Thursday

speakeasy14

I made beef stroganoff for dinner last night, and it came out amazing! Of course I made enough to feed a family, so we're having leftovers tonight and I'll probably freeze the rest for leftovers another time.

Yesterday's discussion led to my bf and I sitting down and discussing a budget.  We figured out everything we would be spending monthly, as the maximum price point, and agreed to have a joint bank account for all house related expenses.

Questions:
1. Tell me about the most interesting person you've ever met.
2. What is the most spontaneous thing you've done lately?
3. What is the one thing you most want to do?
4. What type of vacation do you prefer? Are you a relaxer or an adventurer?
5. Share a funny/entertaining/silly picture.

jenna8984

Nice job on the budget talk!!

1. Tell me about the most interesting person you've ever met. Um my friend Leo that I haven't seen in a few years. He was an Army Ranger Medic and he LIVED for it but when a mine made him deaf in one ear they had to honorably discharge him. So he came home, tried college but it wasn't for him. So he opened a crossfit gym and was doing fitness competitions. But decided that was still too "corporate America" for him, so he took off on a trip around the world with no money. He literally bummed his way around the world with help from strangers, and they made a documentary along the way which won some awards for. After doing that he couldn't go back to "normal" life, so he's currently living in a van on a journey around South America posting pics of surfing and meeting locals. I know this is a long description but he is just so awesome, I really envy him!

ETA- forgot he's published 2 books about his time and experiences in the service!

2. What is the most spontaneous thing you've done lately? I'm not very spontaneous. I guess booking the cruise we went on in Sept, because we only booked 3 weeks before departure.

3. What is the one thing you most want to do? Have a family/kids and grow old with them

4. What type of vacation do you prefer? Are you a relaxer or an adventurer? Both! I love walking around cities and seeing ancient things, but I also love tropical beach doing nothings!

5. Share a funny/entertaining/silly picture. on my work comp so don't have any

[Deleted User]

Thanks for starting today, @speakeasy14 !!  Can I have your beef stroganoff recipe please??

I'm back at work today.  I can't wait for my half day tomorrow.  

My StitchFix is coming todayyyyyyyy!!!  I admit that I planned my evening around making sure I had enough time to go through my SF.  PATHETIC.

Questions:
1. Tell me about the most interesting person you've ever met.
This is a hard question.  I've met a lot of interesting people in my life, but nobody is coming to my mind as the MOST interesting.  I need to think a little bit.

2. What is the most spontaneous thing you've done lately?
Not much that I can think of.  I added a cute set of notebooks to my Amazon cart this morning.  That's sad.  

3. What is the one thing you most want to do?
Geez, what's up with the tough questions this morning??  I want to travel.  Everywhere.  And eat *almost* everything.  Can I be vague like that?

4. What type of vacation do you prefer? Are you a relaxer or an adventurer?
Adventurer, for sure.

5. Share a funny/entertaining/silly picture.
A cute picture of Baxter and Cricket hanging out in the spare bedroom.  Cricket would actually stick her entire head through the blinds and just sit there to look outside.  Baxter would sit behind her and peek through the opening in the blinds.

Aaaaaaand a picture of an armadillo that was walking outside our house this year.  

Swazzle

Hello! Good morning! I have no idea what day it is. 

@beanbot2002 was the most beautiful bride and her wedding was just amazing! H and I had a great time in DC. My day off yesterday was spent completely on the couch with my kids. 

After work tonight, I'm getting back to the gym then cooking dinner, eating dinner, and relaxing. 


1. Tell me about the most interesting person you've ever met.
I honestly don't even know! 

2. What is the most spontaneous thing you've done lately?
I let H buy a car on Tuesday. 

3. What is the one thing you most want to do?
Travel the whole world.

4. What type of vacation do you prefer? Are you a relaxer or an adventurer?
I like a combo of both.

5. Share a funny/entertaining/silly picture.
Me with a photobomb courtesy of @GoldenPenguin :

Peaseblossom55

1. Tell me about the most interesting person you've ever met.
Not sure really, this is hard
2. What is the most spontaneous thing you've done lately?
I'm such a boring person lately, so nothing.
3. What is the one thing you most want to do?
Be a mother
4. What type of vacation do you prefer? Are you a relaxer or an adventurer?
I like a bit of both, which is why our honeymoon was so perfect.

