Category: Love & Marriage

Halloween Houses & Craft Shows

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Saturday (10/20) we went to Willowbrook High School for their annual craft fair but left empty-handed unlike last year. I did see a few things I liked, including a little fleece jacket for Wookie that fastened with velcro (which she prefers over wearing something that goes over her head) but the only version in her size was cut a little crooked so I opted not to get it. I took the woman’s card and I might purchase a custom made jacket at some point since her prices were reasonable and she’s local.

Joe had to go to court twice that week (10/22 and 10/25) to get his old child support accounts officially terminated so they stop charging us $36 annually to maintain accounts that aren’t even being used. I really hate the state of Illinois and the hoops they make you jump through. He sat in the courtroom all morning and part of the afternoon that Monday just to get a stamped piece of paper that took less than five minutes to receive. Luckily on his return trip he only had to wait around an hour.

In between that was our wedding anniversary (10/23) so we visited the arboretum and had a nice dinner at Jameson’s Steakhouse.

This past Friday (10/26) we drove around Carol Stream to look at the houses decorated for Halloween.

On Saturday (10/27) after Joe donated some blood we stopped at Sonny Acres for apple cider donuts and a walking taco for yours truly. I swear their prices keep going up. A half dozen of donuts was $9 and my walking taco was $4. That will probably be our last visit since it’s not that much fun anymore as it always seems cold and there’s nothing to do if you don’t have kids. Doesn’t really matter anyway since the property is up for sale and likely won’t be around come this time next year anyway. That night we stopped at Just Kabobs for dinner and then went on the Gallery of Ghoulish Homes Tour in St. Charles. It wasn’t judging night (which was the previous weekend when the weather was super windy) and we started a bit early (before 6 pm) than usual so it wasn’t the same. We didn’t get out of the car and I didn’t bother taking any photos. Traditions are nice but sometimes they start to get stale, you know? Perhaps that’s a hint we should move…

Yesterday (10/28) we went to Oak Brook mall because I had an appointment with the Apple store to have my iPhone 6 battery replaced since they are only offering the discounted $29 replacements until the end of the year. They wouldn’t do it, however, since I had already had the battery replaced by Batteries+ last year. Something about liability and for the protection of their staff which I guess I understand but still sucks. I debated just upgrading my phone now but other than the improved camera, I’m not all that thrilled with the changes that have been made to the latest iPhones and I sure as hell don’t like the price points. I can’t stand Android, though, so eventually I will have to upgrade, but I’m hoping my current battery will hold out another year and I’ll get whatever the latest and greatest Apple has to offer in 2019. I want to have a good camera in my phone for when we return to Disney World in spring 2020.

Today I went to Savers and then met my friend for lunch at Pot Belly. I struck out at Savers even though I did find a sweater I liked. It was The Loft too, for only $6, but was made with wool and rabbit fur which was itchy and made me sneeze so I passed.

Our Lazy Anniversary

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Sunday was our 11 year wedding anniversary (we’ve been together nearly 16 years). Since money is tight we agreed not to exchange gifts but we did order an electronic gift card for Claim Jumper thanks to our Discover cash back rewards. We love their steaks so we tend to eat there once every few years, typically on our anniversary.

Then inertia struck. Sunday evening rolled around and we didn’t feel like going out so we ordered pizza (using our Lou Malnati’s gift card) and decided we’d visit Claim Jumper on Monday evening instead. We reasoned it wouldn’t be as crowded and since we had errands to run that day we’d already be out. Except on Monday we got up early, got our errands out of the way, and when dinnertime rolled around were busy with stuff around the house and didn’t feel like going out again.

So that’s how we did absolutely nothing to celebrate our anniversary. Woo hoo, marriage!

On the plus side when we are in the mood for a good steak we have the $50 gift card and shouldn’t spend too much out of pocket if we split a nice filet and another entree.

Valentine’s Day & Games

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Joe and I agreed that we weren’t going to exchange gifts for Valentine’s Day this year and instead just have a nice dinner at our favorite Vietnamese place. We changed those plans slightly when my mom asked if we wanted to come over to hang out and play games. So we just got the food earlier. Plus Joe totally broke the pact – this was waiting for me when I walked downstairs Saturday morning.

Valentine's Day gift

I’m not sure what to do with the suckers since I’m more of a chocolate candy person, but they are very cute! And the Russell Stover dark chocolate & marshmallow heart that was included in my gift basket was actually very tasty. I’m not a huge fan of Russell Stover chocolates so I was pleasantly surprised.

Joe also sent me these two ecards. LOL!

