Wishing for Warmer Weather...

Oh, I so want it to be summer. I was truly not meant to live in the state of Michigan. I know many people love the changes of the seasons, the cold brisk air of Michigan winter, but I, I cannot stand it. I hate winter, I hate cold weather. It would not bother me whatsoever if the temp ranged from 65-75 all year round.

Anyway, so far, I have had a fun weekend, spending time with Kurt (and my books). Our new furniture was delivered today for the sun room. I have tried to find pics online of it, and cannot. But I took pics and will try to post them sometime. Basically, it is four pieces. A sofa, two chairs (one is armless and striped, the other is a swivel chair, both really comfy) and one huge ottoman that serves as a table/footrest whatever. Anyway. The sunroom finally looks like a "put together" room. All I need to finish it off is a new light fixture. I do not like the one that was originally put there when the house was built. Something chrome, but I have not found it yet. After that, we decided to take the Spyder out for a ride and do some shopping. Kurt NEVER wants to shop, so I was all for that. Of course, we were not shopping for clothes, make-up, etc. More house kind of stuff.

Our first stop was the place we buy our TVs at called Rex, in Monroe. Kurt wanted to buy a TV for the sunroom that had a built in stand. We went there and bought a nice one, got a great deal. Click here to see the pic. It gets delivered Monday, which is actually the same night they are coming to fix our other TV.

Second stop was the place we bought all our new trees from (see previous posts for details on that). We ended up buying some more trees that the guy gave us deals on. 4 tulip poplars, 15 gingkos, 1 Kwanzan Flowering Cherry tree.....They have still not put in our other trees, so they are just adding these to our order. We are planting the Flowering tree near the house (by the dining room window, the poplars throughout the yard and the Gingkos in the backyard. I cannot wait. Hopefully, all these trees will bring even more wildlife in the yard. I love all the bunnies, fox, etc. we have already, but I want more.

Third stop, we went to Lowe's to look at doors. We want to put doors on the sunroom, just because we want to keep the pugs out of that room because of the new furniture. We found some awesome doors in a catalog, but they did not have a price, so Mary, our fav consultant there, is going to call us with info on Monday. They were really kewl arching doors. Not what we had in mind going into the store, but when we saw the doors in the catalog, we loved them.

After that, we went to at Electronics Store in Monroe we were referred to by the TV place, called DT Electronics. We are looking into having a cd player/radio/speakers installed in the Spyder. While we were there, we also inquired about an alarm system for the Spyder, and upgraded speakers for the Carerra. We have to go back this week when the main installer is there so he can look at the car, but I really liked the place AND their prices.

Went to the Tractor Supply store next to look for a tiller for the Kubota and some other yard supplies. I wanted to get some kind of tiller for our tractor (I am going to plant a veggie garden this year), so we got one of those delivered, and also got a blade for the tractor and a watering device. I was most exciting by the watering device we found, because it will be SO much easier to water all the trees when I can ride the tractor around the yard with a sprayer, instead of constantly walking back and forth with a watering can. I am doing that right now with the bushes and plants we put in and it is time consuming.

Now I am exhausted from all that shopping! We are sitting on the couch watching the Tigers game and relaxing with the pugs. What a fun day! :).

Birth Date Info

Your Birthdate: May 17

Your birth on the 17th day of the month suggests that you are very lucky financially, because this date indicates a solid business sense. Although you are probably very honest and ethical, this birthday enables you to be shrewd and successful in the world of business and commercial enterprise. You have excellent organizational, managerial, and administrative capabilities enabling you to handle large projects and significant amounts of money with relative ease. You are ambitious and highly goal-oriented, although you may be better at starting projects than you are at finishing them. A sensitivity in your nature, often repressed below the surface of awareness, makes it hard to give or receive affection.

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Being told I need a Night out....

