Friday 5 - Volume 10

Guys.  I'm having a day.  Scratch that.  I'm having a week.  I'm so glad it's Friday, you don't even understand.  My day week is going so well (no seriously...I forgot my underwear, I forgot my socks, I forgot my shoes, I forgot my phone, I just spilled coffee all over my dress...), I was seriously tempted to make this a more sarcastic, backwards version of my normal where instead of giving you a list of 5 things I loved this week, I gave you the 5 worst things that happened to me this week - and forgetting my shoes on wednesday was probably number 3 on that list...but then I read a post on one of my favorite blogs - Little Baby Garvin, about milestones and changed my tune.  She posted about hearing her new baby laugh for the first time and it made me smile - and I figured out how I was going to turn my day around.  I am going to change up from my normal list, but I think this one will be better.  So now...please to enjoy 5 of my absolute favorite pictures of my baby boy.  :-)

OK first of all, though - I have to say.  This was really hard!  Trying to narrow down the thousands of pictures I have of this kid to 5 of my favorites?  I was able to get down to a short list of 53.  Then 17.  Then 12.  Then 10.  I ended with 7, which I've been able to successfully cut down to 5 list items.  So that's just going to have to be good enough.    

1. First Pic as a Mommy

So this isn't technically my first picture with my bubs, but it is the first one that I think really conveys me as his mommy.  And now I'm crying.  This is starting off well.  I think this will always be my absolute favorite picture of the two of us.  It's hard to imagine anything better.

 2. Laughing
So two pictures for this one - the first time he really laughed (and the picture that really inspired this post) and a recent laughter picture.  This kid LOVES to laugh (I think he laughs at things just to hear himself sometimes) and it just makes my heart happy every time I hear it.

3. Those Eyes
I actually don't remember this picture - well, that's not entirely true.  I remember exactly this day - it was the first time it really snowed, so I put on his snow suit and put him outside in it (he still didn't own shoes, much less boots, so he was wearing about 6 pairs of socks to cover his feet, but they never touched the ground anyway).  It was also the only time he ever wore this snow suit - I didn't even take the tags off!  I had never identified this as a favorite picture before either, but as I was going through my collection, I couldn't take my eyes off it - how big and clear and beautiful his eyes are - through my 4-5 rounds of picture cutting for this post, those eyes just had to remain.

 4. Funny Faces
This kid.  He makes the funniest faces I've ever seen.  It's such a great indicator of his little personality.  When he was younger, and we still had our google glass, he loved to mimic the face we made when we were taking a picture (on glass, that functionality is triggered by winking).  My first round of pictures had about 6 photos of him making his glass face - but the one I kept here is probably the classic.  We always compared his face to the vampires in the buffy/angel whedon-verse.  You can't see it as much in this one, but we have one where he is the spitting image of David Boreanez in his vamp get up.  Even now, his silly faces continue - it probably goes along with the laughter post - he loves to laugh and he loves to make others laugh.

 5. Tantrums
Kid is 2.  These are to be expected.  As with the funny faces, I had about 6 pictures in the original list of him fake crying like this one.  When he's really crying, of course I'm right there hugging and loving on him, but when it's clearly a cry (heh) for attention like this - I'm trying my darndest not to crack up laughing and try to snap a quick pic.  I'm sure I'll find some use for these as he gets older....tee hee.


OK I'm feeling sufficiently better.  This kid can always lift my spirits.  Thanks buddy.

And for all of you - have a better Friday then I have had so far - and enjoy your weekend!  Until next time,

Friday 5 - vol. 9

Well, how's this for a flashback?  I haven't done a Friday 5 in almost a year and half.  Surely I can think of 5 things I really love from that gap of time yes?  Ok, Ok - I'll stick to the rules and keep it to things I loved in the past week.  So without further ado...

1. My new LuLaRoe Julia dress!

I can't resist the Julia dress.  It's so flattering on every shape and super comfy.  Plus it can be dressed up, down, or as a tunic.  I think I could wear a Julia every day and be a happy girl.

