Thought it may never happen

You may remember this post of yore.

 

That was back in March and at that point we had already been looking for the perfect coffee table for quite some time.  Now we're thisclose to August and we still have that old ugly coffee table in our living.  I'm serious, I'm ready to go Office Space on it...

 

You might remember from that post that we wanted a larger table (the space can handle it), darker wood and brushed nickel handles (to match the entertainment center), at least one drawer, no glass, and something on the taller side.

 

Also, word to the wise, if you're looking for a coffee table online, expand your search to cocktail tables, everything that interested us even just a wee bit is actually a cocktail table not a coffee table.

 

After looking at a bunch of different tables and numerous bricks and/or clicks stores we were having a hard time beleiving anything existed that we wanted!  In our many trips we decided we didn't want want of those tables that expand or move up.  We figure the more moving parts the more likely for things to break.  We also decided we didn't want anything with a soft top, like a giant ottoman or whatever.

 

Well, we finally found something!  It's so totally exciting.  It's a table that I actually saw a couple of months ago, but Chad and I never made it back to look at it (since it's a decsion we want to make together).  We pulled over our sales person and said we were interested in the coffee table.

 

He went back to his little computer and found out any details we might need.  He came back and told us he had some good news and some bad news.  The good news was he was able to get us a lower price.  Wow, that's great news, we were perfectly happy paying the listed price, $20-30 off is wonderful news.  So what's the bad news buddy?  Well... they don't currently have any in stock, but have two coming in the first week in August - one is already spoken for but the other could be ours.

 

So I pulled out my calendar and realized the first week in August is next week... next week!  That's not bad news at all!!  We waited like 5 months for our couch, one week is NOTHING... especially when you consider we've been looking for this dang coffee table forever!

 

So want to see what we decided on??

 

THIS one

 

I might be able to get the picture to insert later...

 

The picture makes the wood look a bit lighter than we want, however we saw it in real life and it's the color we want.  We love the shelf under the table top, I think it will be a perfect place to put our laptops and the four drawers are awesome.  This table isn't the one we dreamed about, however it's ends up being exactly what we want.

 

The next thing we'll need for that room is end tables.  The thing about our room is the end tables will have to be skinny since there's not much space on the sides of the couch.  Something else I learned... I might not want to look for end tables at all, but instead look for chairside or recliner tables.  They are smaller and would probably work better in our room.  Sometimes the hardest part is to figure out the name of what you're looking for.  So instead of looking for skinny end table I want to look for chairside tables.  Ah-ha... who knew they even existed. 

 

I'll be back to who you how it looks when it's in place.  And in case you're wondering we won't be having a bonfire with the old table... it will be going in our basement - probably the cat's food and water table.

Five Short Years Ago

Five years ago Chad and I had our very first date.  I seriously cannot believe it's been five full years.  Sometimes I look at it and think, wow, it's gone by so fast... other times I feel like I've known Chad my entire life.  I guess that's a good feature to have in a mate.

The very first date consisted of dinner at Rich and Charlies, some bars on the East side (don't worry no strip clubs) and playing pool back at his parents house.  It was a wonderful time and since that day five years ago, we've pretty much seen each other every day - or at the very least talked.

I wish I had a picture of that very first night, but I don't... here's a picture from about a week later when he came to my college graduation.

(check out my awesome hair... what was I thinking?!?)


I love you Chad... so happy we went on that date many moons ago!!

Grizzles Game

Speaking of yesterday's post about Groupon Day... I used an additional Groupon on Tuesday night. Something I enjoy about Groupon is that it almost 'forces' you to do something you've always talked about doing.

Back in February we finally went to Sky Zone... we had been talking about doing it forever, and finally we took the time to do it. It was fun, I'm glad we finally tried it, but it wasn't as much fun as I was expecting. I think I'm a bit of a chicken and didn't want to flip mostly b/c all of the dividers between the different trampolines. I've become more and more of a chicken.

A few months back there was a Groupon to a Gateway Grizzlies game. Chad and I have been talking about going to a Grizzlies game since we got together. We just never actually do it. When this Groupon popped up (2 $10 tickets, 2 hot dogs, 2 bags of chips, and 2 $5 credits at their team store for $18) we were sold.

We cashed that sucker in on Tuesday night... our friends Ryan and Kayla came with us. Other than it being so freaking hot (did I mention it's hot in St. Louis right now?!?) we had a lot of fun. The stadium is so small, which has like a classic ballpark feel to me. And the best part?? Cheap food and beer. We ate so much food last night, it was amazing... and I think I had about 4 beers... we also had Philly Cheesesteak Nachos, the hot dogs, shared some chili-cheese nachos, and a pretzel. We also all got a frozen treat - I had a chocolate and nut covered frozen banana.

