Cooking?

Let's talk about cooking, shall we?

I'm terrified of it.  I'm not sure why, but I've never had the confidence to cook an amazing meal by myself.  I can help in the kitchen (mostly by cleaning the dishes), but doing everything on my own?  Oh Lord.  I'm great at cooking breakfast foods, and I'm okay with baking.

For Christmas this past year, my future in-laws got me nothing BUT cooking stuff.  A crock pot, cook book, a new set of pots and pans (which I have used), and even a cheese grater and meat thermometer!  Have I used them?  Not really.  I've used to crock pot twice to make soup, but that's about it.  I've looked through the cook book my future mother-in-law gave me and nothing jumps off the page!  Everything in the book seems so intimidating.  Do I have all the needed supplies and ingredients?  I don't know!

I want to cook meals for Joe SO BADLY-especially dinners after work.  My main issues with this are: my lack of confidence in my cooking skills, and I'm so tired and run down after work.  When I've been away from home all day, the last thing I want to do is be in the kitchen.

I don't know what to do.  I pin recipes on Pinterest CONSTANTLY, but have I done anything with them?  Nope!  I'm scared of them!

Any tips for overcoming my fear of cooking?


Later Days!
Dani

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Oh, you know, LIFE.

I did it again, didn't I?

Okay, so here's what's gone down since I've spoken to you last.

Joe and I are ENGAGED! And in the most perfect way possible: at home, on our couch. Ha!
Joe popped the question May 7. I had been giving him..."subtle" hints all day ("My nails are done, babe! Don't let them go to waste!"). And because of those hints, I didn't think it was going to happen that night!
Earlier in the day, we had stopped by PetsMart to check out a dog we wanted to adopt (more on him later). After leaving and saying I REALLY wanted the dog, Joe asked, "If you could have your engagement or the dog, which would you choose? Cause doing either will put one of them back." How MEAN of him to ask me that! I ended up saying the dog because I knew Joe would propose eventually, but the dog may not still be available! Needless to say, we didn't get the dog that Saturday.
After running around for the majority of the day, we came home and ate dinner. After we cleaned up, we were sitting on the couch: nothing fancy, right? Joe asked me if I had the paperwork for my promise ring. I told him it was in the drawer and I'd go get it. He, in the meantime, had my promise ring and was "looking for scratches" with the flashlight app on his iPhone. Should I have gotten suspicious then? Probably, but I didn't. I came back with the paperwork. He looked at it, then set it down on the coffee table.
Odd...I didn't see my promise ring anywhere. "Where did he put it," I thought. So I asked, "Can I have my ring back? I feel naked without it!" Joe replies with, "No, you can't."
What was my response? "Well then, can I have my upgrade then?" I swear I was joking!

...okay, whatever. You guys know me better than that.

After I asked that he opened up his hand and there was my "upgrade." After saying "OhmyGodOhmyGodOhmyGod" and flailing my arms, he asked me to marry him!
And of course I said YES!

Was it on a mountain top like he originally planned? Nope, but I loved it all the same!
We don't have an official date yet, but we're thinking November 2012. Gotta have time to plan and pay for things!

Oh? You thought I was done! No, no, lovelies. More life has happened.

Remember the dog? We adopted him....and then had to return him to the rescue 22 days later.
We adopted a five year old golden retriever. The whole reason we fell in love with him was because of his calm personality. A dog that could be chill with tons of people and other dogs walking around PetsMart? Score!
The rescue thought he would do well in an apartment, and we did too! But we were all wrong. He needs another dog with him while "Mommy and Daddy" are at work, a backyard, and a home without cats. We don't have cats, but my parents do. He stayed with them for 2 days while Joe and I were busy with James and Diana's wedding, and Mom said there was no way he could stay with them again. He wouldn't leave the cats alone.
After a long, hard and tearful discussion, Joe and I decided to release him back to the rescue. As much as we loved him, we had to think what was best for him and we couldn't provide that.
I cried like a baby, of course. I know they'll find him a perfect home. The foster coordinator said she would keep me posted on him, so that made me feel better.
If, and when, we decide to get another dog, we know to get a smaller breed that's okay with being alone for the larger part of the day. But for now...it's just us and that's just fine.

I got (another) new job! I know, I can hear it now: "But Dani! You just started at your other new job!" Hear me out, guys! My new-new job is only five miles away from our apartment, and it pays $2 more per hour! Oh! And did I mention full medical, dental and vision insurance and a raise after 90 days? Yeah, I would have been STUPID to pass it up!
I will miss my co-workers I've gotten to know over the past month, they have all been so incredibly nice and amazing. Many of them even encouraged me to go for the new job! Talk about support! My last day with them is this Friday (the 17), and I start my new position on the 20.

SO MUCH LIFE HAPPENING!

In other news, I'm ready to chop off my hair. I should probably leave the long locks alone for the wedding, but I'm figuring our wedding is a year and a half away, and hair grows. If it isn't to the length I want by that time, I'll just get some clip in extensions! What haircut am I looking at?
This one! Short with a TON of layers. I have my appointment booked for Saturday...and I'm getting my hair colored! Gotta look fresh for the engagement pictures! ;]

Oh, and in about 16 days, Joe and I are going to Colorado Springs for the Fourth of July! SO EXCITED!


Later Days!
Dani

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Helllooo?

