merry christmas from the krondashians.

just miss you guys sometimes.

an amazing race.

i don't watch a lot of TV shows (mostly because i have a major commitment issue) but one i've watched all the way through this season is "the amazing race." it wrapped up this past weekend, with one of my favorite teams being cut right before the finale (for a mistake they didn't make...completely unfair). anyway, i'd been watching it with sean and he was pretty upset with our fav duo getting axed right before the end. how angry? enough to dump the dvd in the sink after we watched -- 

yikes. 

anyway, it feels like i'm on the show lately because i've been going all over the place. i got to come to ohio for a long weekend last week, drove back to wisconsin for two (very long) days of work and then sean and i made the trek back home yesterday. 

here are some pictures from ohio adventure: part one --

 ^ most ridic pet store ever where animals just wander around freely.

^ lunch with favorite cousin!

 ^ most adorable nephew ever!!

 ^ ice cream sandwich time.

 after my "long" weekend, i got to drive through indiana and its crazy windmill farm...

  ...and ended up back in snowy / half-frozen wausau --

on the way home yesterday, sean found this delicious pizza place in chicago -- giordano's.

deep dish pepperoni (nearly) as big as your face.

 oh, and did i mention this guy's famous?

he's got his own billboard!

well...time to go hang out some more with this guy:

zero-point-three miles.

that's how far i currently live from where i work.

not even kidding.

 (^click on picture to enlarge)
google maps says it takes 29 seconds to get to the station.

why did i not move here a long time ago?!

here is a preliminary picture of one part of my house:

i know. i have a lot of decorating to do.

more pics to come later.

also of note, i ran the turkey trot on thanksgiving --

i finished in just more than 24 minutes, but i spent the first 15 seconds of the race standing still (as i waited for the people in front of me to start moving) and the next minute after that just-barely-moving so i like to think my time should be slightly better in real life.

^ click on picture to see full chart -- name / city / bib number / age / gender / placement within age group (19th in women 20-29) / time behind winner / gun time / chip time / pace

and afterwards?

 orange slices ( :

 also in my not-so-distant past, i went to the annual tomahawk venison feed and ate my very first deer-burger.
surprisingly, it wasn't totally gross.

^ also, this little girl was adorable.

DEER BURGER AS BIG AS YOUR FACE.

anyway, it's december and things are going to start getting exciting.

from decorating my apartment to going to ohio for a kdash reunion, i'm pretty pumped.

can't wait to see what the next few weeks have in store ( :

moving day.

first of all, this picture is from last week.

this is where clean laundry goes to die (my couch).

i like having clean clothes. i don't like putting them away.

also (before we get to the main event), 

here are some pictures from my rib mountain run this week.

icy ski lifts -- 

the snow-making machine on top of the mountain ( :

the trail i ran down on, all pretty and snowy --

(going to need to trade in my running shoes for snow shoes soon)

 and tracks from...something?! not really sure what.
forest chickens, maybe?

but most importantly, i've been in the process of moving this weekend.

yesterday, i moved some things.

this morning, i found some manly men to help move my big things --

now i've got maybe one more trip of stuff left before i'm all moved in.

expect pics of my awesome new place next time around.

hope you're all having an awesome week.

THREE.5 WEEKS TIL OHIO ( :

that elusive sweatshirt.

well...here it is:

 tonight i made spaghetti squash for the very first time -- 

my bff emily used to make it but i'd never done it before.

it's DELICIOUS.

all you have to do is pop it in the oven for like an hour and then it's awesome and ready to eat (after you take the seeds out). yum!

over the last few weeks, i said "goodbye" 

(sort of) to one of my friends, danger phil.

he started working in madison earlier this month.

here's a picture of him with his mom --

since he left, i'm moving into his apartment this weekend.

it has vaulted ceilings. i'm pumped.

this will probably be a separate blog post, so stay tuned for that ( :

one reason i'm excited to leave my apartment?

my freezer can't make ice properly.

i swear i fill the trays full of water. 

and yet...when i go to take the ice cubes out, they are only this big --

how is that possible?! i don't know.

also, just over ONE MONTH until i go to OHIO for CHRISTMAS.

speaking of christmas, we had our first snowfall this week.

^ it was not-so-impressive when i went to work in the morning but by the middle of the day, it was kind of crazy out there -- 

 AND...

^ here's a picture i took this week that i like.

as i sat (parked) on the road, i watched this group of strangers gather and help push this car out of the intersection. maybe there are still some nice people out there after all. 

youyou + meme.

it's halftime during my buckeye game, so i figured it was about time for me to reply to my super-challenge by briane. his responses are probably more interesting than mine, so i advise you to check out his as well if you want so read something really fun.

1.If you could go back in time + relive a moment, what would it be? 

in 2003, i started my junior year of high school. i had a new group of friends -- "my boys," as i called them. we rallied behind a team we had never really cared about before (the florida marlins) and hung out at buffalo wild wings pretty much every day after school as we watched them win postseason games and eventually the world series. when they won, we celebrated with them. we were young and invincible. me and the boys went on to watch football together every saturday morning that year and become really good friends (still are, to this day) but that was how it all started -- that one moment when the marlins won the world series. 

2. If you could go back in time + change one thing, what would it be? 

DINOSAURS. i want some. i'd make sure they never got killed off by a meteor or whatever and then they'd hang out with me and be my pets. also they would carry me to work so i wouldn't have to deal with lame traffic (and those awful 25 MPH zones) every morning.

