someday, sarah.

it has been brought to my attention that i am in fact running a 5 mile race, and not a 5 kilometer. i didn't really think it was a 5k, especially after i googled and found out that 5k is equal to 3 miles (that would be way too good to be true), but i didn't actually know how far it was and i was too lazy to look it up. and i feel like people are always calling it a 5k, so that's what i went with.

either way, i know i'm going to be one of those runners who has that "kill me now" looks on her face that the people sitting on the sidelines look at and think, "oh, poor girl. that's why i watch and don't run." now i'm just going to be that person for another two miles. and, really, what's another two when you're already running three, right?

you know, i used to be that person sitting on the sideline, watching the runners and compiling a mental list of all the reasons why i just watch and don't run. i even wrote a post last year about how to watch the thanksgiving day road race. i had pretty much mastered the art of watching. who knew i'd actually try running?

maybe this year's post will be called "how to run the thanksgiving day road race without looking like you're going to fall over and die in the middle of mile 3."

but, you know what? i'm just really hoping that i can look back on this experience and think, "remember my last thanksgiving in connecticut when i ran the road race?" because that would mean that i survived it and lived to tell the tale. and it would also mean that i have finally moved.

i'm also hoping that this little 5 mile run will jumpstart my motivation to have a somewhat regular workout schedule.

we'll see what happens.

–– s

i don't know why i always forget about blogging on fridays. maybe because it's because it's friday and i feel like the week is over, so i'm mentally checked out and ready for the weekend and i don't post on the weekends, so why would i think about it?

i don't know. i'm really tired. like, i'm not sure how i'm functioning right now. or writing in actual sentences. also, did you notice that i started both of these two paragraphs with the exact same three words? because i did and it's kind of bothering me. but i'm too tired to go back and reword it.

anyway, let's talk about something with actual substance. like how my mom had the open house for her business, which i happen to work for, last night and it went really well. i'm not particularly a fan of those type of social gatherings because they really just bring to light how awkward i can be, especially when i'm running on very little sleep and it takes a lot of energy to focus. but we had delicious food from moe's in glastonbury and andrèe's waffalloons and royal ice cream, so every once in a while i would take a break from being social and eat.

it was a very long day though because i worked all day and then the open house was after work and i was already tired to begin with, so finally getting to crawl into bed was GLORIOUS. until 4 a.m., when i was rudely awakened by bailey throwing up in the corner of my bedroom. so disgusting. and irritating. because it was FOUR A.M. by the time that was dealt with and cleaned up and i finally fell back asleep, i had about a half an hour before my alarm went off for work.

needless to say, getting ready for work was practically a disaster. i could not get myself motivated to move any faster. and i kept forgetting what i was doing, so it took me extra long to do simple tasks like making my lunch and getting dressed. (thank goodness we can wear jeans on fridays.) although, i did end up with a black bra and white tank top and shirt combination that just screams GO BACK TO BED. and, literally, i must've went over the checklist of what to include in my lunch at least five times, but i still forgot to put pringles in my lunch bag. so now i have to eat pretzels when what i'm really in the mood for is pringles.

and that, my friends, is what you would call first world problems.

thank you and goodnight.

–– s

this week has been incredibly long and tiring, but also kind of wonderful at the same time. i'm defnintely ready for the weekend though. especially since this weekend includes a lot of cake eating, which i am very excited about.

in other news, i babysat two of my favorite little girls last night. julie (9) and ruxing (7). they are so adorable, i just want to squeeze them. we had a great time eating macaroni and cheese and watching the disney channel until it was time for them to go to bed.

here are some of my favorite moments from last night:

• helping xin fold her laundry and realizing that the width of her pant legs are about the same as the sleeves on my shirt.
• me asking julie when xin's birthday is, and her replying with "well last year it was on the 26th, so i think it's on the 27th this year."
• julie telling me that the pj's i was wearing were "public" pj's.
• julie creating this super cute banner for her grandma, who's coming to visit today. it says "welcome grandma." so sweet!

