a brief yet triumphant intermission

Alright, I know. It's been far too long.

Blog Monday's are making a comeback...

Nothing terribly noteworthy has been going on around here, but there have been a few changes since the last time I posted. [only 2 posts since May, and nothing substantial at that. boo, amanda.]

The most notable change was that I moved! I was definitely ready to get out of my old apartment - 2.5 years with a very poor management company was enough for me. I moved into a brand new apartment on August 31st. Not just new to me, 100% brand spanking new, completely uninhabited before me. The apartment itself is awesome - 1 bedroom, washer/dryer, brand new appliances, tons of cabinet space, high ceilings, balcony, giant bedroom window, walk-in closet, great location [I'm less than 10 minutes from anywhere I go on a regular basis. My gym is actually across the street, and Target is right next door.]

Unfortunately, I haven't been very on top of decorating and furnishing. I haven't been able to have any guests over, because they haven't anywhere to sit - just a lonely loveseat and 3 mismatched folding chairs. I've been slowly adding to the walls. I've hung 2 pictures and 2 paintings, but especially with the high ceilings, the walls are quite bare. So my goal is to get things put together in the next few weeks. Hopefully I'll do some scavenging for furniture, and I need to get around to hanging all the pictures and art I already have. After I've got it semi-put together,  I'll get some pictures put up.

Also in August, I took a mini-vacation with Zach and his family. His family rents a cabin on a tiny lake in northern Wisconsin every summer for a week. I wasn't able to take a whole week off of work, but I went up on Tuesday and we left Saturday morning, so I still got a nice vacation with awesome weather and great company. I even saw a bear! (He was crossing the road one evening when we were on our way to town.)

Vacation! 

sleepy from a day in the sun

I feel like September must have been uneventful, because I don't remember it at all. (This is why I should post more than every few months.) Zach and I did get to go to a Brewer game! Unfortunately they didn't win, but we had a fun day tailgating and just watching the game. We also got to spend a lot of time at the zoo. Zach also moved in August, and he used to live just a few blocks from the zoo, so we tried to visit as much as we could before he moved.

So excited!

Sassy baby lion and his mom

Also pictured: Fence.

October was exciting, because it was my birthday month! [And anyone who knows me, knows that I love birthdays!] The entire month was actually filled with birthdays. Zach's mom had a birthday, several of our friends had birthday, and of course, my dad and I at the end of the month. You know I don't like to pick favorites, but I think this could have maybe been one of my favorite birthdays of my lengthy 25 years. Zach spoiled me with a handmade card (tiger) and a painting (monkey), which were both amazing! Plus he got me 2 seasons of Parks and Recreation, plus the book by the main character, and he made me a giant breakfast. 

For more details, and pictures of Zach's present, please visit Zach's blog here! 

(http://zachwagnerillustrationdesign.blogspot.com)

As a shameless plug, Zach does some amazing work and he updates his blog regularly.

Check it out!

On top of everything, my parents got me a Playstation 3 - which I was completely shocked by because I wasn't really expecting anything big. I've been playing a lot of Tetris. Alyssa got me a giant mixing bowl, a whisk with a giraffe handle and a rolling pin with an alligator head and his tail for the handles, both of which are super cute. Most importantly, I was really happy to be able to spend the day with all the people I love.

So far November has flown by - I keep forgetting that it's actually November, to be quite honest. Zach had his wisdom teeth out, so I took a day off of work and had a 3 day weekend to help nurse him back to health [he really didn't need me at all, but I like to think I was instrumental in his quick recovery.] It was really nice to have a 3 day weekend, but working a full week last week was very tiring.

I'm working on being a lot more productive - I've gotten kind of lazy, so I'm trying to get everything back on track. Keep on checking my blog, and hopefully I'll have more exciting stuff to come!