I can't tell you who won... I can't tell you the score, or a single player's name... but what I can tell you is it was a lot of fun and I hope to go back earlier in the year next season... so maybe it's not as hot as it was last night.

(this is really where I should have a picture of food or us at the game or something... yeah, maybe I need to get better at that!)

Oh Groupon... I love you so!!

Groupon Day

Last Sunday my friend Carrie and I had a Groupon day.

What's a Groupon day you may ask? Well, only the most fun day ever... okay maybe that was a tad bit of an exaggeration, but it was a really fun day!

Everyone is familiar with Groupon right? If not you should at the very least sign up for their emails. They contain deals around your city. You buy it for a lower price and then get more money when you go. It's kind of like buying a really great coupon. It's awesome... I'm most attracted to Groupons that have activities however some of the food ones are pretty enticing as well!

A long time ago Carrie and I bought Groupons to Baked Goods Pottery. This is a place where you go and paint pottery. We finally used it on Sunday to begin our Groupon Day. The place is really cute, and the employee was so super nice and explained everything to us. Then they let you pick your piece and get to painting.

Here I am painting my gnome... I named him Bernard


And here is Carrie and me with our gnomes. Yes, we both painted gnomes, you can paint other things there too, but the gnome seemed fun to me!! We also both wore purple dresses, that was not planned, but was pretty cute


After painting we headed to Old Navy. We both bought Old Navy Groupons ($10 for $20 worth of stuff). While neither of us had a stand out item we wanted, we both ended up coming away with some pretty good items. I got a white short sleeved shirt and a loose fitting tank top. I think Carrie got a pair of jeans (the kind that comes to right above your ankle) and a shirt.

After that, Carrie took me out to dinner with another Groupon to Drunken Fish. This was my second experience with sushi and it was delicious!! We got shrimp tempera, spicy tuna roll and fried philly roll. They were all AMAZING. I then convinced her to get dessert. Drunken Fish has one of my all-time favorite desserts. This cheesecake roll thing... it's basically like friend strawberry cheesecake... all nice and warm... so it's so good... if you ever go there you HAVE to get it.

Here's the total I spent out of pocket on Sunday...

Baked Goods - $1.20
Old Navy - $0.86
Drunken Fish - $15

That's a wonderful day for less than $20... I love Groupon!!

Getting to Know Us Monday

FYI Chad answered these questions about a week ago...

Where was the last place you drove (other than home/school)?

Jenn: Target in Arnold - got a dress, shoes, cami and sunscreen

Chad: Maryland Heights with Connor

What curse word do you use the most?

Jenn: I don't curse... I'm an angel!............ Probably the F-word

Chad: I don’t really keep track. Probably fuck.

What time is your alarm clock set for?

Jenn: 6:50 and 7:10... and then sometimes a extra 5 minutes for good measure

Chad: 1100am.

What was the last movie you watched?

Jenn: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Chad: Pulp Fiction.

What CD is currently in your CD player?

Jenn: Can't believe I'm going to admit this but... N*Sync, No Strings Attached

Chad: A Static Lullaby – Rattlesnake!

Over :(

Well, it's a bittersweet moment...

The last 'new' Harry Potter thing - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 came out last Friday and I saw it last night. It's so bittersweet... sweet because we finally get to see it end in movie form (more on that later) and bitter because it is all over. I have read the seven books at least twice... some more than that. I own all the movies (Part 1 is in the mail). I love the Harry Potter series... while I don't talk non-stop about it or know all the symbolism or whatever... I love the series. I honestly can't wait until I have kids that are old enough to read the books and enjoy it right along side me.

Chad and I saw the final movie last night. Last Thursday I was feeling really bummed that I didn't get midnight tickets for it... I felt like I'm a true Potter fan, why the heck didn't I get tickets. But it ended up working better this way. Earlier this year Chad won a chili cook-off his motorcycle group had (there was no competition from the other chilis). He won emergency tickets for Weherenberg. We turned in those bad boys for tickets to HP7.2 in IMAX 3D. We had to pay an extra $10 but better than the normal price tag for two of those tickets.

We got to the theater early to make sure we got tickets... you never know with a movie like this!! We hand our tickets in hand and got a quick dinner as Psghetti's. If you don't know what that place it... it's pure deliciousness!