I had the best night. I was so in need of a relaxing night out, and I did not even realize it until I had experienced tonight. Cliff called me at the end of the day and asked if we wanted to do dinner with him and Lisa at Crave, a newer Japanese place in Dearborn. I parked there last time we were in Dearborn at La Shish, so I knew just where it was. And you don't have to talk me into Japanese for dinner. Anyway, met them there at 7:00 p.m., table was ready, no wait. Yay. The place was beautiful. Very "New York, Miami, Chicago" vibe. The decor was very minimal, very Starck. The place was also nonsmoking, which I also support 100%. They do have a nice area outside for smokers to participate in the art of slowly killing themselves.....I actually had a drink tonight. It was great. The place had an extensive martini/saketini menu, and I had one called a Strawberry Guava Saketini. Heavenly. For dinner, I had this spicy shrimp meal which was literally the best meal I have ever had at a Japanese restaurant. Everything I could have wanted in a meal. Plate presentation was superb, and the food was to die for. We also all split a California Tempura platter, and Lisa MADE me try this other app called "dancing eel". I was a little bit leery of the eel, but it was actually very good sushi. Not better than my normal favs, but good anyway. Kurt loved his food too, he had some kind of salmon meal that looked amazing. We stayed after dinner and talked for quite a while........Cliff and Lisa have made a final decision to get married in Maui. They were going to go to Bora Bora, but changed their minds because of the difficulty of obtaining a marriage license there. They are pulling a "Kurt and Lori" and basically eloping there, turning it into a honeymoon as well. I am really happy for them, they are so perfect for eachother. Anyway, it was a perfect evening. We normally do not go out on Friday nights because we are exhausted, but I am so glad we broke the rules and went out tonight. I cannot WAIT to go back and eat there. It was the best, by far, Japanese meal I have ever had.

It's Finally Arrived....

Another new place for me to stay in Vegas opened yesterday. I truly do not know if I will ever meet my goal and stay at every hotel located in the City.....The newest one is Wynn. I guess, according to the news people (however reliable you want to think they are), the place is gorgeous and everything Steve Wynn said it would be. Click here for an article about the place. I can't wait to go see it on our next trip out there, whenever that may be. I would love to take a post-semester trip, but I don't think that is happening. We most likely will not be getting away at all until July (after summer semester or maybe for the 4th of July). Supposedly, this new hotel is nicer than the Bellagio. I hope not snobbier, because Kurt refuses to stay at the Bellagio because of the "snobby" factor. I really want to try this new place sometime.

Dancin' in Baltimore....

Saw Hairspray at the Masonic last night. It was great, but very different from the movie. I still like the movie better, but the show was very good. Usually, I don't run into anyone I know at the shows, but I ran into my friends, Tammy and Tom! It was nice to see them.....They had really good seats like us, but on the exact opposite side of the theate. Before the show, I had a make-up class for Advanced Bankruptcy....It was a great class, we got to have dinner at Traffic Jam with the Prof. I wish all my classes were out some place, instead of at the school, LOL. We basically did not talk about class whatsoever.

We were busy the past two days at work too. I feel like the days are flying by and I can't ever get everything done.....Oh well. I guess it is good I am not bored, right? :). Went today and picked up the Spyder from the shop, it was getting an oil change and valve adjustment. The place we took it to is awesome, the people were really nice. On the way home, it was hilarious. Some guy saw Kurt driving the car (he was also driving a Porsche). He literally followed us to our house to ask Kurt about the Spyder. That car gets insane attention. It's so odd. Went to Meijer and took back our pop cans. We had almost $60 of them in the garage. I obviously do not take them back very often, LOL. Picked up some groceries as well. Came home and have not done much else.

Elton John--I LOVE YOU!

