Xmas 2008

Christmas this year was without any family. Dan brought home his own ham, mashed potatoes, and broccoli and cheese from work for lunch. For dinner we weren't very hungry, but cooked up some thin ribeye steaks anyway. Here are some unwrapping gift pics (note my feigned surprise at the previously unveiled Kitchen Aid):











It was a lonely day, as Dan was working until 1pm, and then it was just us. One nice thing was that the weather was in the 70s! That made it at least seem like we were in FL per usual. Well, maybe next year will be more "normal".

Wow, it's almost Thanksgiving and I thought we just got here!

This past weekend we put up our new Christmas tree! Beforehand, we got some new ornaments to complement the built-in lights. This is what it looks like now:

Also, we recently signed up for an organic (local optional) grocery delivery through the company Greenling. Their service is customizable as far as which products you want and how often they are delivered. Our first box showed up today! Check it out: romaine lettuce, bibb lettuce, collard greens, mustard greens, avocados, tomatoes, meyer lemons, key limes, radishes, turnips, sweet potatoes, and a bunch of rosemary. Dan made a delicious dinner using 7 of the items. Yum!


We are looking forward to my parents and my sister's visit in the next coming weeks. Our Thanksgiving will be delayed a bit, but nonetheless delicious and special! Much cleaning to do this weekend, and wrapping up of this semester's classes. I'd like to pretend that I'm busy, but I'm really not. I'm watching tv and writing in a blog...signs that I probably have nothing better to do. Anyhow, let the holidays begin!

Ladybird Wildflower Center

Ladybird Wildflower Center is one of my favorite places in Austin. I dropped Dan at work and headed south for another free admission day. Cheapskate, I know, but one day I will be able to give back. Wandering around alone in this place is inevitable. Even if I were with a group of 20 I could find myself drifting off in a plant and architecture induced trance. Those archways are beautiful AND functional - they help transport the rainwater caught from the roof to the 12,000 gallon cistern, part of their "rain-harvesting operation".

I went off on one of the property's trails toward the windmill. I snapped an awful pic but it shows my new haircut.

At the trail head a sign warns you of rattlesnakes and cougars!! I also happened upon some crazy wildlife. I intently watched as this red-striped ribbon snake darted around a mini-pond trying to catch a frog.

Then I did a 180 and watched this female orb-weaver of some sort wrap up some of her catch.

I stayed there until I almost dried out from the sun and had to leave for a drink of water. Twas a beautiful day!

Dream Week

Well, we've had the great opportunity to be able to socialize and eat out lately. A few nights ago we visited a restaurant we've been wanting to try since we first spotted it - Clay Pit. Our friends even went back the next night it was so good. Dan was updating his blog and asking me details about this trip and today's lunch stop at Thai Tara. I started to drool. We've been lucky enough to have eaten such wonderful food lately. I started thinking that this was the best week ever! No, I can think of a better Best Week EVER! It starts like this:

Sunday: Dim Sum (cuz I'm traditional like that), Five Guys cheeseburger w/ french fries, Indian (Clay Pit or Zaranj in Calcutta). Wash it down with a milkshake.

Monday: sugar, pb, chocolate chip cookies (fresh from the oven), NY style pizza, Thanksgiving dinner. Wash it down with milk (cuz it's homey).

Tuesday: pork roll and cheese on a Kaiser, Hellshire fish and festival, Salt Lick BBQ. Wash it down with water (because you don't want the drink to cover up the smoke flavor).

Wednesday: NJ diner: 1 egg over easy w/ sausage link, buttered white bread, home fries, cuban (Cuba Libre in Atlantic City or Philadelphia) – beans/rice, plantain, ropa vieja, Chicago pizza. Wash it down with a famous Cuba Libre mojito!

Thursday: salt fish flittas (made by PoPo), Italian sub (dripping in oil/vinegar), hibachi, Coke

Friday: sausage egg cheese biscuit, Thai Kitchen (Bridgewater, NJ), German spaetzel w/ veal in a mushroom sauce, beer

Saturday: ice cream, Gratzi's Caesar salad of yesteryear w/ cheesy fondue, Sauteed scallops/fish and chips in Galway, Ireland. all washed down with 4 bottles of vodka. Because after that week, what do I have to live for?

Fall has begun

Well, today was the first day of classes for me. In reality I was home all day. This morning I became oriented with my two online courses for this semester: Human Growth and Development, Introduction to Speech. Odd that a speech communication course is online, right? I read all of both syllabi and played around with the online class application called Blackboard. This is my first experience using Blackboard. At TCNJ we used SOCS and at NC State we used WebCT which is now owned by Blackboard. Interesting the tools we have here as American students. I did a study abroad course in Ireland 3 years ago. The professors there did not require you to buy textbooks, there were plenty copies in the library. You also did not have to own a computer. In fact, many did not. I realize it's not required of an American college student, but it's expected. In Ireland, the teacher's did not post their lectures ahead of time online in order for the students to print out slides and take notes. No, some lectureres still used transparencies and overhead projectors! And chalk!

So anyway, tomorrow I will attend the first actual class on a campus - Human Anatomy Lab and Lecture. I am looking forward to this course immensely. I rocked the HS version of this class. It's not the same, but I've also been brushing up on my body parts by watching bloody ER and surgery TV shows. I learn from the TV!

So other than that news in my life, I've lately been working towards a new goal: 100 pushups! I am not very far along, currently starting week 2. I can surprisingly feel a difference in my arms already. My shoulders are hard when you poke them even if I'm not flexing. Hooray!

Anyhow, I look forward to getting into the mix of things this semester!