We then headed back to the theater to make sure we got good seats. We hardly ever do this for movies... quite honestly we just don't see movies at the theater anymore. So it was really fun going all out. The IMAX screen was awesome. And the 3D was amazing!! I don't normally think seeing a movie in 3D is that big of a deal, but I am so so so happy I saw this in 3D. There were times the effects were so great. Some of the different characters, like the dementors, looked amazing in 3D.

I thought the whole movie from start to finish was wonderful. It was excited for it all to conclude. See it all on the big screen. I think a lot of people will particularly enjoy this movie because there is finally a conclusion. You know what happens... you know how it ends. It's really sad for there to be no more, but it's also great to see it happen, if that makes any sense whatsoever.

Harry Potter series... I'm really going to miss you... you had to come to end at some point and I'm happy you went out with such a bang. I hope generations to come will enjoy you both in book form and big screen for years and years to come!!

wedding

As promised, here are some pictures from the wedding we attended at the end of June... you can read about all the negative things about that here.... I thought of two more negatives I forgot to include... wanna hear them?? Of course you do!!

• When your groomsmen tells you he is allergic to mushrooms and then they serve him food with mushrooms isn't very thoughtful. For my step-sister's wedding (which I believe my feelings on that one are well known) she made absolutely sure that no mushrooms were near his plate. You are suppose to be his good friend, at the very least warn him before he consumes the entire plate of food that there are mushrooms present... that way he doesn't have to throw up in the bathroom... Thank goodness mushrooms don't cause him to stop breathing otherwise you'd have quite a wedding story...


• (People will probably disagree with this one) but I hate when people 'donate money instead of providing favors'. I'm a sympathetic person, I get it, but geez, give me a piece or chocolate or something... it comes off as lazy. If you're going to do this at least print it on a piece or paper or something...

Either way... here's some pictures... in the end we did have a good time despite my rant...

Ignore how awful my hair looks, but I absolutely loved my dress!! I was so happy with the color and I got so many complements on it. The shoes ended up working out perfectly, they were pretty comfortable and I was able to walk in them all day... I was taller than Chad, hence my goofy stance in the picture below to look shorter... but they were great. I took them off to dance and such which was the plan all along... didn't our colors go together perfectly??

The only issue I had was the top was too big... I guess I didn't have big enough boobs, but whatever, it worked!! Loved my earrings too!!
We had a really fun time, other than me feeling sick, but whatever, I made it work!!

Hmm

I am trying to get back into the good blogging groove... I really am. I would really like to stay on track to complete my New Years Resolution... I've been looking at my numbers for July since it began and I know I need to get a move on... it's July 19th... and I currently only have five posts (including this one) which means I'm not even half way through my posts for July but more than half way through the month.

I'm not sure what it is... why I haven't felt very compelled to write any entries. I've been staying busy, doing things nearly every weekend... almost completed a couple of projects around the house... I even made a purchase yesterday I'm excited about... but I'm not sure why I haven't shared any of that on here.

I guess it's just normal to go through these blogging spells... or lack there of... I just need to figure out how to push through it and get some good things posted! We all know I have interesting things to say!!

There was going to be more to this post including pictures, but for whatever reason blogger or my work computer isn't letting me upload them... so look forward to that post soon.

Getting to Know Us Monday

What items could you not go without during the day?

Jenn: Food, my phone

Chad: Food, water, oxygen…

What do you do as soon as you walk in the house?

Jenn: Well, typically I go to the bathroom, change into something comfy, and then kiss Chad (if he's home)

Chad: Close the door behind me. I don’t do anything regularly.

What is your favorite Holiday and why?

Jenn: Christmas is my favorite... I just love the spirit and atmosphere - plus buying gifts for those I love is awesome

Chad: Columbus day – the guy got lost, found North American and thought it was India, killed tons of locals, then took the land by force. America! Fuck Yeah!

What is your favorite cereal?

Jenn: Frosted Mini Wheats

Chad: Honey nut Cheerios.

How did you meet your spouse?

Jenn: We went to high school together, I know we had physics together... then we reconnected on MySpace... Chad messaged me

Chad: Originally, high school. For the second time, Myspace. (Aren’t our answers the same?)

Getting to Know Us Monday

Name something you do when you're alone that you wouldn't do in front of others.

Jenn: Dance... I dance a lot when I'm by myself, I also talk to myself (although I do that around others as well) and sing... oh and pretend to walk the runway

Chad: Act absurdly goofy for no reason, and talk to myself

Do you have any strange phobias?

Jenn: Well as I mentioned in a recent post, fireworks... also I as a kid I was terrified of being abducted by aliens

Chad: Heights is not a strange phobia. I use to be scared of vampires as a kid - and THAT is a strange one...

Were you a responsible child/teenager?