2. This dressy casual fall outfit I put together

My friend Shaunacey at Confessions of a Frumpy Mommy posted one of her favorite fall go-to outfits this week (check it out here).  I absolutely loved it and used it as the inspiration for my outfit above - which is now one of my go-tos!

3. Ace Pineapple Cider

I am a cider girl.  Cider and Riesling - those are my go to drinks.  I first had this cider at Burger Republic in Nolensville, TN a few months ago and had been on the hunt for it ever since.  I finally found it at my local liquor store and promptly bought 3 6-packs.  This stuff is SO GOOD.  And if you haven't tried it, you NEED to.

4. Cucumber Kiwi Smash cocktail

While cider and Riesling are my go to drinks, I'm not afraid to branch out to something new every once in awhile.  This week we went to a birthday party downtown and this cocktail was on the menu.  It was delicious - and so light and refreshing.  It's probably more of a 'summer' cocktail (it would be perfect out in the warm weather), but I would drink it year round.  Here's the recipe:
1 oz kiwi puree,
1/4 oz. fresh lemon-lime juice mix
3/4 oz simple syrup
1 1/2 oz cucmber-infused vodka
Shake all ingredients with ice, pour into a collins glass and top with soda water.

5. My perfect fall mani

Jamberry Copper Penny, Midas, & Stardust

I've been super lazy with my nails lately, but all of a sudden it was October, the weather was cooling down, and I was wearing Uggs.  I decided I needed my nails to match my fall style.  I feel like this manicure just screams Pumpkin Spice, Caramel Apple Cider, leaves falling, cool air, and all things fall.  I loved it. Too bad it only lasted about a day before it started chipping - boo!

And that's it for this week's five.  Have a great weekend, friends - and until next time...

Friday 5 vol. 8

1) Biggby.

It's funny that I live in Lansing - the city where Biggby Coffee was founded - but I only really get it when I go out of town (it's probably a good thing that there is not a Biggby anywhere near my drive to work, otherwise I would not be making that statement).  So naturally, I was very excited to find out that I had to make a trip to our corporate office this week.  There is a Biggby right around the corner and I always stop there on my way in.  A super iced fluffy clouds always hits the spot! (I don't know what happened to that picture - it's not that distorted on my phone...)

2) Nail Growth.

Wednesday marked 2 weeks of the jamicure.  It was time to remove them - they were starting to peel up around the edges - but how great did they still look?  The best part?  All that nail growth on the bottom.  2 weeks without biting my nails may be a record.  Miles' daycare provider invited me to a Jamberry party tonight, so I'm excited to go and get some more product (tell me again why I'm not selling this stuff yet?)

3) The baby carrier.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my Infantino Support carrier (it's actually a discontinued model, the updated version is called the Union).  It's very similar to the Ergo in design at about 1/3 the price.  I don't get to use it as much as I'd like because Miles is not a fan of being carried/worn for any period of time.  He's like his daddy with a really high body temp and he just gets too hot.  But it's still perfect for when I really need to get something done around the house and don't want to leave him alone.  Yesterday that meant collecting all the trash from around the house to take out.  Tomorrow it will mean actually cleaning the house to get it ready for visitors (yay!).  I'm hoping that I can combine cleaning with nap time, since he's usually really good at falling asleep while I'm wearing him.  

4) Old Navy $1 Flops.

One of the best days of the year!  While technically it's tomorrow, it's worth putting in this week's 5 since I've been looking forward to it all week.  My plan is to be there when the store opens so I can actually take advantage.  Last year I got there too late and all that was left in my size was brown (which I already had).  This year Old Navy is also putting Flip Flop vending machines around New York and LA and if you tweet with the hashtag #flipflophooray, you can get a free pair out of them.  Why oh why don't I live in New York or LA?  

5) Hodor.

Hodor.

Stay hodor Chelish, hodors friends.

