As the World Turns Fan Club Luncheon

Yep, I'm headed to NYC for a weekend in April to attend this event! My mom, sister, and Danette are coming, too, making this the best ladies weekend ever! We get to meet the stars of our beloved, long-followed soap before the show will be taken off the air in September. It probably seems silly, but I have watched this show probably since I was 5. We also get to hit up New York City and do fun city things (actual activities TBD). We are all excited and, seriously, who else do you know that can say, "oh yes, I'm headed off to New York City for the weekend"? We will not be as crazy as the people in this video but, as Liza pointed out, watching them will be half the fun. The guy who says he's going to pass out is my favorite. I hope he's there.

YES!

This was my Saturday night at work. And the best game I have ever seen at the Assembly Hall.

Go to a U of I Hockey Game - done!

I have successfully completed one item on my Toss My Cap List! Saturday night, I went to dinner with Sarah and Katherine (Sarah had her first ever Papa Del's) and then to a hockey game. It was quite crowded and, apparently, an important game, so we had to sit in the corner. Unfortunately, Illinois lost, but we did get to see them score one goal. I was disappointed that there was no huge fight but there was plenty of slamming people into walls and fight-instigating. I also should have watched Mighty Ducks or something because I know even less than I thought about how the game of hockey goes. Thanks to Sarah for the pictures!

Katherine, Sarah, and me. These were our "yay-we're-at-a-hockey-game" faces.

This sign made me laugh...and also terrified me. Luckily, we were semi-safe behind the net.

Strawberry-Kiwi Obsession

Oh, chapstick. I apply chapstick several times a day and it's always Lip Smacker's sparkly strawberry-kiwi chapstick. I have used this very same chapstick since 6th grade. That's 12+ years of the same chapstick so you can tell I'm a fan. I am immune to the scent and taste of it. Why is that a good thing? Well, I'm not tempted to lick it off and I don't constantly smell fruit. It's funny when someone asks why it smells fruity and I can't smell it and then remember that I just put on chapstick. Anyway, last week, a superficial tragedy occurred when I went to Walgreen's and looked for some chapsticks as I always do on a routine trip to Walgreen's. However, the row with my favorite variety was empty...and there was a sign noting a price reduction for last stock! Oh...no! I thought maybe Walgreen's just decided to be bogus and stop carrying my favorite lip balm. But, further investigation of the Bonnie Bell website confirmed the secret fear I've had for years: that they would one day cease to produce this chapstick. That day has come. However, Bonnie Bell Co. left some room for hope because you can order some discontinued products online. Super Mom told me to order a bunch and today, 30 chapsticks arrived. I must now be super cautious of where my chapsticks are and careful not to lose them. One day, this supply will run out and I will be extremely sad. However, this day is 30 chapstick tubes away.

If you wish to contribute to my addiction, please visit http://www.colorandflavorshop.com/product.php?productid=53615&cat=47&bestseller=Y

PS when I went to look up this link, I saw that my chapstick is now the #1 bestseller. I'm 98% sure that was because of my order.

I Really Like My...ESV Study Bible

A couple months ago, my friend, Anne, and I decided to do a Bible study together on the book of Romans. I told her that my best Bible was a study Bible from high school so Anne decided I needed a new one. A few weeks later, Anne gifted me the ESV study Bible and it is nothing short of amazing. A bunch of Bible-smart people got together to write all the notes, there's very useful intros to each book, and good maps. I feel like I learn so much more when I read it because it makes me take more time to think about what I'm reading and the plentiful notes (seriously, they exist for almost every verse) make sense which, in turn, makes the Bible make more sense. It's a win-win situation. This Bible can also be accessed online which means that I can read it anywhere and I can take notes online, too. So once I set up my account with my access code, I'll be rockin' out to the Bible wherever I please. Thanks, Anne, you're awesome!

My Toss My Cap List

Towards the end of last semester, I started thinking, hey, I only have 1 semester left at U of I and there are some things I've always wanted to do but never have. So, I started brainstorming some ideas of things I want to do before I toss my cap at graduation in May (I probably won't actually toss my cap but I liked the phrase as a title for my list). Here's my list (in no particular order) which may be added to at a later date. If any of my fellow classmates want to join me, the more the merrier, and you can add some of your own things to the list. Katherine is already on board.

• Go to Krannert Uncorked.
• Ring the bells at Altgeld Hall.
• Leave my name somewhere.
• Go to a U of I gymnastics meet.
• Go to a U of I hockey game.
• Hang out at the Arboretum.
• Go to the Japan house.
• See underneath the Assembly Hall.
• Climb the rock wall at the ARC.
  

Birthday #24

My birthday (December 21st) was celebrated in a few ways this year. The first was an outing with the SLP girls to celebrate both Maxine's and my birthdays. Even though it was about a week early, it was great to go out with school friends because usually they're all gone by the time my birthday rolls around. Maxine and I decided on Radio Maria for drinks and tapas. I had some delicious sangria and Katherine and I shared some yummy taps (marinated feta and grilled plantains).

Me, Katherine, and Katie. The birthday girls: me and Maxine.

On my birthday, Katherine and I planned to go to Alto Vineyards for some wine tasting but found out they were closed on Mondays. Bummer. So we went to Sunsinger for wine and lunch instead. We had a very good Riesling, a goat cheese dip with pita chips, and cheese fondue. It was all so good and I would definitely go back!

That evening, my fam went to Monical's for my birthday dinner and then back to my parents' house for presents. My sister made some scrumptious minty cupcakes for dessert.

Lucas and me. Warren, Caden, and me.