Ecard1

Ecard2

Of course, I didn’t keep our pact either and ordered a cute lady-bug Valentine cookie for Joe from Cheryl’s but it was never delivered! I just got off the phone with them and I’m getting a refund. I don’t trust that the replacement will get here either since it started out with UPS and then disappeared once it was transferred to the post office over a week ago. Our asshole mailman probably ate it. ;)

Anyway, after a visit to Costco that was intended just for me to check out their optical department, but ended with us spending $32 on four items (which we had to haul around because we didn’t bother grabbing a cart), and a stop at two pet stores in search of a larger affordable rat cage (which was a bust), we relaxed at home for a bit before heading over to my parents.

When we first arrived we worked on transferring all their files from their old computer to their new one. We tried doing it the last time we were over but Microsoft OneDrive sucks. I had uploaded a zip file to my account but it kept failing when I tried to download it. And until the other day we both had completely forgotten that Joe has an external portable hard drive (and I just remembered today that I have two external hard drives – doh!). So we transferred the files there and then it took mere minutes to get them on the new machine. Derp!

We had no luck getting their old ink jet printer to work, though. The drivers are too old for Windows 7 and my parents refuse to get a laser printer even though it’s so much more economical for the majority of the population who merely prints forms and coupons. Ink jets make about zero sense to own unless you want to print photos and/or color documents (although even for the latter I’d suggest a color laser printer).

My mom gave us some Valentine chocolates, and Brother # 1 gave me a belated birthday present (the Dove chocolates pictured). I tried that extra dark bar last night and it is way too bitter for me! I guess I don’t like daaaaark chocolate, just semi-dark.

Chocolates

I hadn’t intended on us staying at their house past midnight, but we brought along Cards Against Humanity, which we had ordered online a few weeks ago and hadn’t played yet. Holy crap is that game fun! Brother # 1 in particular just loved it (Brother # 2 was out with his girlfriend so it was just Joe, me, my parents, and one brother). We played for hours!

We also ordered Apples to Apples the other day and it was delivered on Sunday (and the Post Office wonders why they are going bankrupt). We plan to play that with E since Cards Against Humanity is way inappropriate (although based on a few things he has said it sounds like he’s played it before with his friends. Oh boy would his mom be horrified if she knew that).

Incidentally, I updated my Excel list of games we own the other day and we have no less than 50 non-video games, including a handful we haven’t even played yet – Boom-O, Bunco, Friends Trivia (a card game), Mad Gab, Scene It Deluxe, and Scattergories. I think it’s safe to say we’re a bit addicted to games in this house. But I’m sure we’ll play them eventually – they are much more fun that video games in my opinion. I really need to host another game night soon!

Anniversary

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Yesterday was our nine year wedding anniversary (we’ve been together fourteen years this January). We didn’t exchange gifts, but we did go out to dinner. Since Joe worked late we didn’t feel like going far to get a steak dinner or something, so we visited our favorite Vietnamese place that makes awesome Chinese food. I guess we should really try their Vietnamese dishes one day, but we are rather hooked on the Chinese cuisine.

Anyway, we got Kung Pao chicken, Sweet & Sour chicken, and instead of our usual, Mongolian Beef, we tried the Beef & Broccoli instead. It was amazing! They are the only place who makes edible beef dishes. I usually avoid beef at Asian restaurants because it tends to be fatty, dry, and chewy, but theirs just about melts in your mouth. They are always so nice too. My only complaint is they are a bit stingy with the rice. We got one plate of rice even though we ordered three full dishes, and we finished it all. They didn’t offer to bring us more, nor did they pack any to go along with our leftovers, so I’ll have to make my own.

Afterwards we went around the corner to a chocolate shop and bought some truffles, and stopped in a candy store too.

So I guess you could say it was a very low-key anniversary. I don’t mind because we tend to fluctuate – some years we exchange gifts and some we don’t. We only do it when we know the other person is wanting something in particular, not just for the sake of giving a gift which seems like a waste of money. The honeymoon is not over, though. If anything, I feel like I love Joe even more now than before. Some of that is due to the stuff we’ve been through together. Plus when I was stressed out at my former job I didn’t have the capacity to appreciate him the way I do now. It’s like my brain can only handle so much input at once before it shuts down certain areas. It’s really hard to explain, but I’m just glad I’m not feeling that way anymore because it sucked. I love my husband so much it freaks me out because I worry something is going to happen to him and I seriously would not be able to handle it. He’s my best friend and the one person in the world I trust completely and who I know loves me for who I am. That makes me incredibly lucky and trust me, I do not take it lightly.

October Catchup

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Just for the record…

We didn’t do much for our anniversary on the 23rd. We just went to Claim Jumper for dinner. We enjoyed a 4-day weekend together but didn’t go away like we had originally contemplated.

Halloween was anticlimactic as usual – only 9 kids this year.

I guess that’s about it other than the fact that someone has purchased the unit next door and has had hired workers to remodel it. We’re not sure whether the owners are planning to live there, rent it out, or flip it. Only time will tell.