Saw Elton John last night at The Palace with Kurt. It was a beautiful, wonderful concert. Every time I see Elton live, it's different than the previous time and fabulous. He is basically the best live performer I have ever seen. Love him. Kurt had a great time too. It's awesome when I can find concerts for both of us to go to since concerts are not really Kurt's thing unless he is really into the performer. He performed stuff from his new cd (which I love), Peachtree Road, and also a lot of old stuff, including both my and Kurt's favs, Daniel and Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me. We had seats in the 4th row center, which is the closest we have ever been at an Elton concert. I got them at some presale online, which is awesome. I was listening to some people around us talking about what they had paid scalping their tickets and was thankful I did not have to eBay it for these seats, I would have been paying a fortune. I really want to see his show in Vegas.....He is never performing while we are there, it is always Celine. Anyway, had a great time and can't wait to see him again. Highly recommend anyone seeing him in concert if they get the chance and enjoy his music.

Snow in Michigan......

Wow, I cannot believe the snow coming down outside! Yuck. I can't believe last weekend I was outside, doing yardwork, wearing a tank top and capri pants and flip flops--and today, I am looking out the window at a freakin blizzard. Blah. I hope this goes away soon because I hate this weather.

Had a nice weekend so far. Yesterday, I went with my Aunt to the Frenchtown Mall, she wanted to use a coupon she had for Elder Beerman. She ended up buying nothing, but I stopped in the furniture department and paid off the furniture I ordered that just came in (for my sunroom, yay), and bought two cute rings on clearance. I got two rings for $14, they were both $40 each regular price. Gotta love sales. Stayed in the rest of the night. Nothing too exciting, but those are my fav kind of weekends.

We have to go to the office soon, and then off to the Elton John concert. We have seats in the second row, I can't wait. I will post about it soon....

Crazy Days

Work was insane today. Really busy. Had lunch with our friend and financial planner, Cliff, so that was a nice break from the work day. Worked late, came home to let the dogs out, then headed out to dinner and to look at this apartment complex I found on the net that looks like a really good investment. We need to look at the inside, but the outside looks good. I had yummy shrimp for dinner (becoming a common mealtime item since I turned vegetarian a while back). Ran to Kroger after dinner to buy cat food and some other stuff, and came home. I am exhausted though, so I think I am heading to bed soon.....

Bikes

I can't wait to get our bikes! I have been wanting to buy bikes for years, and for whatever reason, I keep putting it off. I have no idea why. I think it has been, in the past, because I did not have time to research exactly what I wanted, where the best deals are, etc. Anyway.....since law school started, we use these legal programs called LEXIS and Westlaw. Each program has law school "point" progams, where you get points for using their systems. I accumulated enough points on Westlaw to buy both me and Kurt bikes for this summer, which I ordered online a couple weeks back. Click out to check out the bike. They are made by Jeep, which is so appropriate since we have a Jeep! I need to look into getting some kind of bike carrier for the vehicles though.........I can't wait to ride our bikes around Newport and Monroe this summer. Great exercise, and so much fun.

Crappy Presents

You Are a Fruitcake!

You taste like nothing else in this world. And get ready, you're about to get tossed!

What Crappy Gift Are You?

80s Stuff

You Scored 25% Correct

You know some 80s stuff Like that Paula Abdul was a star back then But you're not sure who Suzie Q was And you don't know what Samantha Fox was really famous for!

How Much Do You Know About 80s Music?

Watch

My dream watch....I think I have Kurt talked into buying it for me for law school graduation. Can't wait! Click here.

My Dream.....

OK, I have totally found my retirement piece of land. No house there yet, but that could easily be fixed with the abundance of contractors in Vegas right now.

The pictures of this land in Henderson, and the view, are absolutely breathtaking. It would be so tranquil to wake up every morning to this and to sit on my back porch and relax every day, in the middle of nowhere. But with Vegas within a 30 minute drive. Sigh.

Click here to see it!

Busy Again

We were slammed today at the office. What's new though?

