26. AKA-The Birthday That Just Keeps Giving

In all of my whining about my crap weekend, I totally forgot to mention one of the more awesome things that someone has done for me in a while...

My uncle, gave me my birthday present. Can I turn 26 next year too? And the year after? Seriously, this birthday has kept going and going...

Anyway I have Photoshop! I have no idea what to do with it, or how to do anything with it, but? I HAVE PHOTOSHOP!

I can't wait to have time (ha!) to play with it and learn all the cool stuff. Up until now I'd been editing my photos with Aperture, and months later I feel like I just got the hang of that. 

Anyway, I honestly just had to choose whether to blog, or open up/play with Photoshop because my time is so limited. You win!

So if you don't hear from me for a while, you'll know where I am. 

Ahem.

Someone May Get Lucky

C threw away half of his Valentine's gift from me on Sunday. Yep. Threw away. In the trash. It's long gone.

The dark chocolate that was never even opened.

The super nice comfy socks. This guy goes through socks like I go through strawberries.

And the mushy card from me to him.

I am sad.

Some dumpster diver may get lucky. 

Apparently he threw everything, but the shoes (the only gift from me to him that didn't get thrown away) into the empty shoe box. Which got thrown in my empty gift box. Which got thrown into the trash. I just assumed he'd put everything away. No. And you'd think since he was the one who threw it all away, he would have remembered that he threw all that stuff in the box he was currently carrying to the dumpster.

Men.

All he was thinking about were the awesome new shoes on his feet.

I did good.

He did good too-

It turns out, e-mailing him my Amazon wish list was the way to go. I love my new Epiphanie bag.

I still can't believe that half of his gift is in a landfill somewhere.

Valentine's Day gift fail.

Gotcha (Accidentally)

Shortly after posting this, I realized my mistake.

It's not an engagement ring. 

Chris bought me the ring Christmas of 2007. I've worn it basically every day since, but I didn't realize you guys had probably never seen it. So, to the 37 of you who immediately texted/FB'd/Messaged me somehow, no. It's not a ring. 

Yet. 

Maybe in 2012?

Santa Totally Delivered

I can cross TWO things off of my wish list. 

Santa totally outdid himself this year.

The first thing that I opened was an SD card. I didn't know what was going on so I don't have many pictures to document with.

I mean, when I saw it was an SD card, I kind of thought I would be getting cash to go buy the camera I've been wanting.

Then Chris handed me this. In a box of course.

And then I cried. And everyone got really quiet because they couldn't figure out why I was crying. Then Tyler said, "Awkward!" And I started laughing. I've been wanting this camera for years now, that's why on my wish list it's listed as a T2i. I am so excited. And grateful . I can't believe it's mine.

Thank you Dad, Sean and Chris! 

Then, I finally got to open the big one that has been under the tree for a whole month now.

What was it?

Best. Christmas. Ever.

Thank you Chris!

Shortly after opening those two things I got that feeling. You know, the one you get when you get those great/expensive gifts and realize the gift you got the person that spent so much on you, just isn't enough.

So, I waited. Waited for my brothers or someone to start getting that mopey face. You know the one. But it never happened. Everyone is just so excited to be all together this year that the gifts don't matter as much.

I love today.

I'm 5.

Really. Sometimes I act like a 5 year old. Especially around the holidays. 

For instance, so what if I woke up nearly every morning last week and ran to the tree to see if Chris had stuck any gifts under the tree for me? 

Who cares?

I'm like a 5 year old sometimes.  I admit it .

And you know what? One morning it paid off. Why? Because I found this-

Heck yes. There's only one thing on my wish list that needs a box this big.

Now, if only I can get through all of my holiday baking without Chris begging me to open it and use it using this bad boy...

We Were THOSE People

We participated in Black Friday for the first time this year. We had everything all planned out. 

So we got in line at Kohl's at 10pm. It was lame. There were like 12 people in front of us and 3 people behind us for that first hour. Here's the parking lot in front of the store at 10pm-

Here's the same spot around 11:30-

It was Kohl's you guys. I never shop at Kohl's, the only thing I ever buy there is stuff for our apartment. The clothes always shrink, and the prices aren't that great. But anyway, there were at least 100 people in line when the doors opened at midnight. 

It. Was. Crazy.

And I didn't even mention the very large hispanic family who tried to cut in front of the line. I got scared.

BUT! We ran in there, grabbed what I needed, checked out, and ran out all in under 15 minutes. It was pretty sweet. And I had an awesome coupon. 

There was seriously no need for me to "run" but I wanted to get out of there before people started fighting over the Fiestaware.