• running into a couple spiders while attempting to hang that banner and julie telling me i'm "SO girly" after seeing my reaction. (for the record, i may be girly but killed the spiders.)
• helping xin do her homework, which was to read these two small books that basically consisted of the same sentence on every page with a few words changed on each one. she gets discouraged really easily, but her face lit up every time she finally figured out a word she'd been stuck on. it was so cute.
• seeing cory matthews (and his non-topanga girlfriend) on one of the shows we watched.
• seeing hollywood ending in one of the commercials they had about the music contest they're having. remember hollywood ending? they played at the space a few weeks ago and i wrote about it.
• asking "who's ready for bed?!" with my hand raised at like, 6:30 p.m. just to see their reactions. (and also because i really was.) julie stared at me with raised eyebrows and that look kids give you when you talk about wanting to take a nap or going to bed early because they don't understand yet. xin frowned at me because she misunderstood and thought i meant it was time for her to go to bed.

this week has been a bit insane. i'm incredibly tired and on my way to getting sick because of it, which, of course, is always a blast. there are some people who run on just a few hours of sleep every night and, although they may be tired, they're still quite functional. that's not me. if i go more than one or two nights with anything less than seven hours of sleep, i get sick. really, it's a good time. and by that i mean it's entirely inconvenient. especially when i have a week like this one i'm having where i wake up at 6:30 a.m., go to work, and go somewhere else straight after work.

sometimes i have days when i don't feel like posting anything online. it's like i'm not sure what i want to say or how i want to say it or if i should say anything at all. everything i've ever said seems like too much, even these words seem like too much, and i want to erase it all and start over.

sometimes my whole life feels like that. like i'm just going and going and all of a sudden i stop and think, wait, what? and i just need a minute. to breathe. to sort it all out. to remember what the point is.

today is one of those days. just give me a minute.

–– s

–– s

i almost completely forgot about posting today. i'm very tired and cranky and i'm not quite sure how i'm going to make it through an entire work day, so i'm quite grateful that i have been keeping this list (another list!), otherwise i'd have nothing to post.

so, after catching up on my blogs from last week, and continuing to read them this week, i have compiled a list of a few of my favorites.

after missing last week, i had twice as much to catch up on this past tuesday. good thing i got two itunes gift cards for my birthday! i also bought a few other things i had on my 'wish list' that i want to mention. AND the cma's were on last night! lots of music to talk about this week, so let's get right to the good stuff.

new music tuesday recap from last week:

i have a few paper route songs that i picked up here and there and, while i enjoy their music, i'm not an avid fan who needs to own their music as soon as it comes out. which can be seen by the fact that their album is still sitting in my 'wish list.' it's just not at the top of my list. but this song? this song is so good. leah played it for me last week and i knew i had to buy it. she says it's not quite the same since andy left the band, but still. so good.

/ itunes

new music tuesday recap from this week:

i've seen his name mentioned here and there and i have some of his stuff from noisetrade, but i haven't really listened to him much until recently. he's been releasing singles and i've been buying them. "take your time" was his last single, which i love, so i figured this one would be just as great. and it is. i love this man's voice. a lot. (i actually bought his album under control too. i just can't get enough of it.)

/ itunes

other mentionable music:

so far, i've only bought the single because i am absolutely in love with this song, but i'm pretty sure i'll crack and end up buying the rest of the album too. i haven't listened to them much, other than what i've heard on the radio, but i'm pretty sure they're my new current favorite. especially after watching them on the cma's.