5. Share a funny/entertaining/silly picture.
Sorry I got nothing today.

jenna8984

@cocobellaf omg that armadillo is amazing!!!!! My mom still makes fun of me because in high school an animal ran in the road in front of me while I was driving and I got home and told her that I saw an armadillo. Since we're in MA where that's 99% impossible she died of laughter and concluded it must have been a possum.

untouchablets

Good morning! Not a lot to report today. This week has been blissfully free of drama and anxieties. I don't dread waking up for work in the morning, I don't come home emotionally and physically exhausted. It's awesome

1. Tell me about the most interesting person you've ever met.
The CEO of Starbucks, Howard Schultz, and that was a really awesome experience. I've always admired him. He came from nothing and was denied bank loans to state his business dozens of times, he built Starbucks from a plain old coffee bean shop into this crazy empire. He didnt make me feel like I was beneath him and it didn't feel like I was shaking hands with a billionaire.

2. What is the most spontaneous thing you've done lately?
Quitting my job lol I really don't do many spontaneous things.

3. What is the one thing you most want to do?
Meet Taylor Swift (and I'm not even sorry about it!)

4. What type of vacation do you prefer? Are you a relaxer or an adventurer?
I feel like I'm both. I like to visit the sites and local attractions but also am not opposed to taking a nap in the hotel.

5. Share a funny/entertaining/silly picture.
I can't cause I'm on mobile

lavenderfields13

1. Tell me about the most interesting person you've ever met.
This is a really hard question- I don't know
2. What is the most spontaneous thing you've done lately?
I am seriously one of the most boring people ever
3. What is the one thing you most want to do?
Travel more
4. What type of vacation do you prefer? Are you a relaxer or an adventurer?
Relaxer. I love spending all day on the beach!
5. Share a funny/entertaining/silly picture.


@jenna8984 I always have to have a plan and am not very spontaneous but I wish I could be like people like that- I envy them

KeptInStitches

@CocoBellaF, not pathetic. I plan my SF deliveries around when I think I will have time to go through them properly, too.

H and I had dinner with my mom, my brother, and FSIL last night. It was good to see him - he's doing his senior project and doesn't come up for air much. Not that I blame him, it's all-consuming. I'm enjoying these times, though, because he'll be moving for his job (he got hired!) in the spring after he graduates and he'll be a lot farther away. We'll have to actually schedule things instead of being a little more spontaneous.

Otherwise I'm not very newsy. I play H this weekend in fantasy football, so if he knows what's good for him he'll bench his team. I still have a shot at high seeding in the postseason while his season is functionally over.

And I got an offer to teach a class next semester. I need to figure out whether it counts as one section or two (there's a contingent of online students). I'm also still looking to teach more - what a terrible time to be starting this, students are already able to register but I think I know of a couple departments that might need coverage.

speakeasy14

1. Tell me about the most interesting person you've ever met. Interesting is my word of choice when I don't know what else to say.  The most interesting person I ever met... a guy who dressed like he belonged in a circus, refused to use soap or deodorant, went dumpster diving for fun (legit ate out of the trash), and claimed he was vegan but only when it was things he purchased.  If someone else provided something made from animal, he had no problem with it. 

2. What is the most spontaneous thing you've done lately? Does pinning my bf down when he walked in the house last night count? Haha if not, I really haven't been spontaneous lately.

3. What is the one thing you most want to do? Travel the world, but not as a tourist.  I want to stay in every place and live like a local.  You cannot truly experience a place until you live like the people in that area do.   

4. What type of vacation do you prefer? Are you a relaxer or an adventurer? A mixture of both.  If I'm near any type of beach, I need at least a full day of doing nothing but lounging.  Otherwise I'm all for exploring and adventure. 

5. Share a funny/entertaining/silly picture.

*why can't I attach pictures anymore!?!

untouchablets

@CocoBellaF I got my first fix yesterday and I LOVE everything that I got. I'm keeping everything to wear on my Thanksgiving trip. The stylist left me a sweet note too. I'll have to post in the Stitch Fix thread today or tomorrow.

jenna8984

@speakeasy14 and where did you meet this person? lol

cu97tiger

Last night I had leftover franks and beans for dinner, along with a Coney Island Hard Root Beer. Yum. I'm super sore from Crossfit and I'm praying it goes away before the race Saturday.

Tonight, DH and I have to discuss and finalize whether I'm switching insurance to my company. This involves a conversation about us starting to TTC again, so I'm not looking forward to it, but it must be done. Tomorrow, I'm WFH in the morning and then off to Richmond for the race!

@speakeasy14 - Great job on the budget discussions. They are no fun, but so necessary!

@swazzle - You and @goldenpenguin and the other NEY ladies looked amazing! And it goes without saying how beautiful @beanbot2002 was

Questions:

1. Tell me about the most interesting person you've ever met.
I kept writing something, then erasing. There are interesting things about so many people that I know, I don't want to single out just one.

