Jack's Mannequin

For our wedding anniversary this year Dustin got me a gift card for Ticketmaster. We'd both been saying how we haven't been to a concert in awhile but lately it doesn't seem like anyone good has been touring. So D got me the card so that when there IS a good concert I can get tickets.

I was bored the other night and browsing Ticketmaster when I saw that Jack's Mannequin was going to be in Minneapolis at First Avenue in February. I've liked the band since they appeared on One Tree Hill a couple of seasons ago, which may sound lame but One Tree Hill has had some pretty great bands on the show and their soundtracks. Anyway, I decided I had to see them in concert. Plus I've never been to First Ave and have always wanted to so why not? I bought tickets for Dustin and me and we'll be there! Yay!

Work was crazy all weekend and I am absolutely exhausted. I work tomorrow noon to 5:30 and then I've got Tuesday off, yay! So for now I will leave you all with on of Jack's Mannequin's awesome songs.

More soon!

Zombie

Holy man. I'm exhausted.

This is how my last 24 hours went.

• Fell asleep around 6PM last night (no, I'm not kidding. When I have to open I seriously go to sleep that early. Thank you Tylenol PM).
• Woke up pretty much once an hour every hour until around 2:45 AM (again, not kidding. I have this fear that I am going to oversleep and so my body never quite totally goes to sleep).
• Got up and ready for work and was out the door around 3:40 AM.
• Got the store ready to go between 4AM and 4:30AM.
• At 4:30AM opened the store for business.
• Had our first mini rush around 4:45AM.
• Got stuck on bar with a line out the door from around 5:30AM to... well, to the time I left. I was officially off bar at a little after 10 but then stuck around to stock, take out trash, to a TSV (Total Store Vision: that means to clean the dining area, restock mixing stations, sweep if needed, check bathrooms, etc.).
• During the time I was one bar I sometimes wondered if I was going insane. We had BOGO mochas and hot chocolates - which meant pretty much ANY drink with chocolate, any size, any kind. It was insane. Thank God we had a good team.
• Once I was done on the floor I ran the deposit to the bank for Danielle (which honestly was better than sticking around in the store although I have to say that people were not being good drivers today).
• Finally left around 11.

That was life having to do with work. I then came home and from then on I've kind of felt zombie like. At some point we put the tree up and decorated. I found out that my snowglobe was leaking, probably because we store our Christmas stuff in the garage and it must have frozen and broke. Not fun. We then watched most of Sleepless in Seattle and all of ELF. And now here I sit. Wondering if 7PM is really too early to call it a day.

On top of all that, I also have big news.

As of today I have officially won NaNoWriMo for the second time in a row. Today I made it to 51810 words. My brain is totally fried but I am SO proud of myself. I still have a ways to go as far as the novel is concerned ON TOP of editing. But still. 50,000+ words is a lot. And I'm happy with that.

Anyway, I am off to relax and most likely fall asleep early.

More soon!

Happy Turkey Day!

Brittney over at Far More Than Rubies had the idea of listing the ways your are thankful by doing the number of years old you are. So, for me, I will list 26 reasons why I am thankful this year. Thanks for the good idea lady!

26 Things I Am Thankful For

1. My husband, of course. He drives me crazy at times but thank goodness for him because my life would be much more boring.
2. My parents. I'm amazed every time I say something like this because then I think back on the years that I claimed I couldn't wait to be away from them (those teenage years are awful).
   
3. My grandma. I love calling her every Friday even if it's just to say a quick hello. I'm very lucky to have that kind of relationship with her.
4. My brother. Another thing I'm amazed about because I claimed to want to be away from him too (those darn teenage years). Now he's kind of cool.
5. My pets. They drive me crazy sometimes but I love them.
6. My friends. Although they are few these days they are very precious to me. The friends I have right now are true friends and I am lucky to have them.
7. My in laws. I am a lucky girl to have in laws that I like and who like me. So thankful for that!
   
8. Books. Oh my gosh am I thankful for books.
9. Coffee. Oh my gosh. Whether it's drip brew, French press or a latte I am thankful for all of it!
10. My coffee brewer. Because I can set it to brew at a specific time which is SO nice for those early mornings when I can barely open my eyes.
    
11. My job. I may claim to hate it sometimes but I am thankful I have one!
12. My coworkers. Sometimes THEY drive me crazy but they make work interesting. And they make me feel sane (hehe).
    
13. BLOGGING! I love having a way to get my thoughts out as well as having people that actually read those thoughts.
14. Vacations. They give me something to look forward to. I cannot wait for our family vacation in Playa Del Carmen. Eek!
15. Nail polish. Especially on my toes. Just makes me feel pretty.
16. My amazing purple coat. I really need to get pictures of it because it is BEAUTIFUL and I feel beautiful in it.
17. Texting. Makes life so much easier. Yes, it can get you into trouble but for the most part it's wonderful.
18. Wine. Like texting, it can get you into trouble but for the most part it's wonderful.
19. Movie marathon days. Oh my gosh I am so thankful that my husband loves to have movie marathon days as much as I do!
20. Duluth, MN. Seriously, I love that place! Dustin and I have so much fun there and I kind of think of it as OUR town. It's a great place to get away to.
21. Hayward, WI. How could I not be thankful for Hayward? Dustin and I got married there and it was fantastic.
22. NaNoWriMo. It reminded me how much I love to write and I am VERY thankful for that.
23. Candles. I love them. They smell good, they're pretty and they help decorate a room.
    
24. A clean apartment. Nothing makes me happier than when our apartment is CLEAN, which it is RIGHT NOW. So darn thankful for that!
25. Tacos. They taste so good. Especially with black olives. Mmmm.
26. Life. It may not always be easy and it may not always be fair. But it's a pretty darn great rollercoaster.

So there you have it! Wow. 26 things that I am thankful for this Thanksgiving!

Happy Turkey Day to all of you! I hope today finds you safe and sound with family and friends and lots of very yummy food!

More soon!