Wednesday

beachyone15

@speakeasy14 - Yeah it's really surprised me because I am not/have never been a "morning person".

speakeasy14

@untouchablets Both sound like great courses! I loved international business, I took several different IB courses throughout undergrad and grad school.  Never had the other class, but it sounds like something that will teach you how to create work-life balance.

Swazzle

@CocoBellaF - You asked for it.......

H and I went to South Africa for our HM as you all know. We spent the first half of the trip in Cape Town and the second half on a safari. Blame Coco for the onslaught of photos. Here's part one. 

First night/dinner of our HM. RIP H's ring: 



This is at Boulder Beach where I tried unsuccessfully to bring @GoldenPenguin a gift home with me:



This is at the top of Cape Point which is the most south-westerly tip of the whole continent of Africa: 



Monkey's on the side of the road! 



Apparently this is at the top of Table Mountain. I wouldn't know because I had a full blown panic attack due to my fear of heights: 



I swam with Great White Sharks in the Indian Ocean and it was absolutely incredible (I did not get sick): 



And this is Joseph, my favorite cheetah on the Earth (because he's the only one I've gotten to touch). Softest kitten baby EVER: 

minskat30

Good morning.  I'm trying to catch up at work today so I'm behind everything this morning.  

I did want to say Happy Anniversary @swazzle!!!  Also, MAJOR congrats on the weight loss!!!

Also @cu97tiger - I don't blame you one bit for not wanting to make those long drives.  I hope things aren't too akward at the old clinic.

@southernpeach89 - Your whole family is adorable but your H is particularly adorable today...his surprise is so freaking sweet.  

@labor - Patching drywall = no fun.  I would have hid in the linen closet too reorganizing.  

@speakeasy14 - I love that hair inspiration picture.  I need to get something done with my hair and might steal it.    When are you getting it done?

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Another long night at Casa Minskat.  I upped Raj's sedative in the hope that that would help him sleep through the night peacefully...no go.  He still woke up an hour before his pain pills are supposed to wear off.  So he started licking his wound, which woke me up because I have the insane ability to wake up at the slightest noise when it comes to Raj, and we spent some quality time together at 2 am until I could give him his pain meds and then stay up with him a little longer to get him not to fight the medicine's effects.  He's doing really well and is such a good boy though...he just snuggles up to me and wants his nose scratched and his head softly petted.  Sweet boy.  

Today is work, work, work...I have to talk to my assistant today too about yesterday so that is going to be interesting.  Sigh.  I'm going home and getting a nap in right after work for an hour or two.  Other than that, I have zero plans tonight. 

PamBeesly524

@minskat30 poor Raj! I hope you guys can all get some sleep tonight. I wasn't on yesterday but I did read about your assistant... Good luck with that!

speakeasy14

@minskat30 tomorrow at 6. You should totally do the same and then we can be hair twins! Also, I will send all the vibes that you don't throat punch that biotch, even though she deserves it.

** @swazzle MORE PICTURES!!!!

LizzyTish88

@speakeasy14 Love the inspiration pics!! Can't wait to see it!

@minskat30 Good luck talking to the witch. Glad Raj seems to be doing well! I'm sure he is loving all the mom snuggles he's getting!!

Swazzle

And part two. Again, blame @CocoBellaF !!! 

LOLZ. Get it? GET IT?


Sassy baby zebra




This is the moment when I cried on my HM:









ROAD BLOCK:



H took this, isn't it amazing? #nofilter







Such a cat! 



The very allusive, leopard: 



Hiphopanonymous


Babies gnawing on a dead wildebeast:



Sorrynotsorry. I loved my HM and couldn't narrow it down. #AWalert

Swazzle

@minskat30 - Awwwwww Raj! I'm glad he's getting better but I hope you both get more sleep tonight! 

PamBeesly524

@Swazzle OMG i am in love with all of your photos. Did you guys sign up for a week long or whatever tour with a guide or just kind of wing it? I'm always in awe of people who can plan vacations like this!

Also do you have a fancy camera?

speakeasy14

@swazzle omg forget the lion babies, you hugged an elephant!!!!! Now I'm crying.

Swazzle

@PamBeesly524 - I booked the whole package through South African Airways Vacations. They handled EVERYTHING. The flights to South Africa, the flights within South Africa, the hotel in Cape Town, the safari, and all transfers. 