2. What is the most spontaneous thing you've done lately?
Had a hard root beer last night. Seriously, my life is pretty planned out these days. I like routine.

3. What is the one thing you most want to do?
Get pregnant

4. What type of vacation do you prefer? Are you a relaxer or an adventurer?
I like a healthy mix of both.

5. Share a funny/entertaining/silly picture.
Here's me on the set of College GameDay at the College Football Hall of Fame.

[Deleted User]

@cu97tiger - Are you planning on TTC again???

cu97tiger

CocoBellaF said:

@cu97tiger - Are you planning on TTC again???

I'm not sure. My company completely changed health insurance plans, and the new plan includes $4,000 towards infertility treatments. It would cost us $600 over the course of the year to get that benefit, so I'm definitely open to it. DH is hesitant, because he thought we were done. But we were mostly done because of how expensive it was getting. I think we can get 2, or maybe 3, more months of trying. We'll see how the conversation goes tonight!

[Deleted User]

Hoping for all the best for you guys, @cu97tiger !!!  

cu97tiger

TwoDimes said:

5. Share a funny/entertaining/silly picture.

I can't because something really weird has been going on with my TK lately. 

I thought the same thing, but it's actually just different. In the toolbar, there is what looks like a sheet of paper with a folded down corner. That is where the 'add image' button is now. You can also still drag and drop pics.

speakeasy14

@jenna8984 at the time he was dating my room mate.  They're now married and expecting their first kid, which is terrifying since he still does all those things.

@cocobellaf Here's the recipe I used: 
INGREDIENTS:1 lb. wide egg noodles4 Tbsp. (1/4 cup) butter, divided1.5 lbs. thinly-sliced steak (I used top sirloin, but just about any will work)salt and pepper1 white or yellow onion, thinly sliced4 cloves garlic, minced1 lb. sliced mushrooms (I used a mix of button and baby bella mushrooms)1/2 cup dry white wine (or you can substitute in more beef broth)1.5 cups beef broth1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce3 Tbsp. flour1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt or light sour cream(optional garnish) chopped fresh parsleyCook egg noodles al dente in boiling salted water according to package instructions. (For optimal timing, I recommend actually adding the egg noodles to the boiling water at the same time that the beef broth is added to the stroganoff.)Meanwhile, as your pasta water is coming to a boil, melt the butter in a large saute pan** over medium-high heat. Add the steak in a single layer, seasoned with a few generous pinches of salt and pepper, and let it cook undisturbed for about 3 minutes to get a good sear. Flip the steak, and cook on the other side until browned, about another 3 minutes. Then remove steak from pan with a slotted spoon, and transfer to a separate plate. Set aside.(**If your pan is not big enough to fit all of the steak in a single layer, then add just 1 Tbsp. of butter to the pan and cook half of the steak. Then repeat with a second batch.**)Return pan to heat and add the remaining 2 Tbsp. butter. Once it has melted, add the onions and saute for about 3 minutes. Add garlic and mushrooms, and stir to combine. Continue sauteing for an additional 5-7 minutes, or until the mushrooms are cooked and the onions are soft. Add the white wine, and deglaze the pan by using your cooking spoon to scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Let the mixture cook down for an additional 3 minutes.Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, whisk together the beef broth, worcestershire sauce and flour until smooth. Pour the beef broth mixture into the pan, and stir to combine. Let the mixture simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then stir in the Greek yogurt (or sour cream) until combined, and then stir the cooked steak back in. Season with additional salt and pepper if needed.Serve over the egg noodles, garnished with parsley if desired.

speakeasy14

@twodimes I can't get the new icon to work... it just keeps posting whatever I type without including the gif/image/link.  It could just be me though

MissKittyDanger

@CocoBellaF i'm envious of your armadillo. Tbh I'd prob try to keep it though ....

@speakeasy14 yay budget talks! lol


So I'm already doing great in the computer portion of my course! I was helping a girl who sits behind me. At one point I was the only one who got right answer on the first try! Yay me!! I'm hoping this could help me with my plea to the district manager to get my certificate.

Tonight is groceries. I'm going ahead to the store since Matt needs to pick up new contacts and some daily tossables for our trip in February. This way he can not have to worry about glasses if we opt last minute to go swimming.

I need to do laundry and vacuum tonight. Also next month we're looking at getting Matt and RRSP. We want to be able to reap the benefits of the Home Buyer's Plan in about year and half. So that's involved in a budget conversation also.