/ itunes

yes, he is the brother of isaac slade (of the fray) and his voice is just as wonderful. he put out a six-song album (ep?) a while ago, but it's been sitting in my 'wish list' because i've just been listening to the songs on random places on the internet. i finally decided to buy it and it was definitely worth it.

favorite track: "always on my mind" or "hand to reach for" / itunes

i heard so much about this album (and how amazing it is) when it came out, but i just kept putting it on the back burner because there was always some other album i wanted more. someone should've sat me down and told me what a mistake that was because, oh my word, this album is amazing. i can't believe i waited so long to buy it! (i also can't believe they're no longer making music!)

favorite track: yeah. i literally can't pick one. / itunes

i also bought a few other miscellaneous songs and albums that are random and not new. or noteworthy. at least for today. i already have enough to talk about today. like the cma's last night. did you watch? i love music awards, but i never get to watch them for one reason or another. i put together a neat little list (surprise, surprise) of my top 10 thoughts on the cma's. because i like lists. (obviously.) especially top 10 lists. so here we go:

last tuesday, in the middle of the power-outage mess, leah and i headed up to massachusetts to see leagues & mat kearney play. best decision i ever made. this show was so much fun and so needed. since i seem to be incapable of forming actual paragraphs this week, here's a list of highlights from the show:

–– s

for my 17th birthday, my best friend from high school put up a huge "happy birthday" banner at the entrance of school and completely decorated my locker.

for my 18th birthday, i went to an art museum and wore a tiara the entire day.

for my 19th birthday, ...i apparently did nothing significant enough to remember or write about. 

for my 20th birthday, i had the swine flu (or so my mom claims - i was never technically tested for it) and spent most of the day by myself in my room.

for my 21st birthday, i had a series of birthday celebrations that lasted an entire week, which included birthday dinner, legal drinks at margarita's, and a surprise birthday party.

here's what happened on my 22nd birthday:

why don't i just recap the past week using neat bullet points instead of messy paragraphs? i'll keep it short and sweet.

this one year, daylight savings fell on my birthday and getting an extra house of sleep was probably the best birthday present i've ever received. (with the exception of the plane ticket to nashville.)

last year, it was unseasonably warm on my birthday and i wore flip flops. FLIP FLOPS. another great present.

this year, ...it snowed.

okay. WHERE IS THE LOVE, MOTHER NATURE?

technically, it snowed last night and the sun is quickly melting it up as i type, but that's not the point. the point is that it was cold enough for the precipitation that fell from the sky to turn into snow. SNOW. in OCTOBER.

side note: they predicted snow for last night, but there was still a brief moment as i was getting out of my car to go into the mall where i thought, i kid you not, wow, these raindrops are THICK. #iamnaturallyblonde

i'll be honest, as much as i am not a fan of snow ever, there is something magical about looking up at the night sky when snow is falling. but that magic slowly fades when this occurs in OCTOBER on THE NIGHT BEFORE MY BIRTHDAY.

or when people pretend like the few snow flurries that fall at the end of october is a massive blizzard from the middle of march and drive 50 mph on the highway. #mildroadrage

or when the trees are covered in snow AND leaves.

in other news, today is my birthday and i'm working. who's idea was this? i hate growing up.

–– s

lots of yelling and hashtagging in the post. not sure why.

i'm slacking. i'm writing this on my lunch break because i didn't write it last night and didn't have time to do it before work this morning. but let's be honest, i barely have time to get ready in the morning before work. mainly because i can't get myself out of bed early enough. although, you should be proud of me because this morning i woke up an entire THIRTY minutes earlier than usual. that's not to say i wasn't still rushing around and running late, but it's progress, okay? progress.

i think part of my excitement to get out of bed today (despite the rain) was the fact that i had new clothes to wear. the other day (and by that i mean yesterday), i went to target after work and bought a few things (or more than a few things) because my fall wardrobe is lacking. last year at this time, and every year before that as well, i was in school. and that meant i wore nothing other than jeans and sweatshirts everyday. literally. so i'm not kidding when i say that i have a limited number fall-appropriate work clothes.

also part of my excitement to get out of bed today (despite the rain) was the fact that tomorrow is MY BIRTHDAY. which means that tomorrow is not only the best day of the week, but it's also the best day of the year. and who wouldn't be excited to get out of bed the day before a day of such awesomeness?

in other news, my lunch break is over. but, you're right, this post wasn't going anywhere anyway, so i might as well just end it now. but you should know that i may or may not blog tomorrow. i haven't decided yet. i might be too busy doing birthday things to write.