Is anyone out there?!

Does anyone read this blog?!

I can't tell if you're reading if you don't leave comments!

Boo hiss.



Later Days!
Dani

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One door closes, another one opens!

Today is a good day!

I went into my new job and filled out all the new hire paperwork! Friday was my last day at Clayton, and I won't lie to you-I am so relieved.

I will now be in an office environment with more adults and NO KIDS. Nothing against kiddos in general, but Clayton had moved me to a new center and I wasn't very happy there! Being around 30+ children Monday through Friday is incredibly draining-both mentally and physically.
The fact this new position is full time is a God send. I've been looking for full time work for over a year, and I was starting to lose hope I would ever find a better job! I'll be making the same amount per hour as I did at Clayton, but I'll be doubling my hours per week, therefore doubling my pay per week! AWESOME. I'll be able to bring in more income for: rent, bills, and groceries. Also awesome: I get to wear cute clothes to work! YES! No more khakis and polos or summer t-shirts. I'm very excited!
Oh, and since I've gotten a better job, Joe and I are going to start looking for a dog. THAT I'm pretty excited about! It's been lonely here without a pet. I've grown up with dogs and cats always being around. After I moved out, and I didn't take any of them (like Mom would have let me!), I've been pretty sad without one! We saw a dog at PetCo that I fell in LOVE with...so hopefully we can get him before someone else does!
EDIT:
So, someone else already got that dog. Bummer. I did find two Husky puppies at Watauga animal shelter...and Joe is VERY interested in one of them. HOWEVER (I hate howevers)-I found out the pet deposit is $500 at our complex! FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS!! Oh, and $10 pet rent per month after that. It's looking like we won't be able to get a dog (or any kind of pet) now. The $500 is for any kind of pet: cats, dogs, hampsters, etc. I am so heart broken. I hate not having a dog, ugh! :[

I have taken this week off before I start my new position, and I'm looking forward to doing whatever I want to do! Won't be much, but I'll take a mental vacation! Please and thank you!



Later Days!
Dani

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An awesome change and a rant.

So, remember when I said my want for bangs had waned? LOL, you guys! I was kidding!
I went through with it! What do you think?! I'm pretty stinkin' happy with the result! Now I just have to get my hair dyed a dark brown again and I will L-O-V-E this look!

Moving on!

So, I'm going to have a wee bit of a rant here!
Being on time when you've made plans with a group of people at a restaurant: sometimes people run a few minutes late, not a big deal. However, if you're making that said group wait for an hour and a half, it falls into the ridiculous category.
I had to deal with such a situation last night.
I am not one to be hateful, but when you make me wait that long to eat, I can go into bitch mode. We were supposed to eat at 7:30, we didn't order (out of courtesy, even though some people didn't show us the same) until 8:45. Yeah. We didn't leave the restaurant until 10:30 because they were late, had to order, etc, etc. Everyone came back to our place after dinner to hang out. We should have been back to the apartment by 8:30ish, but we didn't get home until later. Mind you, I was running on 3 hours of sleep from these peoples' shenanigans from the night before (don't ask-it's a long story). So since THEY couldn't get their shit together, we ate late, got back to the apartment late, and I didn't really get to enjoy hanging out with the group. I went to bed a little after midnight, while everyone else stayed up and enjoyed themselves.
Can you see why I'm slightly miffed?
I cannot stand people with horrible time management skills. I can understand if you're slightly running late, but when it starts affecting my night in a negative matter, you are immediately on my shit list. I could honestly go on and on about this subject, but I'll refrain.

I feel better now.

Off to the pool to tan!

Later Days!
Dani

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Quietness

Good morning, lovelies.

I'm up early this morning for a job interview at 10. I picked out my interview outfit and tested out my hot rollers last night-I AM PREPARED. I'm very excited, and very hopeful that this is the job for me! I had almost lost hope that this company was ever going to call me for an interview, and after a rough Monday night (feeling down and sorry for myself), they called the next morning! THANK GOD.

Send me prayers and good vibes this morning? I would be so thankful for it :]


Later Days!
Dani

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An update!

Alright!
Last time I updated, I talked about hair. I ended up not getting bangs. I still need a haircut, but my sudden want for bangs has gone away. I guess that's good, right? If I got over it so quickly, who knows how I would have been if I actually got them!

Since I've last posted....

Joe and I moved into an apartment! SUPER exciting! We moved in Monday afternoon and got a pretty awesome deal! Our floor plan is 888 square feet and we're paying $750 per month. Not too shabby! I'm so incredibly happy to take this HUGE step with Joe! We had been talking about living together for a while, and now it's a reality! We've pretty much gotten everything unpacked, aside from all his computer stuff. Where we're going to put that, I'm not sure...but we'll figure it out eventually.

I will say it's weird being home alone. Most people who know me know I'm a very social and friendly person. I need interaction and conversation to LIVE! Joe leaves for work before me, and gets home after me, so I've had lots of quality alone time (if that's what I should call it). I'm ready to meet some people in the complex! Get to know my neighbors! I think that may be a little bit harder than your typical neighborhood, though.

Any tips from you apartment dwellers out there? Do you keep to yourself and do your own thing, or do you go out and meet your neighbors?


Later Days!
Dani

P.S.
I realize that this post is on April Fool's Day...but none of this is a joke, I promise! :]

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