Hmm .... not much else. Pretty lax day today at work. I'm relatively caught up.


Questions:
1. Tell me about the most interesting person you've ever met.
Hmm .... interesting question. Probably my friend Tam who passed away. She was super pale but was born in Africa. You know those kids on the commercials who have the big bellies but they're living in a 3rd world? That's what she had. It's an intestinal disease and uncurable. She went through so much and she was born with it but only started showing issues when she was 8yrs old. Since she was so tiny, she looked pregnant. It was funny watching people judge her and she appreciated when people came over to ask instead of assume from a distance.

2. What is the most spontaneous thing you've done lately?
I am not spontaneous by any means of the word.

3. What is the one thing you most want to do?
I'm not sure. In Mexico I got to do my dream and swim with dolphins.

4. What type of vacation do you prefer? Are you a relaxer or an adventurer?
Relaxer. But not a "sit-by-the-pool/beach-all-day" more like "do-what-i-want-when-i-want" kinda relaxing. No schedules.

5. Share a funny/entertaining/silly picture.
Actually I found this interesting article regarding The O.C and the fashion .... early 2000s
http://www.refinery29.com/2015/11/97415/the-oc-terrible-fashion#slide

jenna8984

@speakeasy14 weeeeiiirrrdd!! (that guy)

@cu97tiger good luck!!

audrewuh

1. Tell me about the most interesting person you've ever met.
At my bar in Houston, I used to hang out on some of the slower weeknights and I got to know (and apparently become one of) the regulars. This one guy was so... intriguing. He was an immigrant from India, was sent over by his extremely wealthy family to go to grad school in some business related field. He had these crazy interesting stories about his life back in India and all the parties and important people his family was associated with, but he also had some mental health problems. He would tell a happy story, laugh, and then burst into tears, hit himself in the head with his fist, and then repeat "life is shit." He also had very interesting scars all up and down his arms. 

2. What is the most spontaneous thing you've done lately?
I booked a weekend trip to DC for next week. Oh, and I bought new boots. 

3. What is the one thing you most want to do?
Travel! Everywhere! Particularly visit all the states in the US and then hit up New Zealand. 

4. What type of vacation do you prefer? Are you a relaxer or an adventurer?
I like to think I'm a mix of both, but if I'm honest with myself, I'm totally an adventurer.

5. Share a funny/entertaining/silly picture.
Here is Stevie attempting to get on the couch.

audrewuh

@cu97tiger you gave me a flutter in my tummy with your TTC talk! 


@speakeasy14  I'm so glad the budget talk went well! This is what I wish budget talks actually looked like. 


---------

Last night was a long one. I didn't leave work until after 9, and immediately went home to bake cookies/book a vacation with H. Things have been extremely rocky for us this year (horrid, awful, no good very bad things), and we set a list of requirements for us to meet in order to stay together. Counseling for everyone and a legit vacation together were two of the three things. It will be the first time he and I have gone somewhere just the two of us since our honeymoon two and a half years ago. 

But, since we're going to ATL, H will spend some time golfing and I will *hopefully* get to hang out with @labro and @southernpeach89! 

It's the last "work day" before retreat this weekend with my childrens. I had more kids wanting to sign up last night, which was super exciting since the typical trend is kids dropping at the last minute. I have a lot to do today, but I've been so stressed and busting my ass so hard this week already that I just want to be lazy for another hour. 

cu97tiger

@cocobellaf @jenna8984 @twodimes - Thank you. I swing wildly between being okay with being childless and willing to give the roller coaster of TTC another shot. I care very much about DH's thoughts on the matter, though, so I'm reserving making a final decision until we've talked about it.

@audrewuh - WOOT 9 days until I see your face! Love that Stephen Colbert gif

[Deleted User]

I'm watching a YouTube video on "10 ways to wear a snood" since I'm getting one in my SF.  Her voice is killing me, though.  Is a snood the same as an infinity scarf?

AlPacina

@speakeasy14 - We tried the budget talk. I would love to get a joint account set up, and I even went to talk to his bank to figure out my options for switching over. But we haven't been great at pulling the trigger. Let me know how the transition to that system goes!

@jenna8984 - I consider booking that cruise hella spontaneous! Way to go!

@CocoBellaF - Cute notebooks are legit. That is not sad.

@swazzle - I'm not sure I ever gave the update, but that crockpot chicken parm was AWESOME.