–– s

new music tuesday.

this week i seriously wondered about my music purchasing habits and if it might be a little much. mainly because i had a few impulse buys that were instant regrets. i also decided that new music tuesday doesn't need to be every week because one) there's not always good music coming out every week. and two) there's a lot of old music that i still love and listen to on a regular basis that i wouldn't mind blogging about. and another thing, i will probably only ever blog about music i like and find worth talking about. it's not "sarah's comments on all music," it's more like an on-going list of sarah's favorite music.

also, i haven't been on noisetrade in a while, so i'll probably post again about what i goodies i find on there.

i'm not actually a huge coldplay fan. i mean, i know their music, i like their music, but i haven't put a lot of time or money into them in the past. so when i was deciding whether or not to buy mylo xyloto, i put some thought into it because i had options. i could pay for it, or i could probably just get it from one of my friends who already has it. while trying to decide, i listened to the previews for each song and ultimately decided i needed to buy it.

favorite track: umm all of them? / itunes

i feel like people always have some sort of comment to make about kelly, like everything she does is so controversial. i think she just does what she wants and doesn't pay much attention to what critics say. this new album may not be her best, but i still love it. i still love her. that's all.

favorite track: "mr. know it all" or "standing in front of you" or "the sun will rise" / itunes

–– s

well now that it's been an entire week, i think i'm ready to talk about the fray. i mean, the show was incredible, but the whole night was such an adventure that i really just needed a few days (or a week) to organize my thoughts and form coherent sentences about it. and post them in a blog that was not too outrageously lengthy. but we might have different definitions for what that means because this post is pretty long. (i promise i really did try to summarize!) are you ready?

t and i rushed home from work to catch the train from new haven to grand central. now, here's the thing you need to know about that: neither one of us have ever gone to new york city without someone else with us who knew what they were doing. combine that with the fact that t is exactly like my mom in that she worries (about everything), and you've got an interesting train ride. full of questions. how do we know which train it is? how will we know when it's our stop? is grand central the last stop? should we ask someone?" "how will we get a cab once we get there? granted, this didn't go on for the entire train ride, but she spent a significant amount of time looking out the window at each stop to make sure she knew where we were in respect to where we were going.

the train ride was quite entertaining because it was during the evening commute and there was a group of younger people standing near us having an interesting conversation involving personal preference when it comes to showering with a window or door open in the bathroom. at one point during their conversation, t looks at me and goes, "i can't really hear what they're saying. all i hear are the supporting details, not the main idea." ...she is such a teacher. there was also this guy and girl standing near us who weren't a couple, but you could tell by the way they looked at each other that they were both interested in becoming one. it was so much fun to watch and see their faces expressions as they talked and laughed and smiled at each other.

we finally made it to grand central, but before our train came to a complete stop, t leaned over and asked the guy sitting across from us if we were, in fact, at grand central. he chuckled and said yes while i died laughing. her mind must have been going a mile a minute, worrying about whether or not we were at grand central, but she didn't say anything to me. just the random man across from us.

hailing a cab was a whole different level of anxiety for t. she was practically pacing on the sidewalk, trying to figure out what to do. how do you get one? how do you know if there are people in them? where are we walking? is this the right way? how do you know we're going the right way? should we ask someone? this time, the questions were pretty much nonstop because i wasn't really giving any answers. (although i was able to tell her that the group of people waiting on the sidewalk was not a line for taxis. it was a bus stop.) i was just walking and making it up as i went along. it was kind of a "try it and see if it works" method. all i knew was what i'd seen in movies. and i knew from my mom telling me (and by reading various news stories) that you don't ask strangers in new york for directions.

