May... wait...

It's kind of weird coming back and blogging with out a prompt... but I like it. I'm glad I took that challenge, I read a bunch of new awesome blogs and got some really cool comments that I really appreciate. I don't know how to reply to them... so if you know how, it would be cool if you could tell me.

I don't know if you know this about me, but I love lists. I saw this today and laughed:

I found a pretty cool to-do list app for my phone and I am glued to it all the time. I have a list of things I've got to do, my grocery list, and all the things that I need to pack for our vacation. I used to have my list of homework on there, but then I graduated and now it's gone. When I check off the tasks, it says "Completed!" and I get excited.

Speaking of my vacation checklist, only 3 days till we drive our tails off and then we'll be in MN! Currently, I'm going over my lists a million times trying to make sure we have everything and I'm not going to forget anything. I just hope I can fit everything in our duffle bag. Eek! If not, we have like 2 other duffles and a bunch of backpacks and a carry-on. We'll be fine.

Okay, I've got to get to work on our fun driving playlist.
Love, Ellen

joining a craze I don't know anything about...

I've been seeing a lot of people do lists of five (okay.. 2 people, but that's enough, right?) this month. So   I'm gonna be cool and join the club, I think and do... 5 Things About Me. seems easy enough...

1. I've become 20 times the nerd I used to be ever since I married Sean. Don't get me wrong, I was always a nerd, but now I also love Lord of the Rings and Star Wars, Indiana Jones and all those now along with  Doctor Who, the newest Star Trek movie... a bunch.
2. I'm not very good at telling stories and I have a problem with hypothetical conversations and the first step to recovery is admitting I have a problem. 
3. I love corn dogs. I would probably 3 corn dogs for lunch every day for the rest of forever. 
4. I'm a very slow reader but I love reading. 
5. I am absolutely terrified of heights. I don't think you could pay me to go to the top of the Empire State Building... unless, of course, it was an incredible amount. 

okay. Now that i'm cool, I'm gonna go nap or eat or something. You know, Sunday stuff.

love, Ellen

simple observations.

i have to start out with a rendition of a song:


oh, the weather outside is frightful,
and all i ever wanna do is cuddle.
And cuz Sean's at work all day,
I will wait, i will wait, i will wait.

okay. back to business:

• i'm okay going 20 miles under the speed limit today because of my poor tires and it's slippery all around.
• i love almond hot chocolate. almond anything, really.
• You HAVE to let the dryer finish when you don't have a laundry thing at your house and have to transport it because if you don't and put it in the bottom of the hamper, it WILL wrinkle and you will have a bad time.
• my house is a mess and for the first time in months, kitty is being super sweet and cuddly. She's even letting me pet her without attacking my hands. jerk.
• Today is the perfect day to start re-watching Lord of the Rings in preparation for Friday. Also because of the weather. Good thing the 1st part of Fellowship is still in the bluray player from that time Sean and I fell asleep to it on saturday.
• i want to be an artist. 
• 2 finals down, 2 to go. and then BREAK. awww yeah.
• the creepy heaters in our apartment are actually awesome. 
• I need to go buy some of Sean's stocking gifts today. or tomorrow. probably tomorrow.

okay, that's all for today. now i'm going to take a nap and clean my house. 

love, ellen.

Happy Thanksgiving!

just a few thoughts on this day of gratitude (in a bulleted list, like i like)

• as cliche as it is, i'm the most grateful for my incredible husband. He takes such great care of me and cooks and takes out the trash and listens to my ridiculous dreams and makes me laugh. he's so great and I'm so blessed to have found such a handsome fella to spend forever with.
• I'm also grateful for my wonderful family who i can't wait to chow down with in a few short hours! I love them!

• and, as stupid and annoying she is a lot of the time, i'm grateful for my kitty who makes me laugh and (occasionally) cuddles with me. 

I hope everyone has a most excellent Thanksgiving and stuffs their faces with tons of super delicious grub and then takes a big ole' nap. at least that's how i'm going to spend my holiday. 

love, ellen

365 Days of... Summer

i was tempted to title this "Busta Moove" cuz that's the song playing. and i know all the words to it. also, this is funnier because me and the fam were playing Catch Phrase (i got my parents to love it! woo!) and Abby and I were on a team and the clue was "year" and i said "365 Days of..." and Abs said "Summer" thinking 500 Days of Summer. hah.

Anyway. back to being a blog. or whatever.


Basically, what I want to say is, this summer is 100% better than last summer in a hundred ways. i'd name those ways but it's night, no suprise, and i don't actually think i could do that what with me not wanting to bore you to tears and all.

