuguese Man of War.  Maybe I should start a section of this blog for terrifying, possibly murderous creatures.  And include the scorpions.



- I have lots to say about what's going on in the land of med school right now.  But I can't really say anything on the intertubes for a while.  Like a month or so.  But I can say that applications for residency will go in on Sept. 15.  Woohoo!

- I also have things to say about what is possibly our final year in New York.  But I am going to try to tackle that after back-to-school this week.

- This post is finally ending.  You're welcome.

Ugliest Shorts in the World

So I haven't been keeping y'all up to date.  As usual, it is because I am a paranoid weirdo.  Mr. Snoop has been in Texas the past month doing an away rotation.  I didn't want to put it on the internet until he came back (today!) because I'm afraid someone will come attack me in my lonesomeness (issues, I know).

While he has been having a fabulous time in Texas, I've been getting used to my alone time.  Most of the time it looks like this:

Me + Couch + Book + Shammy Boy.  Yeah, SB has pretty much been velcroed to me.  And it has been an issue.  Mr. Snoop is ShamBoy's person.  So in Mr. Snoop's absence he has had to make do with me.  It's been exhausting.  That cat requires tremendous amounts of love, at all times.  I don't know how Mr. Snoop does it.

Otherwise, while Mr. Snoop is away I do things like waste time at Loehmann's.  I was there the other day to take advantage of their end of summer sale.  BCBG and Michael Kors sweaters for $15?  Don't mind if I do.  While perusing the sale, I chanced upon The Ugliest Shorts In The World.  So naturally, I had to try them on.  Without a husband to feed, what else I am to do?  Don't worry, I documented it.  Front, Back, and Side views.  You're welcome.

I present to you:  D&G Diaper Shorts.

Please note the square of fabric in the middle.  It buttons on three sides.  Like a diaper.  And that's elastic at the leg-holes.  Oh but wait.

 

Ah yes.  You can see the monstrosity much better from this angle.  But the best is yet to come. (PS, recognize the evil giggle face?)

 

Shabam! 

 

I know, I know.  I should totally switch over from a I Live Far Away From Everyone So Here's a Blog So You Know I'm Alive-blogger to a fashion blogger.  I mean, check out that last pose.  Why aren't I a model with moves like that?

 

Seriously though, I know Dolce and Gabbana makes bizarre stuff.  But honestly.  Who wants to wear shorts that look like a diaper?  How is that flattering?  For $175 on sale? 

 

Basically it's a good thing Mr. Snoop returns today.  So that I can give up my life of being smothered by a cat while wearing a denim diaper.

 

The end.

 

New Orleans 2012

During the last week of June, Mr. Snoop and I took 26 (yep, count 'em) teenagers (14 - 18 yrs old) to New Orleans on a Mission Trip.  We were not the only chaperones, thankfully.  This was Mr. Snoop's first time as a chaperone and he did swimmingly.  The kiddos called him Dr. J.  Pronounced "doctah," naturally. 

2 weeks later I have just now stopped having nightmares about losing a child on the trip.

Last year the chaperones had a gnarly stomach bug, but this year the pestilence was limited to one ear infection and two cases of heat exhaustion among the kiddos.  Heat exhaustion is scary, y'all.  Thanks to Dr. J/Mr. Snoop, we got them under control quickly before things got bad.

Like last year, I think the kids really fell in love with New Orleans, of course.  They were so tiny during Katrina that they don't really remember it.  They know what went on now, of course.  It is a real experience for kids from New York to spend a week in New Orleans.  Definitely a different culture.  And much more hot.  But they really worked hard and got along well.  I was proud of them. 

I have tons of great pictures, but I don't feel comfortable putting close-up, easily identifiable shots of the kids on here.  So enjoy these shots of Mr. Snoop working hard :)  And yes, we did tie-dye as a group. 

Oh Hello

Well.  It's been awhile. 

Just a quick update on where I've been the past two weeks.  Cue the photo montage.