Friday Five Vol. 7

Here comes this week's five...a random list of things I liked this week.  Hooray!












1.  These Anti-Jokes from Tickld.com
If I had been drinking coffee this morning, I would have spit it all over my desk.  My husband will tell me they're all lame.  They probably are.  But also hilarious.
What's green and has wheels?  Grass.  I lied about the wheels.

What do a duck and a bicycle have in common?  They both have handlebars...except for the duck.

Why isn't Helen Keller a good driver?  Because she's dead.

A gorilla walks into a bar and orders a banana martini.  The bartender thinks this is a little peculiar and then becomes aware he is actually dreaming.  He wakes up from his dream and begins to tell his wife about the ridiculous dream he had.  His wife just ignores him, the man rolls over and begins to sob because he realizes his marriage is in shambles.
I mean...come on!  Those are awesome.

2. Game of Thrones

I mentioned earlier this week that we started watching it On Demand.  We haven't stopped.  We're now halfway through season 2.  Our DVR is getting a little full because we haven't watched anything else.  And we won't until we finish season 4...which I'm not excited about (because that means I'll have to wait with everyone else until season 5...and I don't like waiting).  I said I was trying really hard not to get attached to characters because I know anyone's fair game for some brutal death...but that lasted about 5 minutes.  Tyrion and Daenerys have quickly become my favorites.  Tyrion (whose accent hurts my ears) is hilarious and the Khaleesi is just a total bad ass.  I can't wait to continue our binge this weekend (and yes, I realize this makes 3 weeks in a row that I've mentioned binge-watching a TV show in my five....stop judging me).

3. Paying off Debt.

Today is a big day in House Cooper (see what I did there?) - today we made the last payment on my engagement ring.  It's a nice little weight off our shoulders and the snowball effect is going to be huge.  We realized that by allocating the payment from the ring to another card, the card will be paid off next month instead of 8 months from now. #almostdebtfree #exceptnotreallyatall

4. My outfit yesterday.

Sweatshirt - Blue Marlin | Striped Tee - Christopher J. Banks | Skirt - Charlotte Russe | Tank - Sam's Club

Apologies for the picture.  The lights were out in the bathroom so I couldn't take a mirror selfie.  Had to rely on the forward facing camera on my phone (but I did discover that it now has a timer...score).  I don't care much about the World Cup, but I do like England.  So when the opportunity presented itself for me to wear my Team England jacket, I took it.  That it worked with one of my new skirts was also awesome.  I got a few compliments (and one guy who asked where my cape was...apparently I looked like Superman to him).  Of course, then England had to go and lose, eliminating them from the competition.  Way to go, lads.

5. Family Time

Chad came home early from work 3 days this week.  And that was after he took the whole weekend off.  I've seen more of my husband in the last week than I have maybe ever (not really) - I loved it, but even better, Miles loved it.  Seeing his eyes light up when Daddy walks in is just about the best sight in the world.  And then to top it all off, my mom is in town this weekend!  So Miles and I are going to my grandma's house on Saturday to hang out with them.  It's been over a month since she was here last, so I am very excited (and then in 2 weeks, she'll be back with my dad for 4th of July...it's almost like they didn't abandon me to move so far away)!

And with that, I leave you to enjoy your weekends.  As always, stay Chelish my friends.

Friday Five - 6/6/14

1) Orange is the New Black

Season 2 comes out today!  Binge watching to commence tonight! (that is...as long as we can get netflix to work...it seemed to be down yesterday.  But I'm thinking positive - I will watch OITNB tonight!)

2) Free Bagel Friday

I was real hungry when I got to work this morning.  I was ready to eat my lunch at about 8 am.  Luckily, one of our customers brought in bagels from Panera.  I had a delicious chocolate chip bagel with plain cream cheese.  Yum. 

3) This pink bunny that hangs out on my desk at work

#throughglass

because...bunnies.