@audrewuh - I hope the counseling and vacation are exactly what you two need. I'm so sorry to hear this last year has been so tough.
-----------
I loved having the day to myself yesterday. I went and got my hair colored, then hung out and cross stitched while I watched Harry Potter 5-7 (part 1). BF and I also watched Birdman on Tuesday and it was a great movie. It reminded me of Black Swan, without being quite as depressing.

Tell me about the most interesting person you've ever met. My old college roommate was hilarious and awesome. He wasn't the kind of guy that you'd typically approach because he didn't really care about his appearance, plus he had two lazy eyes and shattered his jaw. But if he approached you, you were in for a good time. He was extremely spontaneous, always was up for an adventure, and could make any dull moment more interesting. My favorite memory with him was when we got somewhat wasted and "debated" whether Miller High Life was actually "The Champagne of Beers". We also both lived in Costa Rica at the same time. I have no idea what he's doing now. He moved back to CO after school, and he wasn't big on technology (or answering his phone).

What is the most spontaneous thing you've done lately? My spontaneous trip to Seattle to see If/Then! I "spontaneously" spent waaaaaaaaay too much money last weekend.

What is the one thing you most want to do? Please don't judge............ but I really want to touch (preferably hug) a panda.

What type of vacation do you prefer? Are you a relaxer or an adventurer? I am definitely an adventurer. But I don't like things too planned out, or I get stressed.

Share a funny/entertaining/silly picture. I have no picture of myself, but I like this one!

AlPacina

TwoDimes said:

Good to know, I'll have to try it. I tried drag and dropping a gif earlier this week and it failed. Hopefully it was just a fluke because life without giffing would SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCK.

I have never had the drag and drop method work for me. Ever! It's freakin irritating!....... Luckily I'm still super kickass at HTML from my Myspace days, haha!

wink0erin

@jenna8984 Your friend sounds super cool!
@speakeasy14 To living like a local... that's exactly why I stayed in AirBNBs with locals when I went to Ireland! They had great suggestions for things to do (or avoid). I spent most my time just walking around and finding random stuff, but I still did some touristy things, like museums, hop-on-hop-off bus, a day trip bus tour to see the Cliffs of Moher, souvenir shops, etc. Since I was trying to act local a lot of people actually confused me for a local. I loved it.

I was mega busy on Tuesday with work, so I didn't even check in here. Yesterday I was off, so I watched Disney movies most the day, with a couple hours of intense decluttering/organizing in my office/craft room. Today I'm reviewing case history and preparing for the audits I'm doing tomorrow and all next week. Busy busy.

1. Tell me about the most interesting person you've ever met. I've met a lot of incredibly interesting people in my life. Many through amputee conferences and events. One guy lost his leg to cancer (like me) and he is now a Paralympic athlete and has a job working with disabled athletes. Another guy lost his leg from issues he'd had since he was a child, and now he is a champion rock climber. One girl was born without her arm and now she is an actress and she does really awesome cosplay. I can't pick just one person.
 
2. What is the most spontaneous thing you've done lately? I want to say when I decided to go to Ireland. The thought entered my mind at the beginning of January and I booked plane tickets within a couple weeks. The trip was after I graduated and I planned things out, but the spontaneous part was deciding to go, and to go by myself.

3. What is the one thing you most want to do? Travel everywhere!! And buy a house.

4. What type of vacation do you prefer? Are you a relaxer or an adventurer? I'm an adventurer, but I take time to relax so I don't burn out.

5. Share a funny/entertaining/silly picture.
I can't get pictures to attach at all.

speakeasy14

@audrewuh Keeping you in my thoughts that your discussion leads to positive changes for you & H

beachyone15

1. Tell me about the most interesting person you've ever met.
Probably my Nana (the one who just recently passed away). She was born in 1917 and lived through the Great Depression. So as a result, she saved and re-used EVERYTHING. Like napkins, ice cubes...Let's just say you had to be on your toes whenever you'd go to her house for dinner.

2. What is the most spontaneous thing you've done lately?
I just bought a $75 planner. I couldn't help myself. It's rose gold and SO pretty!



3. What is the one thing you most want to do?
Not have to work for a living. I guess I can dream...

4. What type of vacation do you prefer? Are you a relaxer or an adventurer?
I like a bit of both when I vacation. That's probably why I love cruises. You can be lazy on sea days and then go explore once you arrive at each port!

5. Share a funny/entertaining/silly picture.
Don't have one right now - sorry!

speakeasy14

@AlPacina We're each keeping our separate accounts. The joint account is going to just be for house bills/needs.  The obstacle we're facing is both of us being out of work at a time the bank is open so we can open an account together.  --  No judgment on panda hugging from me. My second thing I want to do most is go swimming with the elephants.