Bills, bills, bills

Buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo. No, not those Bills. I'm talkin' money. Surviving in this world, financially, is simply not acceptable for me. It's just not enough. My recent obsession has been discovering the ways and means to earn money and save money, as in combination you can create wealth. I'm a worrier by birthright (Lue Yen side), so the sooner I can be financially comfortable, the sooner I can enjoy life more. Is that kind of redundant? Anyhow, in recent months, Dan and I have taken up a few new tricks in order to preserve what money we have, while employment was questionable. After all, moving to Austin was our first step toward being independent.

Firstly, I have taken to cutting coupons in the Sunday paper. My grocery doubles and triples coupons depending on the value. This, combined with weekly sales, has made for some very cheap food. This sometimes has me buying food that I would not have normally tried or have been interested in but could not afford. We have built up stockpiles of meats and pantry items this way. Secondly, I have become aware of rebate items at Walgreens and sale/coupons/Extra Buck deals at CVS. I've gotten many free items after learning deals on websites such as HotCouponWorld.com. Additionally, I frequent forums/websites (divagirlsdeals.com, Yahoo Texas Couponers Group) that discuss local deals and suggest websites that give away free samples. Thirdly, Dan and I have looked into supplemental income jobs that we can do from home/nearby. He has signed up for a website called Cha Cha, where he finds answers online in response to questions people text in through their phone. He looks up anything from jokes to directions to trivia and more! This is low paying, but a fun way to learn while earning AND watching the tv at the same time! I recently joined a mystery shopping group. I signed up for my first try - Papa John's pizza! It was a small commission and a free pizza, something I cannot turn down. Well, I called the store to order my pizza and they denied my order! Apparently, I have to order from the store that is 0.77 miles away rather than this one at 1.47 miles away. It blows my mind to have 2 options for 1 delivery store. At home in NJ we couldn't get pizza delivered (Domino's does not count as pizza)! Anyhow, I wasn't able to complete the order and my status was downgraded/suspended on the site. Worse yet, we hadn't planned on making dinner and it's time to eat! (Update: we have leftovers from The Salt Lick, all is well again!) I sent an appeal email, because I really think this is a wonderful opportunity!

Otherwise, we both have the bulk of our money sitting in a low interest savings account (ING). I hope we are able to achieve and sustain the quality of life and standards that we are both accustom to. This is one of many reasons for my "career-change" to nursing. The flexibility, personal satisfaction from helping others, decent pay, and huge chance for growth are all attractive to me. I often look to these blogs for inspiration:
JANE4girls
*about a woman who gave herself an $800 budget/year for her family of 4; inspiring
Spilling Buckets
*about a couple on a quest toward financial freedom (who even share their numbers!); quirky and honest
I also frequent the Money section on MSN.com. Dan is picking up on my hints and has even found enjoyment out of finding the item and price that matches my coupons. I make it a game for him and we both enjoy grocery shopping together. Dorky, huh?

The goal is to not only prepare for an relaxing retirement, but to have fun our entire lives. Have we started yet? I think so, and I can't wait to enjoy the rest! Any suggestions?

Great Outdoor Day!

Today was the last day of Dan's parents visit. We saved up all of the outdoor activities for today it seemed. We checked out the Barton Springs Pool/Barking Springs area. They are dog owners and Looooooved the doggy swimming area. Who can resist smiling there? After a fresh, healthy lunch at Jason's Deli, we went to the Zilker Botanical Garden (Dan likes to refer to it as ZBG and consequently I like to cringe). The beautiful gardens allow you to meander as you wish and daydream. We passed through old buildings based on Swedish settlers from years ago, through butterfly gardens, rose gardens, prehistoric gardens, Cacti/succulent gardens and finally into my favorite part - The Japanese garden. A worker was tying cables and ropes around a rock and over a tree branch. I stopped to ask him what he was working on. "I'm trying to get this rock back up the hill - restoration". I said to him "Wow, restoration looks like hard work!" His reply: "Well, the man who built this garden was 70 when he started it, worked for a year all by himself, and only got help in the last half year before he finished". He said this as if to say 'Anything I do is nothing in comparison'. He may be right. The garden has a continuous stream that wanders underfoot many times, and finally into ponds which empty into more streams and more ponds. The koi seem about a foot and a half long and oddly enough I think I could eat one. Anyhow, following the garden we went to the Zilker Nature Center (don't think that is the right name, but it approximates it). There we saw many of the native Texas creatures, from skunks, to red-tailed hawks, to coyotes. The bobcat was fed while we were there and I watched as it gobbled up baby chicks that were already killed. It gnawed and gnawed until most of the body could fit in its mouth...and then the chick head fell out on the ground. Do not worry! Nothing was wasted. The bobcat carried on with the head and the rest of his bowl of chicks.

For dinner, we went to the downtown location of The Alamo Drafthouse. It is housed in the former Ritz Theatre. We were there for the opening show of Tropic Thunder. I wasn't too hungry, but I ordered a pizza and somehow finished it. The movie was pretty good, pretty funny. I was most surprised by Tom Cruise and Robert Downey, Jr.'s acting. I haven't seen many Tom Cruise films and abhor him as a human. He gained a little acting credit in my book in this show. That doesn't say much - I am far from a movie buff. RDJ's character was played perfectly. That is all I know how to say in reviewing movies. As we walked back to our car, I spotted a comedian we saw last Saturday night - It was Justin Scales! We chatted real quick about how we really thought he was funny, that he was playing another show tonight north of the UT campus, he was impressed that I remembered he was from Oakland and not anywhere local, Dan left him with words of encouragement. I think he felt good about himself after we left; I know I would! So that was our day, lots of sun and fresh air and now we are tired just after 9:30pm. That's a good thing.