4) Google Play Music

It's Friday.  I'm going to a conference next week.  My brain has shut down and I'm having a ton of trouble focusing on work.  Luckily, I have my phone, a pair of headphones and Google Play Music All Access.  Jamming to Robyn, Demi Lovato, Eric Hutchinson, *NSync, Jessie J, & MC Mr. Napkins is helping to keep me on track for one. more. hour.

5) Making new friends
Chad and I have been working with a financial advisor to set up some new life insurance and a college fund for Miles.  Well, she's actually our age and we had been getting along really well at our meetings, so we decided to invite her and her fiance on a group camping trip later in the summer.  I'm excited because we don't haven many local friends, so someone (two someone's actually) new to hang out with is exciting.

And that's it for this week.  I'm extending my positive thinking to the Tigers tonight.  They WILL win this series against Boston.  They WILL.

Stay Chelish, dear readers....

Friday Five - 5/30/14

This week's 5 are on the way...
but first, a follow up on last week's 5.  The triple cheeseburger from McDonalds...nothing special.  Oh well.  Now I can go back to healthier options :-)

And now...the new 5 for the week.











1. The Birthday Girls

Today is the birthday of two of my oldest and dearest friends.  They were co-matrons of honor in my wedding and we've been friends for about 18 years now...shit.  18 years (heck...this picture is 15 years old - how has all that time gone by already?  I still feel like that 15 year old girl most of the time...).  We've been through a lot and I love them like sisters.  Happy Birthday, Meg & Jen!

2. The Birthday Girls

Today is also the birthday of my beloved Alpha Gamma Delta.  And it's a big one - 110 years from the day our 11 founders - Marguerite Shepard, Estelle Shephard Beswick, Georgia Dickover, Jennie Titus Smith Morris, Ethel Brown Distin, Grace Mosher Harter, Edith MacConnell, Hickok, Mary Louise Snyder, Georgia Otis Chapman, Flora Knight Mayer, and (my favorite) Emily Helen Butterfield  sat in a room at Syracuse University and officially adopted our constitution and bylaws.  Alpha Gam was a huge part of my college experience and I am proud to live her purpose every day!

3. Employer Recognition
I'm a very un-confident person.  Especially in my job.  I'm always positive that whenever I'm called into someone's office or when someone says "hey do you have a few minutes to talk?" that I'm going to be scolded or fired or escorted off the premises.  When people do call me into their office or ask if I have time to talk, I always have a small panic attack because I know it's not going to be good.  Of course, it's always fine.  But that doesn't assuage my fears for the next time.  I'm still waiting for the day when they realize I don't actually do anything...I was happy I had gotten a promotion a few weeks before my maternity leave, because I was certain I would come back to no job due to them realizing I wasn't as valuable as they had once believed.  It's also been a pretty rough couple of weeks at work.  Many of our employees are leaving the company (high level managers, not just anyone) including my boss and my former boss - both of whom I am very close to.  Having those people who know what I do and my value to the company leave is SCARY.  What if their replacements don't like me?  Or see through me and finally discover I do not belong here?  I need a Xanax to deal with the anxiety...for real.  I have no reason to think any of this.  I do work hard.  I get shit done quickly and well and I know what I'm doing.  But regardless, I can't shake the fear.  Because of all that, it's nice to get some recognition and reiteration that my hard work doesn't go unnoticed - even by those who I don't work as closely with, and by my new bosses.  I got that recognition and validation this week in the form of a huge promotion.  It was so unexpected, but so awesome.  I'm still sad - I'm going to miss my friends - but it does give me some major peace of mind that I'll be OK without them.

4. Derek

Today also marks the return of Derek on Netflix.  The first season of this show was amazing - I can't wait for the second.  I've been catching quick clips on Ricky Gervais' facebook page and I know the second season will not disappoint.  Cue a weekend of binge watching (hopefully Chad can get Sunday off work so we can)!

