And then there is the down side...

To living in one of the most beautiful parts of the country: when I drove past the bank this morning it was 5 degrees outside... at (9:30 in the morning). According to weather.com it is zero right now with a windchill of -11... brrr!

But of course, if you retired here (mom and dad) you wouldn't have to be outside early in the day or late at night... 'cause you'll be retired! Right?

"Worst Fears Realized"

The title of this entry is what Reid told me the mechanic told him. The engine is frozen and won't release. The only viable option is to get a new car (we could have the engine replaced... for about what the car is worth). So... Reid and I are going to try and live frugally for the next few months and save up so that we can put down as much as we can on a used car. If we weren't wanting to buy a house at the same time it would actually be kind of fun to buy a new car (first car we would have bought together rather than either given to us (thanks Mom and Dad!) or bought pre-relationship). But now it just seems like one more thing that we'll have to find money for... ahh well... it had to happen someday.

Until we decide what to do with the Saturn we're going to tow it back to our house and just park it outside... Getting rid of it will be like getting rid of a part of Reid and I's courtship. That was the car that he was driving when I met him (I thought he was a boy I would like because he bought a "sensible" sedan!). It was the car that he drove back and forth to visit me in Ohio during our first year together. It was even the car that got decorated at our wedding and that we drove away together in. Yeah, I'll miss that green Saturn.

It's Friday!!!

Hooray!!!! This hasn't been the easiest week at Chez Neilsen, and with the car now safely at a new mechanic (who can't look at it until Tuesday but who comes highly recommended, the curse and joy of living in small town America) next week might not be a great one either (if we indeed learn that our car needs to go to car heaven and be replaced).

But we are lucky to be healthy, employed, warm and sheltered... so there won't be too much complaining from here. It just will mean we will have to tighten our financial belt a little bit tighter. Have a great weekend!

A Rough Evening

Reid bore the brunt of our rough evening last night. For the faint of heart (or the light of stomach, I'd stop reading). Reid gets home before me and came home to a house with diarrhea and vomit all over the place... it took him a minute to figure out which pet it was but quickly honed in on Tater, as he was the one covered in the stuff. So, he got to give Tater an impromptu bath and then began to clean up the spots... That's when I entered the equation. We quickly saw the need to pick up the water bowls because Tater was downing the liquid, and then throwing it up in puddles.

And of course, because he had gotten a bath and was still damp, he was shaking a lot. I, being the overprotective mommy that I am, called the Vet's office and left a message for the on-call vet. A few more trips outside to expel anything left in him (which left him shivering all the more because it is so cold out there) and he laid down on the sofa and slept... right next to mommy... for hours... So much for getting any cleaning or organizing done as I had planned! But by the time the vet called us back he had settled to the point where I told the vet we would just wait and see until the morning.

And this morning, Tater sprung out of bed ready for breakfast and a drink. I gave him a little kibble and a little water and he's already been back to lick the bowls and look for more food twice... aah, the resilience of pets! And I am now very glad I didn't drive him to the vet clinic in Monte Vista last night in the cold and snow! I've already told Reid, if this is how I am with our dog, can you imagine when I have kids??

Another Day, Another Dollar

The conference in Denver was a success for Adams State. We won three of the competitions (two in acting and one in design) which was a big deal for our students (though from what I hear we have won the acting award six out of the last nine years). I met some very nice people and we were able to do some student recruiting, which was great.

Then I came home, had Monday off (which was great... I didn't even go outside of our house all day!) and hit the ground running for class on Tuesday. Unfortunately, my car didn't. It ran from our house to about halfway between our house and work. And then it stalled out while I was driving it. I pulled over, turned it back on, continued driving and it stalled out in front of Safeway... and then it refused to go any further. Apparently, the car does not like Colorado. It was okay with Indiana, loved Virginia... not okay with Colorado. And it has told us in the only way it knows how, by dying. As we speak it is at a mechanic, though Reid has a bad feeling about the place and wants to get a second opinion... so now I wait to hear from him so that I can call tow companies and then spend my morning before I go to work following a truck from one location to the other... exactly what I had in mind for Wednesday. Long story short, Reid and I could be sharing a car for awhile. If we take out a loan to buy a car, it will negatively impact our mortgage approval rate... so, we're hoping that this car can be easily fixed or we'll be sharing a car and scrimping like crazy to try and put as much down on a car as we can. Ahh... the "joys" of being grown-ups.

Valentine Goody Swap

I joined a Valentine's Day Goody Swap (just because I like to get mail that isn't bills or credit card offers), and part of the assignment is to fill out the following questionnaire (can you tell I'm a teacher?). So, that's what I'm going to do:

What is your idea of a romantic Valentine’s Day?

An amazing meal prepared for me (with the dishes doing themselves in the kitchen), served in front of a roaring fire with sweet romantic music playing in the background.

In reality, what is your Valentine’s Day really like?