And yes, We stood in line for two hours in order to get one stock pot for my dad. That's all he asked for for Christmas, and Kohl's is the only place I'd ever seen them. Don't judge me.

So, by this time it was 12:15 and we decided to run over to Best Buy. Oh dear. 

That place was insane. 

This was the check out line that snaked through the entire store.

We stood in line for an HOUR for an OTTER BOX that Chris has been wanting for a while that was on sale.

 

LAME. My back was hurting so bad and it was hot in there and it was just a mess but we stuck it out and he got his silly gift. Heck yes, I'm wrapping that sucker and sticking it under the Christmas tree. 

We were planning to hit up Target as well, but I didn't really have a list for there and I was more than done standing in line so we just went home.

Next year (if we're THOSE people again) I have a better Black Friday plan...

I'd Do It For A Living

If I could buy and give baby gifts away for a living, I'd die a happy girl. 

I hate shopping for myself. HATE. I just don't do it. But if I'm shopping for a gift for someone? I. Love. It. 

Especially if it's a baby gift that I'm looking for.

As usual, everyone around us is popping out babies. Boys to be exact. It seems like I rarely get to buy anything pink. I don't even care. A few weeks ago I whipped up this gift for a co-worker-

That's a pack of diapers, pacifiers, a onesie, pants, hat, and blanket. The only thing I had bought were the pacifiers. I sort of have a stash...

Then my IRL buddy The Nerd's Wife, had baby Andrew last week. He was a few weeks early so we were on the hunt for preemie stuff. I didn't have any preemie stuff in my Gymboree stash, so I went to Carter's for the first time. 

It was overwhelming. The place was packed. I thought for sure we wouldn't have success, but we did! And?

Chris had more fun shopping than I did. I told him we were in big financial trouble if we ever got pregnant. 

We found an amazing blanket at Carter's, that thing deserves a post all it's own. It was so soft and cuddly.

Here's a sneak peek at what we sent baby Andrew-

So yeah, that's what I like to do. If I could make a living shopping for little bitty baby things, and then giving it as a gift?  I so would.

My 2011 Christmas List

I officially started my Christmas shopping on Saturday. That's late for me, I usually start in August/September. I asked Chris if he'd started shopping for me yet. I can't get an answer out of him. There better be something under our tree with my name on it, because he'll have a few things under it with his name on it! 

*cough*

This is the first Christmas that we've ever really planned on buying each other anything for Christmas. Last year, we went together and bought our TV. The years before that? There really wasn't any extra money for gifts. 

So just in case Mister has forgotten what's on my list this year-

Red. That's the only catch. Please and thank you.

Really, that's the only thing I've been begging asking for, for the last couple of years. There are a few other things that I want...

Still waiting for my Canon Rebel T3i.

A hot pink and black Otter Box. 

Those really soft pajama pants from Gap or Old Navy. I ask for these every year.

Money to go toward new tires for my car. I don't even want to think about buying tires in the next few months. But I have to!

And if this is the year that he wants to finally put a ring on it, I'm game. 

:)

Our New Toy

I don't drink coffee. Honestly, I can't even stand the smell of it. Chris will drink it, but it's not something he needs every day.

We were grocery shopping the other night and I saw the K-cups. I knew that they came in a bazillion coffee varieties, but I didn't know that you could get K-cups that were hot chocolate, apple cider and CHAI TEA?!

What the wha?

I called my grandma the next day to see if she had been using her Keurig at all. Her and my grandpa got one for Christmas last year and my grandma always said the coffee was too strong for her. So I asked her if we could borrow it. 

Hello new toy on our kitchen counter.

Thanks, grandma!

I can't wait to get some chai tea running through this thing. The weather around here has been perfect for just that.

Anyone tried anything besides coffee in theirs? If so, what?

This Is Me...

...being creative.

This is Jaycie...

...being annoying.

I could never have a career where I had to be creative every day. I've been working on this project for the last couple of weeks. And by working, I mean the supplies have been sitting there while I've been thinking about what to do with them.

Maybe it has something to do with my personality?

 

Chopped

It had been tooooo long since I had gotten my hair cut. My hair was long, and annoying. I kept complaining to Chris about it. He had always wanted me to grow my hair out but I think after listening to me complain about it for over a year...he was over it.

Finally, about a month before my birthday, he told me to make an appointment and get it chopped off. I didn't waste much time. In fact, I got my hair chopped off on my birthday.FYI-I could have gotten my hair cut whenever I wanted, it just made me feel better to let Chris know I was wanting to do it and well, he is bringing home the bacon these days so I thought he should know what I was about to spend on myself. We'll just call it a birthday present to myself.