5. The Return of SYTYCD

There's only been one episode so far this season, but it's looking like another great one!  I love this show.  I'm not a dancer, but I love dance.  One of my favorite things about this show is discovering new music, too.  My playlist grows exponentially each season when I hear new songs or different versions of songs I'd never heard before.  I think we grabbed 1 or 2 new songs in the season premiere alone (including Wake Me Up by Madilyn Bailey).  It's also nice having a favorite show that my dear husband doesn't make fun of me for liking (we have a lot of similar television tastes, but we also have a lot of different television tastes) - surprisingly, he likes this show just as much as I do - I love discussing different dances (we often disagree on what's good or not, but that's the beauty of the competition I guess) and who should win or go home.  I'm excited for another season of that :-)

Friday 5 - May 23, 2014

The coolest things from the past week...at least for me. 

1. Danny Worth

Danny Worth is a position player for the Tigers.  For you non-baseball folk, that means he fills in wherever he's needed and he doesn't play everyday.  Generally we see him at short stop, but he could realistically fill in at any position in a pinch.  And yesterday we were in a pinch.  The day before we lost a brutal 13 inning, 5.5 hour game which used up a ton of our pitchers.  Yesterday we were down 9-2, we pulled our starter early in the 4th, and had even put in one of our starters to relieve because we were just out of relief pitchers. Well, the 9th inning comes around and we had no one to pitch.  Generally in this case, we would use one of our other position players - Donnie Kelly (my Tiger), but he was already playing.  So Danny Worth got the call to the bullpen for his major league pitching debut.  The stats guys said he hadn't pitched since High School.  Awesome.  This could get ugly.  The result was nothing short of awesome.  Turns out, Danny Worth has a mean knuckle ball.  After a fly out, he gave up one hit (because he abandoned the knuckle ball for 1 pitch), and struck out 2.  The guy who has never pitched major league baseball, probably hasn't really pitched in 10 years or more, who was throwing 69 mph pitches, threw better than every other guy we were paying to pitch that day.  I don't think I've ever been more excited about losing a game.

2. The Lansing Hooters Girls

Miles & his favorite girlfriend, Allison

Don't side eye me.  We love Hooters in our family.  There was a point where we were going weekly.  It was one of Miles' first restaurants - we took him at about a week old.  But we have been trying to eat at home more, so we hadn't been in awhile.  We finally went back this week and our experience put these awesome women on my list this week.  This Hooters was one of Miles' first restaurants - we took him at about a week old for the first time.  He has grown up with his "girlfriends" and they all LOVE him.  Since it had been a few months since we last went, Miles had grown up a lot and he was walking.  They were all so excited to see him.  They greeted us at the door or at our table with Hi Miles! (Yep, it's a first-name basis situation), they played with his blocks with him, they gave him hugs, and they clapped as he walked around the restaurant.  Hooters gets a bad wrap...but it's really one of the most family-friendly restaurants we go to.

3. Google+ Photo Stories

The latest update to Google+ rolled out this week and with it came some awesome new photo features, including GIF maker, grid maker, & movie maker.  But my favorite new thing is the new Auto-Awesome Photo Story.  This mashes up maps and photos and creates a sort of travel log of special trips.  Once the feature rolled out, I had 12 photo stories waiting for me, including one for our recent trip to Traverse City.  Once the photo story is made, you can go in and add captions to the photos to complete the experience for the viewer.  You can see my first photo story here.

4. Triple Cheese Burgers

I am a fat kid at heart. I love all things bad for you (I like some good things too, but candy and fast food make me so happy).  Right now, McDonald's has triple cheese burgers.  You don't understand how excited that made me when I found out.  Nevermind the fact that I've never had a triple cheese burger from McDonald's and in general, I don't even like McDonald's burgers (with the exception of their Bacon Habanero Ranch Quarter Pounder).  I had no reason whatsoever to be excited about this - but. i. am.  That's about all the positive I can give at this point though, because when I ordered one for lunch today, I got a double by mistake (in their defense, I only paid for a double - I didn't pay close enough attention when asked to check my order on the screen).  It's a good thing I sprang for the large size meal though, otherwise, I might starve to death.  So this burger made the list without my ever having eaten it.  It better live up to expectations...that's all I have to say.