Jenn: Yes, I got into a little trouble, but for the most part I was a good kid

Chad: Only when I needed to be....

What is your favorite day of the week and why?

Jenn: I would say probably Saturday b/c I can sleep in and Chad is off all day... I also enjoy every other Sunday

Chad: Wednesday. It's hump day!

At which store would you like to max-out your credit card?

Jenn: Right now, probably Home Depot... or Macy's

Chad: Best Buy or a motorcycle shop; it would take .2 seconds

Bullet Points

I haven't really felt like writing lately... maybe I'm lacking creativity or nothing super interesting has been going on... either way... here's a bulleted post who knows how short or long it may be...

• Back at the end of June I finished my second term of classes for my master's degree. I was taking Instructional Design and Educational Psychology. I got A's in both classes... I'm really proud of myself! Yesterday started my third term. I am taking Developing Instructional Materials and Research in Instructional Technology. If I stay on this two class a term schedule I should be done by the end of February... I know that sounds quick... but that's the program and I'm taking 2 classes every 10 weeks of varying credit hour length... these two are each 5 hour courses.


• All of the plants I planted this year are alive and doing well... as are the weeds growing around them... I need to work on that.


• Chad's brother Ryan is in town with his girlfriend Christina. We all went to my first Cardinal's game of the year on Tuesday. It was a WONDERFUL game to attend, the weather wasn't unbearably hot and we had some pretty great seats. The Cardinals had some home runs and great pitching... over all it was a super awesome game.


• Last Sunday I was suppose to go to a free concert at Fair St. Louis with a group of girls - Maroon 5. However due to rain and storms they cancelled the concert... it was sooo disappointing!! We ended up going to a party in Collinsville and watched some people I didn't know shoot off fireworks. Now you may not know this, but I have a very real fear of fireworks - as in ammeters shooting them off. Fireworks are just too unpredictable... they can shoot in the wrong direction or delay going off. They are just dangerous in my opinion. So being at a house party where a bunch of people I don't know that have been drinking are shooting off fireworks is not my idea of a good time... more like a nerve wrecking time!!


• Chad and Ryan got tattoos yesterday at Cheap Trx on South Grand. It was a long day in the tattoo parlor, but they both turned out really good.


• On Fourth of July we had a small group of friends over (Ryan, Christina, Ryan B, Kayla, Andy, Chad and Me) and barbecued. It was tasty. Then we got Ted Drewes and the boys played wiffle ball. It was a relaxing Fourth. Not as great as the last two years in Virginia but it will do.


• On Saturday night I hung out with my mom. We used a Groupon to Bella Sera which is close to my mom's house. It's one of those places you always mean to try but never seem to go. It was pretty good. Lindsey went with us, which is always fun.


• After dinner my mom and I planned the route for our vacation at the end of July. I haven't been on vacation in awhile, so I'm really looking forward to this one. It will be with my mom, grandma, and Lindsey... Keith will meet us there. We are going to Myrtle Beach, SC. But we planned some stops along the way. And before we make it to Myrtle Beach we'll stop on Charlotte, NC so Lindsey and I will go to Carowinds. I'm so excited to ride some of those roller coasters!!


• I don't think I ever wrote about this but about a month ago Chad and I went to my family reunion. We caught a good break in the weather which was really nice and other than my cousin's daughter getting a little hurt and Chad somewhat twisting his ankle, it was a really nice day!

Well, that's all for now... I'll try to come up with some more interesting things soon

Getting to Know Us Monday

Postponed due to the holiday... is that a valid excuse??

What is your biggest pet peeve?

Jenn: The two that come to mind is the phrase "I'm just not a cat person" and people who treat speed bumps as stop signs.

Chad: STUPID PEOPLE!

What is your favorite ice cream flavor?

Jenn: I like lots of different flavors... typically I stick with vanilla if I'm buying it from the store, but if not I'll get strawberry a lot

Chad: It depends on season, and where… usually just decided on whatever mood I’m in… My fallback is chocolate chunk cookie dough.

What would your "last meal" be?

Jenn: This is a toughie... I like such a variety... but I will say it will be breakfast related... eggs, crispy bacon, sausage, City Diner's french toast, a milkshake

Chad: Pear Tree restaurant onion rings, Caesar salad, NY Strip steak (medium), loaded Idaho potato, and NY-style cheesecake w/ strawberry and caramel.

What is the strangest talent you have?

Jenn: I think I can still do it... I can jump on a pogo stick no handed

Chad: I can do THIS… oh, you can’t see it…

What's your favorite flavored Pringles?

Jenn: Sour Cream and Onion

Chad: BBQ or Pizza…