3. What movie/TV character do you most resemble in personality? 

i don't watch a lot of movies / tv shows but i used to. my favorite show for a long time was "the OC," and i secretly wanted to be rachel bilson's character -- summer roberts. i think she is so pretty and i loved her character and her character's adorable boyfriend. 

but when it comes down to personality, i guess i'd have to go with the obvious -- kim from "keeping up with the kardashians." she's a workaholic but still manages to have fun plus she has an awesome (and attractive) family. don't get me started on her recent drama though. regardless of what anyone says, my opinion of her will never change -- she is cool and i still secretly want to be like her.

4. If you could push one person off a cliff and get away with it, who would you choose? 

...really? i guess i'd pick myself, but i wouldn't die. instead i would discover my incredible flying abilities  and travel around the world.

5. Name one habit you want to change in yourself. 

if i said i was un-careful about my money, that might be the understatement of a lifetime. i literally put zero thought into my finances, choosing instead to buy the things i feel like i need and save whatever else i can. somehow, i am still in the black but i wish i was more savvy with my $$.

6. Why do you blog? 

i started blogging because all the cool kids in the broadcast program did it (mostly this guy) and i wanted to fit in. now, i do it to stay in touch with my friends and family who live way-too-far away. plus, i like to write so it's fun for me. 

7. Name three people to send this to: 

mrs. d.

surrah.

emily.

BONUS: micae and rach ( :

who says / never say never.

first of all, thanks for the new cookware, mom (& mrs. d)!!

i love baking and it's even more awesome with two pans.

^ pumpkin chocolate chip muffins

anyway, i got within ONE STAMP of getting my sweatshirt...

...and then i finally got it.

twelve workouts in fourteen days?

if that doesn't deserve a free sweatshirt, i don't know what does.

(sadly, i was too lazy to take a picture of it. maybe next week...)

but i DID go to a halloween party after an AWESOME 

(ridiculous, unbelievable, heart-stopping) ohio state football game

and took some pictures there. 

this is courtney -- she taught me how to swim a few weeks ago.

(try to ignore my awkward leg)

after the game, i changed into my real costume:

p.s. this was sean's idea.

in case you're not sure who we are, here's a hint --

 

clever blog post title? yes, please.

and here's a picture of me with some of my other cool friends -- 

(jessi, jayson, emily, ryan and eric)

also the rib mountain run was a little rainy this week --

the end.

better blogging next week...i promise.

prenatal vitamin dilemma / hot meat on my front porch.

okay. i haven't always been good about vitamins. but there are some times when you really should be, right?

...like when you're pregnant?

sadly (or perhaps not-so-sadly) i'm not actually with-child.

but i did run out of my regular multivitamins.

and i did find these ones.

here is the story of why i have prenatal vitamins:

a long, long time ago, i saw an ad on TV that advertised FREE vitamins. and i figured, "why not, right?" vitamins are expensive. i'd totally take some free ones. so i signed myself up and guess what arrived at my home a few short weeks later? you guessed it -- prenatal vitamins. because even if you're not pregnant RIGHT NOW, you could be VERY SOON and whoever started this free-vitamin-campaign assumes every woman is at least border-line pregnant. i kind of laughed them off but for whatever reason, never threw them away (or gave them to my pregnant sister or roommate? such a considerate friend i seem to be). and now i have these prenatal vitamins.

so here's my dilemma. is it okay to take them if i'm not pregnant?

i've heard it could help my hair and nails grow better. 

but could it also sprout a child?!?

THAT'S WHY I'M ASKING YOU, BLOG FRIENDS.

HELP ME.

 okay. moving on to other things in my life.

like how i'm just four workouts away from getting a free sweatshirt -- 

and how the best thing about baking tiny bread is eating tiny toast 

on a tiny plate (about 6" in diameter) --

 

 and how (in theory) peppermint clif bars should be gross 

but this one was actually not-bad -- 

and how i just got a new car insurance statement 

and now i'll pay $15 less a month -- 

and how i walked outside today to find hot meat on my front porch -- 

...never a dull moment.

fortunes come true.

some of the things i had in my wallet were these fortunes:

i don't know why i've always liked to keep them.

but i do.

my favorite one has a story, if you haven't heard it already.

i went to a chinese restaurant with my college professor / mentor / reporter i was interning with (all one and the same person) on one of my last days at my internship at ABC4 in SLC. i had already graduated and was working on my documentary and still doing some internship stuff on the side, plus i was trying to find a job and figure out what i was going to do with the rest of my life. that was on may 11th.

my fortune: "remember three months from this date. 

good things are in store for you." 

one month later...nothing much had changed.

two months later...i'd had a job interview with WAOW.

and three months later...a job offer.

coincidence?

maybe.

but maybe not.

so whenever i get fortunes, i keep them.

some are funny.

some are profound.

but they all find a home in my wallet.

here are some of my other favorites:

"trust others, but still keep your eyes open."

"you will take a pleasant journey to a place far away."

"stubbornness is not a good virtue."

"share your abundant humor with others at this time. they need it."

"an exciting opportunity lies ahead of you."

"everybody feels lucky for having you as a friend."

"next week, green is a lucky color for you."

"an attractive visitor will bring joy to your home."

"opportunity awaits you next monday."

"the simplest answer is to act."

"you will accomplish more later if you have a little fun this weekend."

"do not mistake temptation for opportunity."

"be careful and systematic in your business arrangements."

"live, think and act for today. tomorrow may be too late."