The night before I got it chopped off, Chris kept playing with my ponytail. I think he was saying goodbye. I was saying good riddance!

I was nervous because I went to someone new. But I loved her! And, I love my hair! I told/showed her the cut that I wanted but as far as the color was concerned I let her do whatever she wanted. Brave huh? I just told her I'd rather not have any blonde and she came up with this.

And now here comes picture overload. I just can't help myself.

Here is a before-

Yucky, gross, long, stringy, boring.

And a few hours later-

Shorter!

More color!

See the red?

Even toward the end of the day it still looked cute!

I will never let my hair grow long again.

Much better.

For the record, Chris likes it too! He really likes the tiny bit of red. I could go fire engine red on my head and he'd like it though. I think that's a guy thing?

He Won

Do you remember this post? Well, at the end I was talking about how Chris wanted a TN Titans beanie. Or toboggan. Or knit cap. Whatever you call it. Anyway, that same day guess what Chris got?

What a brat. Kidding, he did need something to keep his head warm. Ya know since he shaved it and all.

Yes, that's a Batman shirt. He's a big kid.

What a ham. He loves this beanie/toboggan/kint cap thingie. He also got a solid brown one and a solid black one. More versitile, cause that's how I roll.

Hehe.

Bad Day Gone Good

It's Wednesday. Two more days of chemotherapy (this week). It is kicking Chris' butt. We get to the doctors office at about 8:30 every morning. He's usually hooked up to hydration for a bit before he starts his chemo drugs. The Cisplatin is no good for his kidneys so he has to drink tons of water and pee all day. He's not happy about that. Before he's given the chemo drugs he's given an anti nausea shot, Kytril, it seems to be working. He's also given a steroid shot to help keep the fatigue away, dexamethasone, which is kind of  working. He's then given the Etoposide which takes about an hour to drip. When that is done he gets his Cisplatin which takes about thirty minutes to drip. If it is a Tuesday then after Cisplatin he gets Bleomycin which takes about ten minutes to drip.

You get all that?

Also, since we are self-pay, no insurance, all of this is going through an IV. An IV that he either has to get every single day or he can decide to leave it in for the week (and hope it works when we get there the next morning) He's had one in the last two days, Monday he just wanted the damn thing out when he was finished. I don't blame him. If we had insurance then he could have a PICC line or a Port-a-Cath. But alas, he must be poked and prodded every time he needs to have a lab and/or medication. It's driving him nuts. Here he is at home with it all wrapped up-

See that lump toward the top? Yeah, that's the IV. It irritates him but it's better to come home with the IV than to have to get a new one every single day. I'm still trying to convince him of that fact myself. Poor Chris.

Wanna know what we've been doing all day? Well let me show you, besides playing Phase 10 we've been laying on the couch-

He pretty much has no appetite. But when he's hungry, he's starving! The nurse yesterday said I'd have to go to the grocery store by Friday because the steroid shot he's getting every day will make him hungry eat like a pig.

Had to go to the store today.

He needs lots and lots and lots of protein to keep up his energy so his body can make new healthy! cells. Here was breakfast this morning-

He looks very happy to be having his picture taken at 7 in the morning huh? In case you can't see, that's eggs, sausage, milk, water and when he was finished he had toast. Two hours later he had yogurt and chips (not together because that would be gross) but yeah. He hasn't had much of an appetite or at least much doesn't sound good to him so when he says he wants something I run in and make it before the craving passes.

Hang on I'm getting to the good, best part of the day next...

So I have this friend, her name is Arena. We've kept in touch since high school and she's pretty much the only old friend I see kinda sorta regularly? Anyway here we are-

It's old as you can see but hey, my double chin is less prominent here. So that's Arena. She sent me something in the mail today. Totally brightened up our day. Yes I said our, Chris was totally into it as well. Here's what she sent-

It's Pioneer Woman's Cookbook. You see, I've kind of been blog stalking her for a little while, little did I know so has Arena. Well she just did a book tour and I wasn't able to make it into Austin when she was at Book People, so Arena caught her when she was in Dallas and she sent me this! Aw. The pictures! Wow she did all of the photography for the book and it's so awesome. I want an awesome camera, and her mad photo taking skills. Oh and of course there are recipies, duh. Like, yummy we are going to gain 59 lbs just reading this, recipes. Oh, and did I mention this?

That's me!! Totally awesome. Made my day! And Chris was drooling over the thing so look who might actually eat a couple of meals tomorrow instead of just the one. Thanks Arena!

Sorry, I can't stop looking at it. Alright, I better wrap this up because I'm pretty sure Chris is passed out on the floor. I need to get him into bed! Thanks everyone for reading this crazy long post about our crazy long day :)