Kurt had his first appointment today to get his braces "tightened". He is feeling it tonight, LOL. He has it in his head that he can "feel" his teeth getting perfectly straight. I keep trying to tell him this is not an instantaneous thing, but he is not buying that from me. It's amazing how quickly they can do this treatment now--when I get braces in junior high, it was not as fast as it is now.

We worked until about 6:30 p.m. then came home. I so did not want to be at the office after going to lunch at feeling the 80 degree weather. At least we got to drive with the top down and sing 80s songs at the top of our lungs on the way home, made me feel a little bit better. Nothing, absolutely nothing makes a day better than driving the Porsche home with the top down. I am loving luxury cars. I never realized what I was missing before.....

Got home and spent some time outside with the puggies and my new shrubs, trees, flowers. Since it was so warm today, I really wanted to water everything. Which took a while since a lot of the stuff is nowhere near a hose, so I had to carry water several times to each item. Everything seems to be doing really well so far though. Several things we bought had NO leaves on Saturday/Sunday, and are now showing buds and leaves. The burning bush is amazing, already totally covered in green leaves. Yay.

Made dinner, and watched American Idol. Made Kurt soup because of his sore teeth and myself angel hair pasta with cabernet marinara sauce. Yummy. Only watched AI because nothing else was on. The show is really boring this season. Paula drives me insane with her totally fake attitude. The only person I have liked since the beginning was Carrie and she did good tonight. I like the rockers too, its nice to have some variety on the show. I hate that Scott guy. Please leave. You are not going to be a pop star. Then watched Amazing Race. I felt so sorry for that woman when she shaved her head. How awful. I don't think I could do it. My hair is one of my favorite features. She actually looked awesome after doing it though, almost BETTER. I felt for her hubby too, he looked miserable watching her have it done. At least they got 1st place this round.

Gretel is sleeping on Kurt right now. Its so much fun to watch her grow up. She has been playing more and more with the boys, and they totally watch out for her, which is adorable. Vito has lots of toys, and he will hold on to the end of one and let Gretel play tug of war with him, except he does not "tug" at all, just lets her think he is. Sometimes, he will let go and let her think she has won. So cute.

Anyway. I should sign off. Hope everyone had a great night.

Somehow survived the rest of the school day. It helps once Julia gets to class, and I have Jeff to talk to in my last two classes. I was having a really hard time paying attention and participating though. Oh well, at least I was there learning. It just sucks being there when I would rather be at home doing ANYTHING. Now I am home and happy. :). Need to go to bed, but I love chilling on the couch with Kurt and the pugs.......

Fav Products

Hey friends and family or anyone reading this. Copy the entry below and enter your own responses, then email to me. I will compile a list of everyone's favs and post on here at a later date. Click here to email me.

Favorites:

In the Shower
Shampoo: Origins Ginger Up Aromatic Shampoo
Conditioner: Any from the Bath and Body Works Line
Shower Gel: Philosophy Grape
Shower Scrub: Origins Incredible Spreadable Scrub Ginger Body Smoother
Soap: Olay Moisturizing Bar
Razor: BIC Soleil
Shaving Gel: Skintimate Tropical Splash
Any other products: Olay Moisturinse In Shower Body Lotion

Make-up
Foundation: Lancome Photogenic in Buff 2
Powder: Lancome Photogenic Sheer Loose Powder in Buff
Eyeliner: Avon Glimmersticks in Saturn Grey
Mascara: Lancome Hypnose in Black
Lip Gloss/Stick: Reflect Elixir Custom Gloss
Make-up Remover: Lancome Bi-Facil
Eyelash Curler: Shu Uemura
Eye Shadow: Lancome Colour Focus Palette 4 Ombres in 4Mystique
Lip Balm: Rosebud Salve

Smelly Stuff
Perfume: Fresh Eau de Parfum in Bergamot Citrus
Body Lotion: Origins Gloomaway Grapefruit Body Souffle
Body Spray: Victoria's Secret Body Splash in Citrus

Clean Face
Cleanser: Proactiv
Toner: Proactiv
Moisturizer: Proactiv
Any other products: NA

Favorite Beauty Stores/Sites
Sephora
Origins
eBay
Lancome
Reflect

Tired..........