Mission-tripping in New Orleans (along with 26 of our favorite teenagers)

Hanging out in the city with the parents of the Snoop

Having a blast at a family wedding (Mr. Snoop's side) outside of Detroit

More to come later on....

Lately- Birthday Boy

Last week was Mr. Snoop's 27th birthday! 

Mr. Snoop's #1 Fan, Shammy Boy, celebrated by wearing his plaid bowtie and having a reacurrence of his nasty eye infection:

The backwards ears were because I was taking his picture, not the bowtie.  He loves looking dapper.

The night of, I made cupcakes for two (from Pinterest, holla!) that were super delicious:

So I doubled the recipe.  Sue me. 

Also, do you like our teensy weensy dirty oven?  It fits precisely one cookie sheet.

Mr. Snoop's birthday cupcake.  Strawberries from our CSA.  They are the bomb.com

As for the birthday boy himself, he celebrated by spending his last week of his pediatric rotation--and his 3rd year of med school (!!)--in the well baby nursery.  It was a fruitful endeavor.  He overcame his pathological fear of newborns and now can actually hold, swaddle, feed, and change a diaper.  No freaking way!  Here he is demonstrating his swaddling technique on a cat toy with a napkin:

Earlier in the week, we went to dinner with Mr. Snoop's parents.  We took super adorable pictures but they are with his parents.  So I'll leave you with the view from the restaurant.  See if you can spy Manhattan.  Gorgeous, right? 

Weekend in Norfolk

This past weekend, Mr. Snoop and I road tripped down to Norfolk for his sister's graduation from Medical School.  Yep, it's a medically heavy family.  We left at 5:30am on friday, so I woke up in Delaware just in time for... wait for it.... breakfast at Chick-Fil-A!!!  Yeah, we don't have those in the Great White North.  Mr. Snoop and I had sh*t eating grins on our faces for the entire Chick-Fil-A experience.  Their bathrooms were sparkling and the lady at the register didn't act like we'd ruined her day by patronizing her workplace.  She was (gasp) nice!  And plus there was this:

It's a cell phone pic so you can't see that well, but check out that organization of condiments and silverware.  It made my slightly ocd heart sing!  Don't judge me.

Also, I wore these really cute wedges that I got at Target for the entire trip down.  They are super comfortable.  Again, don't judge me.

  

The graduation was really nice- we were able to walk from the hotel.  I can't believe that in (exactly!!) one year that will be Mr. Snoop.  Craziness.  Here we are after the graduation.  I've got some awesome shadows on my face.

After the graduation, Mr. Snoop, his other sister, her boyfriend, and I walked over to a beer festival down the street from our hotel.  It was really fun and just so nice to be outside in the sunshine.  Mr. Snoop was pretty much in heaven, even though his face says otherwise:

It was so nice to just escape our normal routine for a weekend.  And, not gonna lie, to get out of New York for a little bit.  I love escaping the fast pace of life up here.  The only part that sucked was our drive back.  We made the drive down in 6.5 hours but the drive back took nearly 10 hours.  All the traffic was, you guessed it, in New Jersey.  Horrific.  But at least we got these awesome strawberries on the way:

...And now we're prepping for our next weekend away.  In Texas!

May Randoms

As I've mentioned earlier, the month of May is crazy sauce this year (and every year?).  Since I have been--and still am--running around nonstop, my brain won't do a coherent post.  So here's a random list of what's been going on.

- My friend Jessica visited over Cinco De Mayo.  We had friends over to grill out and drink margaritas.  It was marvelous.  I love friends.

- I did a BIG grocery shop with coupons on Monday.  I paid $102 for $205 worth of groceries.  Holla!

- Mr. Snoop and I went to an annual party for my work.  There is a theme and costume contest every year.  This year it was movie characters.  I was Elle Woods because I couldn't think of anything better, and let's face it, I have lots of pink on hand.  Mr. Snoop was Bluto from Animal House. 

Toga....TOGA....TOGA!!!!!

In case you are thinking, "He should have won...."  Why yes, yes he did in fact win.  The trophy is on his desk.