H has a fancy camera. A Nikon something or other. 

LizzyTish88

@Swazzle Everytime you post these I want to book a trip ASAP!! I feel like BF would lose his shit! He had never even been to the zoo before I took him to Animal Kingdom last year and he wants to get close to animals. I might just have to see if there is a way. 

[Deleted User]

@Swazzle - Happy Anniversary!  I love your wedding pics!  And your honeymoon pics.  And congrats on the weight loss!

@southernpeach89 - It Takes Two was my favorite of their movies.  That's an awesome present!

@PamBeesly524 - I find your half training inspiring, just so you know. I don't know if I'll ever run another half (ran one in 2014 and then didn't run at all for 9 months), but it inspires me to get out the door and do my 2-3 miles!

@LizzyTish88 - I love that gift!  I think that's a great idea.

Morning everybody!  Another quiet day for me here...I'm hiding in my office alternating between reading and writing for most of the day.  I woke up missing BF more than normal (happens some days, damn long distance thing), so I stopped at Chickfila and got one of their frosted coffees, which was delicious and made me happier.  This afternoon we have a retirement party for a couple of people here in the office, but I don't know either of them (and I forgot to bring a plate of appetizers like I was supposed to), so I'm not sure I'll go.  Although there is prosecco in the break room, and who am I to say no to prosecco?

*Edited because I tagged @LizzyTish88 wrong the first time because I can't type.*

[Deleted User]

@swazzle I love your HM pictures sooo much! You got the perfect photos! 

PamBeesly524

@futuremrshistorian Aw, thanks so much! To be honest, I have my friend to thank for this one. H and I did one in 2014 and after a super hot summer of sweaty, exhausting training I thought I'd never do one again... Then we signed up for the same one in 2015. I trained all summer again and then got a cold/fever and couldn't run the weekend of the race. And I'm a generally healthy person who RARELY gets sick. I was devastated because I had put in so much work for nothing.

So I really thought I'd never do it again. Then my best friend told me that it was on her bucket list to do one... She's not a runner but she wanted to push herself to do it. So she convinced me to sign up and here we are! I truly have her to thank for the fact that I'm as healthy as I am right now. Even if you can't run with someone physically (She doesn't live near me), knowing that you're committed to a task with someone else truly helps. 

I'm always here for anyone who wants to sign up for a race with me or around the same time as one I'm doing! It's fun to check in on progress, etc. with a buddy.

jenna8984

@swazzle won't have the diabetes results til tomorrow, hopefully it's fine since I really don't eat that much sugar. But you never know. The second she put the stethoscope on my tummy his heartbeat was right there, like always, so she always says what a great cooperative baby he is! Those pics are soooo great, I especially love the one with you guys standing by the elephant feet. I've been to Morocco but that's an entirely different part of Africa that's all sand dunes, no cool animals (well except camels!)

@pambeesly524 man!! Megan Mullaly is like my favorite person, I am so bummed that it's in August when I'm due. I can't get tickets knowing it'll be a week after birth, darn!

[Deleted User]

@PamBeesly524 - Almost the exact same thing happened to me when I started running in 2013.  My BFF (who has always been a runner and ran cross-country in high school) told me if I signed up for a 5K she would come from Texas to Oklahoma and run it with me.  So we did.  The next year, when I ran the half, she was supposed to come run it with me and her now ex-husband threw a fit about it and refused to watch their kids, so she couldn't.  Running one with her is still on my bucket list, but life circumstances are such right now that it's going to be a while.

labro

minskat30 said:

@labor - Patching drywall = no fun.  I would have hid in the linen closet too reorganizing.  

I see what you did there. Don't worry, I won't blame you because you're exhausted taking care of Raj plus it was probably just some Freudian slip. It's not like you're having a baby in less than a month or something.

@Swazzle Nope. I rolled them. :P 

minskat30

@labro - I STILL didn't catch what I did until I re-read my post like 5 times thinking "did I say something clever?!?"  Nope.  Sorry.  

eilis1228

@Swazzle Happy Anniversary! Such a beautiful, perfect day. I love that you guys are eating pizza tonight. Way to go on the weight loss!!!!! That's a lot of pennies!