I am so exhausted today. Gretel was not cooperating with sleep last night, and I barely got any. When I got up this morning, she was SOUND asleep on the floor in the living room, wrapped up in a blanket, looking totally angelic. Glad someone is getting some sleep today. And of course, I have to have school all day and concentrate. Blah. I want to go home so much! Oh well, only a million more hours to go......

Weekend

Wow, I had such a busy weekend. I barely even checked my email. Friday night I saw Beauty and the Beast at the Fox with my Aunt. It was the second time I have seen it, and it was beautiful, like last time. Loved it. Saturday and Sunday, we worked a ton in our yard. We put in a ton of stuff from a nearby greenhouse as follows:

Left hand side of the porch, we put in 6 of these: Click here
Right hand side of porch, we put in this: Click here
Throughout the front yard, we put in three of these: Click here
Back yard, back of garage, two of these: Click here
Left hand side of garage, two of these: Click here and two of these: Click here
Three huge pots in front of house put two kinds of flowers: Click here
Pots on front porch: Click here

Also, I was really excited, we went to this place that sells trees and bought 15 huge red maples to plant all along the front of the house, near the street, in a row. And, best of all, I talked Kurt into letting THEM put the trees in. He hates hiring anything out because he likes doing things himself. We truly don't have the time to do this, and each tree weighs over 300 pounds. I can just see Kurt making me help him and then me wanting to commit suicide because I hate stuff like that, and like I can lift 300 pounds.

Had dinner on Saturday night with Julia, Jamie, Kurt and Jay at La Shish. That was fun. Have not seen Jay in a while, or Jamie, so that was fun. My food was great too, had a meal called Shrimp Ghallaba, zesty. It was awesome. Kurt had the salmon ghallaba and really liked it as well. The bread was awesome as usual........

Took the Spyder in for its first oil change and valve adjustment on Saturday, we will get it back this week.

Other than that, nothing else happened this weekend. Talk to everyone later.

Pics of car being loaded onto the truck in Cali. 

Busy Day.......

I had a really busy day today! Got to work early, as usual. Finally went and got my eyebrows done (have been putting this off forever) at this place I have never been to called Urban Creations near our office. The lady I used who had opened a salon closed hers, and now works there. Took baby Gretel with me, as I did not want to leave her at the office. Everyone loved her there. I keep worrying someone will turn me away because I have a puppy, but so far, no. I would just leave anyone, so it is a good thing they accept my baby girl. :). After that, had to take Gretel to the vet. We were kinda worried about her because she has been making these little choking noises. Turns out, it is nothing, just sinus problems related to the change in season right now, pollen in the air. She did have a slight fever though, so the doc gave her a really mild antibiotic and sent us on our way. The vet techs all fell in love with her, said she is the cutest pug puppy they have seen in there. Gretel, of course, sucked all that up. They even took a PICTURE of her. It's insane how popular the baby is. Went back to the office for a while and came home to drop Gretel off so I could go to my pedicure appointment. Got the hot stone pedi, which is my FAVORITE. I feel like I am doing a ton of maintenance things with myself lately, as my Mom asked me if I was Paris Hilton on the phone tonight. Gotta do these things when I can. I have such limited time. Pedi turned out great and I am all ready for summer. Yay. My new chair covers for the butterlfy chairs were in a Crate & Barrel box on the porch when I got home, so I put those out and they look adorable. Kurt finally got home from his arbitration and we watched the Apprentice and ate dinner. Gretel is sound asleep on me, and I am going to sign off here to cuddle with the girl. TTFN.

Haskell Family Site

Hi everyone! I am copying off my friend, Stacy, and creating an online blog for friends and family to look and see what is going on with our family. Hope to see you all on here!