eventually, t's worrying got to me, so we just hopped in the nearest taxi, which happened to be a black taxi towncar thing (i'm clearly not from the city), and paid way too much for the man to bring us to the wrong place because he was on his phone the whole time. lesson learned: wait for a legit taxi even if t won't stop asking questions long enough to hear an answer or even to take a breath. because, let me tell you, it got worse when we were roaming around on the sidewalk of a random sidestreet in God-knows-where, new york.

okay, honestly, we were only a few blocks away, but we didn't know that for sure because we didn't have a map and the google maps on my phone is broken, apparently. t continued to ask me what to do and where to go and if we should ask someone for directions like i had all the answers. i simply reverted to my earlier "let's try this" plan, with the addition of a short but desperate prayer, and maybe some sharp words to t about how we were NOT asking anyone for help, and we eventually ran into these two older men who were looking for the same place we were. (side note: they were not actual fray fans, they were just going because they heard it would be a good show. WHAT.) i'm convinced that we ran into them because Jesus brought them to find us. i mean, why else would two grown men have consciously walked two blocks away from the street they were on when it was the one they needed to be on? and i know this because i heard one of them say, "oh, we need to be on that street? that's where we just were."

so we finally find the place and get in and immediately run into our next obstacle: two tall (one really tall) men, who are wearing sweatshirts tied around their waists and are probably not fray fans either. it took about twenty minutes, but i eventually built up the courage to tap the tall man on the shoulder and ask him to let us stand in front of him. best decision i ever made. (he said yes.) we were SO close and we didn't even realize it because of the wall that had just stood between us and the stage.

the show was amazing, of course. they came out and i gasped and held my breath because they were so close and so beautiful and then i couldn't stop smiling and screaming because i just love them and i was so excited to finally see them after so long. they played lots of new songs and a good mix of old songs too. it was absolutely wonderful. i took a few photos and videos, but i mostly just tried to soak it all in because i knew the feeling i had standing there couldn't be captured. as many pictures as i took and as many words as i'm writing now, none of it does it any justice.

it was over all too soon and t was nervous about the whole taxi thing again, but we got one pretty easily and he brought us right to grand central (probably because that's a destination that's difficult to miss) and from there, we headed back to ct. the train ride home basically consisted of us being hyper and having a photo shoot to pass the time, a random man who "heard what we said," and being too tired and too cold. but all the while still worried about missing our stop at the same time. i was really only worried because i thought i'd fall asleep and not notice when the train stopped. t was worried because she was, well, just worried.

we made it home around 1-ish and i just slept at t's apartment so i wouldn't have to drive home. although, i don't think driving an extra twenty minutes would've been an issue because i'm pretty sure i was on the best post-concert high.

it was a great night. one of the best ever.

–– s

here's a quick weekend recap for you composed of "top 5" lists. i may or may not continue to use this format for monday/weekend posts.

–– s

a few weeks ago, jon acuff posted about hello somebody and his "team patrick" project. if you've never heard of it, like i hadn't, hello somebody is an organization that "exists to feed and educate children, by providing an avenue of knowledge, in order to break the cycle of poverty and hunger within their generation." and they have these neat watches you can buy to help feed and educate these boys. 70 watches completely sponsors one child, so what jon was trying to do was get 70 people to buy a watch to sponsor patrick. what ended up happening was that so many people bought watches that patrick AND morri were sponsored.

i was one of the 70 who sponsored patrick. it was pretty much an automatic response. i saw the post, i bought a watch. i didn't even spend two seconds contemplating what color i wanted. i mean, pink is obviously my favorite and go-to color, but i do like other colors, believe it or not. after i submitted my order, i realized how impulsive it was, but i don't regret it for a second.