I'll just say these things
in a bulleted list!

• I have done way way more this summer even though i definitely have gone less places. which sounds weird, but even with not going to girl's camp, i'm still doing way more things with cool peeps.


• I'm not sitting around staring at a tv all the time. I'm definitely not saying i've stopped watching tv... but i'm definitely not only watching it.


• I'm listening to much more music.


• I'm becoming a peggle-master (shut up, mom and abby. i'm still working on it. BECOMING is the key word there)


• I'm definitely shopping much more. shopping does not mean spending money. you know me and my love of thrift. plus, even if it's a sweater or something i always say something like "this'll be great in college!"


• speaking of college, i figured out my first month's rent. which is pretty managable. i am hoping to invest in a good laptop (sorry, lappy, but you're just not cutting it what with your slowness and small storage and poor battery power and the fact that you're the size of a human infant.) with some of the leftovers after books and food and stuvs. lucky me i got a tons of household necessities for my birfday! cool. now i don't have to pay for those.


• Oh, Teresa and me bought 2 boxes of mac and a box of muffin mix today for under 2 dollars. fro serious! that's like a whole day's worth of food (muffin for breakfast, mac for lunch, muffin for snack, mac and muffin for dinner, muffin for dessert) for the price of one meal. awesome. i'll rock at college.


• uhm. oh, yeah. still on the job-hunt. So i think i'm moving down either the 12th or the 19th and then getting a job and getting settled in and all that so i can pay for the second month's rent (which will definitely be cheaper than the first month's with the cleaning deposit, but not by too much) and the next month's.


• here's hoping i can get my books used for cheap. please bless.


• oh. there's not really much use for a bulleted list for half of this.. but still. it's funner to read like that.

Anyway, Happy Summer, all. And Dear Miss Erin, we miss you greatly here and want you to come back swiftly and safely. Love, all of us.

Love, Ellen

Oh, and i took this pic of me. this was just before i cut my bangs. so yeah cool and stuff.

And the Best Summer Award goes to...

right now. This is going to be the best summer ever. And I'll tell you why in bulleted list form because, let's be honest here, who doesn't love that?

• 
  
  Let's start off with my top one. Summer Romance! yeah yeah. And we're going to leave it at that (name-wise) because no one wants to define the relationship. and who should? no one. Anyway.. I'm assuming you wanna know (or already do for most of my readers...) who. I'll tell you who. in code. just kidding. Matt Smith. He's amazing. We hang out and do cool stuff like go on bike rides, listen to music, go to barbeques, sit in the park, watch movies, adventure at walmart, have tons of fun, finger paint. yeah. And it's all fun and we're just cool and stuff. It just rocks.
  


• 
  
  Number 2. Senior Trip, Senior Trip! Woooo! I love vacations. if you didn't know. and we're going to *drum roll... Oregon! yeah yeah! On the coast, baby! We're staying in a top-notch town house right on the beach. And we're driving there, so we're taking tons and tons of stuff. It's gonna be cool getting it up there, but i can already feel the un-fun of packing it all back up to come home. that's okay! It'll still be awesome and relaxing and fun and awesome. and i'll take tons of pics and my gnome will be there and i'm taking my uke. i've always wanted to chill on the beach with a ukulele and just not care about the world. plus i'll probably be texting my friends frequently about awesome stuff. so it's just gonna rock.
  


• 
  
  Job! Well.. maybe... i had an interview yesterday and i think it went well. I'll get the call whether they want me or not in a week or so. eeeeeeeeeekk i hope i get it. I need the money and I need the experience and it would just be great. I mean, it might take a little away from the romance bit, but it's okay because he has a job too and we'll just work around it. blah blah excitement.
  


• 
  
  It is my last summer at home. egads. I'm not sure whether to be stoked or nervous or what, but i know that it'll all be awesome. and work out for the best. I mean, why wouldn't it? anyway. awesome.
  


• 
  
  ummm... I'm running out of ideas here. i just like bulleted lists.. ummmmm... hmm.. Lexi and Teresa and me hung out today... we're cool and stuff. Oh, yeah. Have fun, all my friends on vacations currently! woooooooo summer rocks.

All of this adds up to the most incredible summer ever. And guess what. It's only the first week! well... end of the first week... BUt Still! still. Let's just rock this whole summer thing into the ground, yeah? yeah.

here's some pics to top it off.

hey hey, we graduated and stuff!

Matt and I did this. It's a giraffe snake made of finger paints.