- To make a really great toga, get two cheap twin top sheets and sew two ends together.  Easiest homemade costume ever.

- Speaking of work, did you know my work is haunted?  True story.  The building was built in like 1860 or something, so, yeah.  I know there is one male ghost who used to own the property.  There is also a dark-haired female ghost.  She was spotted again recently.  I haven't seen either and am really not interested in seeing them.  And that's why I nearly pee my pants every time I'm alone at work at night.  EEK!!!  Have you ever seen a ghost?

- We are driving to Norfolk for Mr. Snoop's sister's med school graduation this weekend.  I need to plan my outfits.  And I hope it's warm enough to go to the beach.

- Remember how I had one free weekend until July?  Well now we are going down to TX that weekend (Memorial Day) for my grandfather's 80th birthday party at my uncle's ranch.  There will be lots of booze and bbq, and I can't wait!

- I left my calendar at home today and now I feel naked and lost without it.  I also forgot to put in my earrings.  So basically I'm a hot mess.

That's all I got!  Hope y'all are doing well!

The Busiest Time of the Year

Since I work in a church, you'd think that Advent and Christmas would be my most frantic time of year.  Not the case.  Sure, Advent can be a little nutty, but Christmas and New Years is actually quite relaxing--there is no Sunday School or Youth Group when the kids are on winter break!

We are now entering my busy season.  When I first took my job, my co-worker told me that first winter that January and February draaaaaaaggggg on, but that once March hits, it is a super fast downhill slide til summer.  And it is so true.  I keep dating things starting with a "3."  I honestly don't know where March went, and here we are halfway through April.  I guess I thought that once I was out of school, the springtime graduation month(s) would be less chaotic.  Wrong.  Maybe since I work with school-age children, the months of April - June are still insanely busy, which I do love.  It makes summertime that much sweeter.  Ya'll know summer is two months in the Great White North, right?  July and August.

So I was putting things on Mr. Snoop's and my wall calendar at home (you know me, I must be surrounded by calendars at all times.  I type with my paws on the keyboard and my forearms on my Erin Condren.  I wish I were kidding about that) and anyway, we swiftly realized that we have ONE free weekend from here til July.  One, y'all.  Not that there are all huge events every weekend--some are--but we already have something going on every single weekend, already. 

Are April - June like this for everyone else? 

To sum up this totally random splat of words on a page (thanks for reading if you made it this far!), here is a picture of Mr. Snoop holding our friends' baby.  Those of you who know Mr. Snoop in person are aware that hell froze over the moment this event occurred.  That's right, Mr. Snoop managed to make it nearly 27 years without ever holding a newborn.  He approached the hand off like it was brain surgery, or better yet, a rocket launch.  Even though all 8 lbs of baby K was totally konked out, you can see the panic in Mr. Snoop's eyes...

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Easter in ATX

Warning: Long post with lots of pictures!

Mr. Snoop and I spent a long weekend in Austin for Easter.  It was marvelous.  We were so thankful to get there since flying down was a total fiasco.  American canceled our flight at midnight Thursday morning when we had planned to fly out Thursday afternoon.  Thanks, American.  We rebooked on United/Continental, and sweet friends drove us to the airport since we had to fly out of a different airport than we were scheduled to come in to.  And of course United was delayed so we missed our connection. 

And this is why we typically only fly Jetblue or Southwest.

Anyway, on to the fun stuff.  We completely soaked up our time in Texas.  Mr. Snoop had a friend from high school in town for job interviews.  It was nice to get to know him, and I know Mr. Snoop loved having him around.  On Friday they went for a run on Town Lake while I went to Last Call, of course.  I got a possible Med School graduation (or related graduation festivities) dress. On mega sale, por supuesto...

pinned it here

On saturday we went to Zilker Park, where Mr. Snoop and Chris played frisbee.  It was gorgeous...

Then we cooled off in Barton Springs...

Don't worry, there were lots of topless sunbathers.  After that we went to Sno Beach for snowcones.  We were visited by this little friend...