5. Melissa & Doug Animal Nesting Blocks

These are the only toy that will consistently cure a tantrum in our house.  He starts freaking out, I start stacking the blocks, crying over (for the time being...we sometimes have to repeat this process several times).  It's still amazing to me how much more he loves the simple toys over the fancy, battery-operated, light up, music-playing toys.  These are just wooden blocks with animals printed on them but he loves to stack them up and knock them over, or nest them together and pull them apart.  If you have a small child, you need these.  Get them here.

And that's this week's 5.

Until next time, stay Chelish!

Friday Five 5-16-14

Helloooo readers!  Are you ready for another fabulous five this friday?  Good!  Here are five of my favorite things from the past week.

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1. Wayne County Prosecuter - Kym Worthy

This woman is an absolute inspiration.  I had the privilege of hearing her speak at an event yesterday.  Her dedication to the victims of domestic and sexual violence is nothing short of extraordinary.  Ms. Worthy is currently working on resolving a massive backlog of unprocessed rape test kits in Detroit.  In 2009, one of her assistants discovered over 11,000 untested rape kits sitting in a warehouse that the Detroit Police Department had used as an overflow storage facility for evidence (but which no one seemed to know about). Had these kits been processed when they were received, countless other rapes and murders might have been prevented, not just in Detroit/Wayne County, but throughout Michigan and in 13 other states (as of now...there are still thousands of kits to test.  Who knows what else will be discovered?), including one case where the rapist went on to rape and murder 5 more women after the first was reported and ignored.
Ms. Worthy does this with absolutely no support or funding from her county.  In fact, the Wayne County Executive listed her work on these rape kits as the number 1 low priority item that needed to be cut from the county's work load.  Kym Worthy is a hero.

2. Unexpected $$...AGAIN!
Chad and I both received refund checks in the mail this week from Fifth Third bank as a result of a lawsuit regarding how 5/3 processed overdraft fees.  These were not insignificant and it. was. AWESOME.

3. This guy

I am a terrible procrastinator.  I signed myself up for an event to sell my Impressed. jewelry back in February.  Finding time to actually stamp can be difficult, but I did it when I could - I was stamping up until 2 nights before the event, but I got it all done.  What I didn't get done was all the other little stuff that's required to make the pieces sellable - darkening the letters, punching holes for jump rings, attaching jump rings, cleaning and polishing the pieces, adding jewels, cutting chain, attaching clasps, attaching the full piece to a jewelry card - not to mention the things I needed to get together to make a professional-looking table.  I figured, those little things are not as time consuming so I let them go.  Fast forward to the night before the show and none of it was done yet.  When you have to do those little things for 100 items, it takes a LOT of time.  I worked for over 5 hours trying to get it done.  It would have been a lot more though, if my awesome husband had not sit down to help me.  He hated it and didn't hide the fact, but he did it and I SO appreciate him for helping.

4. Red lipstick & Leopard Print Flats

Clinique Butter Shine in Parisian Red (Discontinued) | Charlotte Russe Pointy Toe Ballet Flats

 A twofer.  I'm trying to become more fashion-conscious and this includes taking risks I've normally been uncomfortable with.  These include wearing red lipstick and leopard print flats.  I've always been afraid that red lipstick is too much - especially with my light, light skin tone.  Then I realized, the girls I always see wearing red lipstick are always super white - that's what makes it stand out in the best way.  I don't wear a lot of make up to begin with either, which probably didn't help my discomfort.  But now that I've been doing it - I LOVE it.  I also love my new leopard print flats.  It's amazing how many things look good with leopard print shoes.  AND they're not as garish as one would expect.  Generally, they're a perfect compliment to an outfit.