my watch came this past weekend, but i just put it on for the first time last night. i wanted to know what it felt like on my wrist, since it's kind of big and all. and a watch. that ticks rather loudly. i'm not used to that. the last time i wore a watch, i think i was around 7 years old and it was beauty and the beast themed.

here's what it looks like, along with half of my face:

you know, when my watch came, t noticed it sitting in my room and asked me about it. after i explained to her what it was, she had kind of a surprised reaction and told me she was proud of me for doing that. i guess maybe because there's not really a lot of extra cash lying around to buy things like watches to support children in need. but, i was thinking about it after i impulsively bought it, and i pay more than i paid for this watch on concert tickets. on multiple occasions. so maybe i'll have to go to one less show because i bought this watch, but i still think it's worth it.

in fact, when i grow up, i hope i make enough money to be able to do this on a regular basis. i have always hoped that i'd be rich, not because i want to drive a nice car or have a big house or buy a new clothes to fill my wardrobe every season, but because i want to be able to buy watches and toms and birdhouses. i want to be able to donate money to the dear jack foundation and be a part of the mocha club. i want to team up with compassion and sponsor a child from honduras and go on missions trips. i want to be rich so that i have enough to divide up what doesn't really belong to me and give it away.

i'm not there yet. i'm not sure i'll ever get to the place where i can do all of that. but i've gotta start somewhere. so i started with a watch.

(all of the things i mentioned are linked so you can find out more information or donate/buy.)

–– s

p.s. i sat down to write a post about my experience at the fray show on tuesday night and this is what came out instead. so i'm just gonna go with it and wait to post about the fray on monday.

a day late, but here's my recap of new music tuesday:

a few weeks ago, i posted about graham colton's album pacific coast eyes, but this past tuesday he released another album titled pacific coast eyes vol. 2, which features many of the same songs redone, as well as some additional new tunes. as i was listening to it last night, i wondered why his albums aren't on regular rotation on my ipod. i just love his voice. love.

/ itunes

(next week's post will probably be a bit longer since i plan on playing catch-up with all the new music that's been coming out that i haven't paid much attention to.)

last week, i got an email from the fray or the fray fan club or whatever it was with information on how to win tickets to see them play in new york for the artists den, which i had never heard of before. basically, you can apply to get tickets to see bands play and they email you if you got them. i guess it's some kind of show that they air on pbs, with a live audience, but you can't buy tickets. so the fray was filming an episode in new york city and i was given the link to apply for tickets.

without even thinking twice, i clicked the link and applied. new york is close enough. it's doable, so it wasn't completely outrageous that i applied. but i didn't expect to win. well, a few hours later, i received an email telling me i was chosen.

...um. WHAT.

it was completely unexpected, so i hadn't thought through any of the details of what i'd do if i got chosen. it was a tuesday night in new york city. who would go with me? how would i get there? i'd have to take time off from work, but what would my mom/boss say about that? and, again, who would go with me? who's crazy enough to go to new york city mid-week to see the fray?

well, t said she'd go with me, which i loved. she's like my fray friend who goes with me to all the shows. even the ones that are crazy, mid-week shows that i only get tickets to by being an obsessed fan. (like that time she went to boston with me on a wednesday.) and my mom was more than okay with me going and missing work. she just kept saying, "it's the fray! i'd never say no to the fray! it's the fray!"

so last night, t and i made our way to the city and watched the fray put on an amazing performance. once i  get my thoughts together and upload my pictures, i'll post more about it. it was definitely a night to remember.

–– s

i don't have anything to say today.

no, like, i really don't. i just sat here for about 17 minutes trying to think of something to write about and i can't think of anything. actually, i guess the truth is that i have a lot of things to say. i have a lot going on in my head today, but none of it is anything i want to share on the internet. all of that stuff must be taking up all the extra space in my head because i can't think of one internet-appropriate thing to talk about. i can't even really talk about my day yesterday because it was boring. it was monday. i went to work. i came home. i basically did nothing all night and then went to bed. this is my life. don't be jealous.

hopefully i will have something more exciting to write about tomorrow. in fact, if my day goes as planned today, i will have something more exciting to write about tomorrow. but, as we can see from what happened over the weekend, not everything goes according to my plans. like, at all.