@southernpeach89 I love that gift Such a funny movie-- basically defined my childhood. I'm sorry that your H's friends aren't inviting anyone to witness the ceremony. That's so frustrating. I think my cousin will be doing something very similar, and I have mixed feelings about it. Oh, and back to Mary Kate and Ashley... my parents gave me a bunch of my childhood books recently:



@PamBeesly524 Sounds like a fantastic weekend! How exciting that you had such a big hand in that policy! Ohhh Nick Offerman was so funny! He does a lot of singing though, which was unexpected. I'm so jealous that you get to see him AND his wife! I bet they're hysterical together.

@LizzyTish88 Love that gift! Very cute! We have tons of stuff like that hanging in our home now. 

@cu97tiger Wow, what a crazy morning! Also, I'm glad you made a decision you're comfortable with about the clinic. 

@labro I can't wait to see pics of everything!

@speakeasy14 LOVE that cut and color! Please AW pics!

@untouchablets Good luck with your studying today!

@beachyone15 That is amazing that your internal clock has adjusted so perfectly! 

@minskat30 You are an amazing mother!

@futuremrshistorian Big hugs!
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Not much to report over here. By the time I got home, I was exhausted, so I didn't go to the gym. Zoey and I hung out and watched Parenthood all night. H got home late and didn't want dinner, so I made a frozen personal pizza for me. I went to bed later than I thought-- started a new book and ended up reading until 12:30. I need to get better about that.

I was so exhausted this morning that I couldn't get out of bed until 9:30. Oops. Good thing I'm WFH today.

[Deleted User]

@eilis1228 Ahhhh so many memories!!! I loved all their shows and movies!

PamBeesly524

@eilis1228 I forgot that you saw him recently! Presale starts at noon today and I'm going to be going into a meeting... You can bet your ass that I'll have my credit card out ordering tickets right in the meeting - no shame. I want to get good seats!

wink0erin

@Swazzle HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! LOVE your pics, especially the HM ones! BF's parents were just in South Africa and had so many cool photos too, I want to go!
@southernpeach89 Wow at your friends. It's not really eloping if people know about it! And SO SWEET of your H to get you that DVD!
@lizzytish88 That's a really cute idea!

Once again I barely slept last night. At 1am I ended up taking melatonin with hopes it would help. It did, but I definitely wanted to sleep more this morning.

I have a lot of work to finish up today so that I can do all the checking tomorrow and write memos for my report on Friday in time for me to leave town for Charlotte. Fingers crossed I don't hit any road blocks!

I would stay late today but I have a landscaper coming to my house at 4:30 for a consultation. I really want my patio put in and the drainage issues dealt with so I can sit outside with wine! I'm worried it's going to be a hugely expensive project because of the drainage issues though.

ETA: Surprise should be arriving at someone's home today!

Swazzle

I feel like I killed the daily thread today 

AlPacina

@swazzle – You and your H are such pretty people. Happy anniversary! I love the rhino road block. Well, I love all of it.

@LizzyTish88 – I think your idea for the shower gifts is awesome! I love it! Although, when I try to get crafty I almost exclusively fuck it up.

@wink0erin – I hope you get your patio soon!!! I love sitting outside. My next step is getting my deck at least partially covered by an awning so I can be outside even when it’s raining!

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The baked fish worked out super well! I'll definitely be keeping that recipe in my rotation since it was so easy and quick. We also watched more of The Path last night. Aaron Paul is killing it!

My BF is definitely going to visit Bahrain at the end of the month for work. I'm going to binge watch girl shows and eat all the stuff he hates to eat while he's gone, haha. I'm going to miss him, though, especially since I can't talk to him during his 24+ hours of travel each direction. So if some of you start getting lots of messages randomly it will be because I'm bored. Next week is his birthday, so I think I'll throw in some travel stuff as part of it. Especially things to keep him occupied.

eilis1228

Swazzle said:

I feel like I killed the daily thread today 

Swazzle

@AlPacina - I like to do fish foil packs with similar ingredients! I hope for all the texts/messages! 

@eilis1228 - That is the most perfect meme ever. 

PamBeesly524

I got tickets! Not front row balcony like I wanted, but second balcony row aisle. I'm so excited to give them to him! They were way over our set budget for gifts but I don't even care.

I also got him that weird toilet paper thing on etsy because it's hilarious. And we went away in VT in March.

Whatever, you only have your 1st anniversary once right?

eilis1228

@AlPacina What does your BF do that allows him to travel to Bahrain for work? I gotta get that job!