We might watch a romantic comedy and have carry-out from the local Italian place.

If you could have a lifetime supply of your favorite sweet indulgence, what would it be?

My goodness, this is a hard question!! I love peanut butter and chocolate, so it's hard to go wrong with that combination. I also love dark chocolate and almonds... and milk chocolate and cherries... Really, most candy I am not totally opposed to!

Is there any sweet treat you absolutely do not like?

I'm not very fond of Milk Dudds, or other caramels, just because I don't like candies that stick to my teeth. I also don't like anise flavored candies (like black licorice).

If you fell into a pool of chocolate, how would you get out?

As long as it was warm chocolate (and if we're going with the idea that I'm falling into a pool of chocolate, I think I get to decide the temperature), I don't think I'd get out any time soon. I would probably swim to the edge and then tread-chocolate there, enjoying the smell and an occasional taste. Yummy! Either that, or I'd grab the yummy chocolate-covered pretzel ladder and pull myself out that way (though I might nibble the handle in the process!).

PS: I do think this post is particularly funny, following my last post below!

2007 Resolution... Finally Met!

So, back in Virginia I set a goal for myself to get to a certain weight... I worked at it and worked at it... And still hovered about six pounds above it.

Well, I stepped on the scale yesterday and saw the number that I had been looking for for almost a year now! I have been just watching what I eat and this past week I started exercising. Now let me be honest with you folks... I am not the work-out type. I have friends who will remain nameless who extol the virtues of working out, saying (in a sickeningly sweet voice) "I feel so good after I work out. The endorphins are great!" I have never gotten to that point with a workout regimen. I have never worked through the "Oh my goodness... my body is in so much pain and my muscles are saying NOOOO!" to that supposed euphoria of working out. But my goal this time is to get to that place.

I'm mainly just trying to keep myself entertained with changing up the routine. So one day I put on Reid's boxing gloves and went out and pounded on Bob, the punching bag shaped like a human. Boy did that work my arms and shoulders! Then the next day I punched the air in the house (Tater watched me with suspicion and a mild look of amusement... stupid human). I also bought some workout videos and have been supplementing with them (Carmen Electra's Striptease is fun, if not the strongest cardio workout and I have no excuse not to use the 10 minute Pilates DVD... I mean, it's only ten minutes!). Hopefully these will keep me entertained for awhile and the number on the scale will keep me motivated!

This next week will probably be a bit of a challenge (both being good with what I eat and with posting to my blog), since I'll be in Denver at a conference from Tuesday through Sunday... and eating out is never as easy to stay focused! But I'm going to try. Then when I get back I plan to finally explore the climbing wall at ASC, which is free to use for faculty, staff and students (and spouses should Reid want to come with me!). Teaching a movement class has really motivated me to model what I am going to be preaching to my students... I've always wanted to feel confident enough in the strength of my body that I could look at a stunt and say "Yeah, I can learn to do that." Hopefully by the end of this semester, that is how I'll feel!

A Quiet Week

Reid returned to work this week. School starts next week. And for once in my life I have not procrastinated to the last minute but am actually at a good place for the Wednesday evening before school starts (it is Wednesday right?? Thank goodness!). I basically have one class left to plan. I have my other classes set up to start (I'm not saying I have every quiz written and every lesson planned, but I have an outline and a syllabus, which is all you need to start).

So, all I have left is my movement for actors class. I'm still throwing around ideas of what I want to teach and am therefore reading four books all at the same time as if they will somehow, miraculously, give me all the info I need to become a mad-skilled movement teacher. Okay, so that's probably not going to happen... but at least this way I'll know more than my students, even if it's just read out of books! :)

Big News...

That is getting bigger! While home visiting family, I got to see my sister who is now six months pregnant with my first niece! I even got to feel her kick (or punch, we're not entirely sure which it was). Sarah is due in March and even though I won't be able to go out and visit until May (most likely) I am extremely excited! And feeling old... :)

(Showing off the bump, as my mother has nicknamed the baby... Reid and I prefer the nickname Lemon!)

Quiet...

It's been awfully quiet on my blog for quite awhile now, hasn't it? I returned to Alamosa on January 1 and have been trying to organize our lives since then (not with too much success I might add... it looks a little like a bomb of Christmas presents and laundry exploded in our living room/dining room... needless to say I was a little sheepish at 9:00 this morning when our landlord knocked on our door!).

Reid came back early and he has had the horrible cold that I had on our travels to Indy. I am almost over it though I still don't feel one hundred percent myself (though I'm blaming part of that on the altitude as well). I need to finish organize around here, get Christmas taken down and grocery shopping done because tomorrow I am going to start school work in earnest... if you ever had any doubt as to whether your teachers were sad to see breaks end, doubt no longer! Going back to school is going to be tough, but it will be better if I get all of my prep work done next week!

And with that I'm off to clean (you didn't really miss these boring posts much did you?).