–– s

so this weekend didn't quite go as planned. i mean, AT ALL. on thursday night (which isn't quite the weekend, but i feel the need to include these details so you can see the big picture here), i was supposed to go see dave barnes open for jars of clay at the webster. but the show got cancelled because, according to this tweet, there wasn't enough support to have the show. i guess i'm just wondering who cancelled, the venue or the band? and what qualifies as "enough support" when you only have a week to promote the show? i just, i don't even know. moving on.

on friday night, i went to this place called 'on track karting' with josh and my cousins for my cousin's birthday. basically, you race around this track and crash into walls and other karts and it's exhilarating and terrifying at the same time because you're going way faster than you should, but that's the whole point so you just keep doing it without really thinking about. really, it was a good time while it was happening and i'm kind of glad i got to have the experience because i will never do it again. ever. because, by the time i got home, my head was pounding and i felt sick.

the racing must have been a little too much for my fragile neck to handle because i got the worst migraine i have ever had. long story short (i'll probably post the 'long stoy' part tomorrow), i ended up in the emergency room and didn't make it home and in bed until around 8 a.m. which means that my saturday night plans of going to boston to see green river ordinance were ruined. i can't even find words to explain how disappointed and frustrated and upset that makes me. but i'm trying not to dwell on it.

sunday was the only day that went as planned. mom and dad came home and bailey ate his food and mom and i watched this ridiculously cheesy but based-on-a-true-story hallmark movie and all is right in the world again. except for the fact that i didn't get to see my friends in gro on saturday.

–– s

this week was interesting. i've mentioned it a few times, but my parents have been on vacation. and there's nothing really significant about that except for the part where they've never gone on a week-long vacation without me. not that i can remember anyway. which means that this was the first time i went an entire week without them at home, taking care of me. and feeding me and washing my towels for me and everything else. it was kind of like a glimpse into what my life will be like when i move and have to do all of it on my own. except for the fact that josh was there too.

here are some things i learned this week:

tuesday was a pretty exciting day with the new fray single and all, but it got even better than that when josh and i went to t's for dinner. she made lemon chicken, carrots, and rice and it was so delicious. i sort of helped make it, but not really. i just did the things she didn't have enough hands for, but i watched what she did, so if i ever feel like making lemon chicken, i'd feel pretty confident about what i was doing. because that's the thing about cooking. i'm not really confident in my ability to do it because i've never done it before, and i've also never paid attention when other people did it. so i'm always wondering if what i'm doing is right because i don't know. and people usually say, "do this until it looks right." and then i say back, "what's it supposed to look like?" because, like i said, i don't know these things.

but, although the dinner was delicious, that's not the really exciting part. the really exciting part is that we watched the lion king on blu ray and it was so much fun. i'm pretty sure that movie's in my top five favorites of all time. and watching it with t and josh makes it exponentially better because they sing along to their favorite songs and get really into it. especially the opening scene with the circle of life. it's moments like this that i wish i could bottle up and keep in my pocket for rainy days (like today) because it makes me so happy, i could burst.

last night was not as exciting, BUT i made dinner all by myself and it actually tasted good and all the food was ready at the same time, so nothing got cold. it was quite a success and i'm pretty proud of myself. i made breaded chicken and some instant pasta things, which is probably the easiest meal to make, but i was by myself and it was pretty much all i could handle. plus, it's all we had in the house and i wasn't about to go grocery shopping. that's the other thing about cooking. you not only have to actually prepare and cook the food, you have to shop and pay for it as well. i'm not ready for that yet. baby steps.

i'm also not ready to be making dinner every night of the week because it's rather tiring, so i'm going to finish the week off josh-style. pizza, anyone?

–– s