5. My Crockpot

Crock-Pot 6.5 Qt Slow Cooker w/eLume

I'll be honest.  I regularly look for and pin easy crockpot meal ideas because i HATE cooking dinner - too much effort.  BUT, i had never actually followed through with any of them.  The only time I've used my crockpot in the 4 years I owned it were for a couple of work potluck lunches and for Miles' birthday party, to keep the taco meat warm - that's a grand total of 3 uses.  ever.  Well this week that changed - and hopefully it's a trend that we will keep up.  The night before (while I was slaving away on Impressed. work), Chad got all the ingredients for pot roast together and put them in the freezer (see #3 again).  The next day, I threw them in the crockpot with some soup mix and spices, Chad turned it on before he left for work, and when we got home - boom.  Dinner is served.  Why the heck hadn't we done this before?

and that's it for this week's 5.  Want to join me with your own friday 5?  Link up below!

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Friday Five 5-9-14

It's that time of week again...on to the list!

1. This remarkable, beautiful, funny, silly, smart, inquisitive, mischievous, healthy little boy

no kiddo...lucky me!

I can't help but include Miles again, especially after the devastating news of Teddy Fish.  I'm so lucky to have a healthy child who I get to hug and laugh with everyday.  Getting to see him grow up in front of my eyes is the best thing in the world.

2. This growth chart.

This was my big gift for Miles' first birthday, and I finally finished it this week.  I purchased the vinyl decals from Abbie's House on etsy.  I lightly sanded the board, then finished it with several coats of clear polyurethane.  I followed the tutorial from Abbie's House to apply the decals.  Finally, I finished it off with one last coat of polyurethane to seal the decals to the board.  And we put the first measurement on it - which was actually the measurement from his 1 year checkup - 29.25".  That looks a lot taller (longer?) on the growth chart than when you see the number written down on a piece of paper.

Chad was adamant that the bottom of the ruler be level with the floor, so it's hung on the wall using french cleats.  This is actually handy because it can be easily removed and we don't have to put any holes through the front of the board.

3. Unexpected Raises
I get a cost of living increase every year, but this was the first year our performance reviews also gave us the opportunity for a merit increase.  I knew I had earned one, based on a good review, but I had no idea when it was coming and how much it would be.  Well today I got the notification that I'm getting a sizable increase (certainly more than the normal cost of living) and it's retroactive to April 1.  SCORE!

4. Anibal Sanchez
Anyone who knows me knows I am a Detroit Tigers fanatic.  I watch over 100 games a year.  I love everything about baseball and the Tigers, especially.  This week included a moment that reinforced that love. Every year, the Tigers have Zubazpalooza - a night dedicated to these crazy pants (which is strange because the Tigers don't have any officially licensed designs through them...but I digress). To celebrate, Joba Chamberlain bought the whole team a pair.  On Tuesday, Miguel Cabrera did an interview wearing them (and his Los Tigres t-shirt for Cinco de Mayo) and paraded out some of his teammates.  Anibal Sanchez came out looking like this:

He is officially the coolest baseball player on the planet.  

I love how much fun my Tigers have together.  They're not just teammates - they genuinely like each other and that's what makes a great team.  World Series, here we come!

5. Vacation!
OK, I don't know if it truly qualifies as a vacation.  I'm not even going to miss any work...but Chad and I are getting away for the weekend.  My parents are coming to watch the boy, and we're headed off to a winery tour on the Leelenau Peninsula in beautiful Northern Michigan.  We haven't been able to have real 'adult time' in a while, so this is exciting.  And all that delicious wine without having to worry about pumping and dumping?  Oh! And I almost forgot the best part!  The drive is going to take us through our old college town, which has my favorite Mexican restaurant of all time, Los Palominos.  So we're stopping there for dinner.  I haven't had it in about 3 years and of course nothing at home even comes close.  Chad is convinced it won't be as good as I remember, but I know it's going to be a little piece of heaven.  Can't. Wait.

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