See him on Mr. Snoop's shoulder?

He was all over us--landing on me, Mr. Snoop, in my snocone, etc.  We must have smelled good, because he wasn't interested in Chris.  Here's a better picture...

My parents got a new cat last week, Morris.  He is 8 years old and 14.5 solid pounds of love. 

And now for a close-up....



  

Look at that face!   You can see how gigantic his paws are here.

On Easter Sunday we did our traditional brunch at church, Easter service, and dinner at the Salt Lick.  We celebrate Easter with our "church family," and it always so much fun.  We hang out outside for drinks and appetizers for a little while and then go in for amazing bbq.  Here are Mr. Snoop, my brother, and my sister.  Note Mr. Snoop and Chris fratting out with their matching monogramed croakies...

It was hard to come back, but I am so happy we got to go.

I hope everyone had a great weekend, Easter, or Passover!

skunk

I don't know if I've ever shared about the wildlife in our yard on here.  We live on a main road in what are essentially the suburbs of NYC.  So you'd think there wouldn't be lots of wildlife around.  Wrong.

Spring has most definitely sprung here in Nueva York. And so have the animals.

Our (tiny, itsy bitsy postage stamp) yard is like a freakin disney movie.  We regularly see:

- chipmunks
- a gazillion birds
- squirrels, brown
- squirrels, black
- bunnies
- skunks
- groundhog (used to live under our fence.  RIP, dead on the aforementioned main road)
- deer
- raccoons

So basically think of this,

source

Except that all these creatures poop everywhere and eat my plants.  They do other things too.  One of which we just experienced.

Mr. Snoop and I were startled awake early this moring by the sounds of loud screeching and squealing.  It sounded bad, y'all.  Our cats have been known to wrestle on our bed in the wee hours, but this was clearly not them.  Mr. Snoop did a quick assesment and found that the ruckus was coming from outside. 

Fast forward two hours later when we wake up and were flattened by the overpowering stench of skunk.  It was unreal.  Granted, our house is one large room plus a bedroom consisting of a grand total of about 500 square feet, but the whole place REEKED.  I've smelled some skunk in my day, including outside our house, but nothing like this.

Even my cheerios tasted like skunk, y'all.

I had to go to a doctor's appointment first thing.  I was paranoid that I smelled like skunk.  So I apologized to the receptionists.  They sniffed me.  I was right. 

Then I got back in my car and it smelled like skunk.

Now I'm pretty sure my office smells like skunk.

Any animal experts out there who can explain this?  Were they mating?  I really hope not, because it sounded, um, violent.  Fighting over a mate?

More importantly, how can I make them go a-freaking-way?

Weekend!

As you've probably heard on the news, it has been unseasonably warm here in New York.  Like breaking heat records warm.  You know I'm loving every second.

It was in the mid 60s this weekend, so Mr. Snoop and I went outside and got. it. done.  Mr. Snoop is on his Family Medicine rotation, hence the use of weekend + Mr. Snoop - hospital in the same sentence.  You may or may not know that Mr. Snoop is quite the little gardener.  So much so that he has his very own gardening knee pads.  Sometimes I wish his fraternity brothers read this blog, since it is sort of an endless exercise in embarrassing Mr. Snoop. 

Behold:

Did you know that Mr. Snoop and I continually plan ways to embarrass our future children?  These gardening kneepads usually figure prominently in those plans.  As do super dorky songs that we make up.  Sometimes these songs have dance moves.  It's hard to be so awesome.

That pic shows our porch pre-clean up.  We have a teeny tiny adorable postage stamp sized yard and a little front porch.  So my job was to clean the porch and outdoor furniture.  I vacuumed the snot out of the cushions, did plenty of scrubbing, and spray painted some cheapy chairs we have.  The results:

(I need to string up the lights)

Much better in black, I think.

Now I plan to spend plenty of time outside with a margarita enjoying this weather while it lasts!  Come on over and stay a while :)

To all of your 4th year folks... Happy Match Week!!!!!