Category: Fun & Games

Weekend Recap

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Friday we had our friends EN & KM over for a movie night. We ordered deep dish from Lou Malnati’s and watched Grandma’s Boy which they both loved. Wookie was a bit apprehensive when they first came over but by the end of the night she was playing with them and actually wouldn’t stop going over by EN and getting in his face.

Didn’t do much Saturday except go shopping. We hit up Target and then later took Wookie to Petsmart (where we scored a free bag of food) and Petco looking for a new travel carrier since we’re flying out to Arizona soon and her old one is way too small. We almost got one at Petco but I’m glad we didn’t because I found the smaller version of the same carrier on their website for less and ordered it Saturday night. We also stopped by Chipotle to pick up food since I had a BOGO coupon.

Sunday, as noted in my other entry, was Indiana Beach.

Today we did a little more shopping and then went to the dentist for my cleaning which I had rescheduled from June because I was in too much pain at the time. Back then it was mostly my neck that was stiff and my top back teeth were sore and now it’s my teeth and I have ringing in my right ear. The x-rays the dentist took didn’t reveal a cause; he thinks it’s my sinuses even though I don’t have any drainage. I really should see a doctor, but I’m just feeling discouraged right now since when I saw my ENT two months ago he didn’t think any of my issues were in his realm. So I saw my primary care who gave me a steroid which helped resolve the neck issues but not the overall pressure in my face/head. I think I need to find a new ENT but I’m so tired of seeing doctors. At what point do I just give up, deal with the issues, and hope they eventually resolve on their own?

That being said, I’m contemplating being tested for Lyme Disease now that Brother # 2 was diagnosed with it since he’s had less symptoms than I have. A Google search has revealed that it’s possible my sudden increase in panic attacks and the ear ringing could be caused by Chronic Lyme. I was going to call the insurance today to try and find out how much the test would cost but at this point I don’t care because I need to at least rule it out as the cause of these mysterious ailments I’ve been having lately. I’m so tired of one medical issue after another. Rarely does a day go by that something isn’t feeling weird or causing me pain. It has made my already intense fear of dying worse than ever because I worry there’s something really wrong with me that no one has been able to diagnose yet and I’m going to die because it wasn’t caught in time.

Annual Party

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My bookbag smells like a campfire despite using Febreeze on it. Just one of the drawbacks to sitting in front of a bonfire for the evening.

Sunday was one of the cooler days we’ve had lately and it was our friend’s annual party. She always holds it on the last day of our city’s Summerfest so we can walk a few blocks from her house to the park to watch the fireworks. They screwed them up, however, and we never got a big finale. They later posted online about them being deemed unsafe. 

I was really glad I brought extra clothes, although before we lit the firepit I was still freezing. Other than that and having to immediately shower when we got home around midnight, it was a great night. Lots of laughs and our friend whose wife passed away two years ago from cancer was even able to join us. Last year he met up for our pre-party lunch but went home afterwards  due to work obligations the following day.

We didn’t get to bed until sometime around 2 am since we wanted to let Wookie run around after having been cooped up all afternoon and evening. Even though we didn’t sleep in too late on Monday we were both exhausted and unmotivated. Other than some laundry and a trip to Aldi to take advantage of a rare coupon to celebrate their grand  re-opening, it wasn’t a very productive day.

Sibling Weekend

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Saturday both my brothers and B’s girlfriend came over to spend the day hanging out. R texted me at 11 am to let me know they were on the way and I timed it so Wookie and I were finishing up a walk when they pulled up. She instantly recognized J and ran around him excitedly while peeing. She did the same for my other brother and R. It was so cute and nice to see her not being standoffish at all.

A little while later we went out to lunch to Bulldog Alehouse. Joe and I paid but it wasn’t bad since we had a restaurant.com gift certificate our friends gave us quite awhile ago.

After lunch we stopped at Half Price Books and then hung out at home for a bit before going to a local park. We all piled into Joe’s Escape so I sat in back between my brothers with Wookie on my lap. On the way back B treated us to some ice coffee from Dunkin Donuts. I usually get the Vanilla Swirl but tried the Hazelnut and it was good, other than the fact that I suspect they didn’t give me decaf as ordered. It wasn’t marked on the cup as such anyway.

I grilled burgers for dinner and later that evening we played Jenga and Aggravation before everyone left around 10 pm. The time went by so fast even though we were mostly just talking a lot of the time.

R and B are probably going to come over and watch Wookie next month when we have two day-long events to attend. Since they now have a dog of their own R would rather watch Wookie at our place which is fine by me. I know she’s trustworthy and I feel better about her being in my house than hiring a dog sitter who, while I’m sure is safe, is still a stranger. That’s a load off my mind, actually, because I didn’t want to keep Wookie locked up for 12+ hours two days in a row. I think she would be ok, but it’s certainly not nice.

Memorial Day Weekend

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Friday was cleaning day, although I had to go into work for a couple of hours to make up some time I missed earlier in the week. I got to partake in the Friday treats they bring in weekly, though, so that was nice, especially because they brought in cinnamon rolls from a bakery that were so delicious I practically inhaled mine.

Friday night Joe and I had dinner at Noodles & Company since they just opened one near us. I had a gift card so it only cost a few bucks out of pocket.

Saturday we did a little grocery shopping at Target and then headed to my parents’ with Wookie. On the way there we stopped at K’s apartment to drop off our old printer and some glassware. Her guinea pigs have gotten so big! She had them in a playpen which is cute.

I purchased a booster seat for Wookie from Amazon earlier in the week and it seemed to help her motion sickness as she didn’t throw up on the car ride to my parents, or on the ride home. In fact she was so relaxed at one point she fell asleep.

She had a lot of fun running around the yard most of the afternoon and evening. My mom had gotten her two toys which she really liked too.

We put her in her crate in the garage with the big door (yard side) open a crack to get fresh air while we ate or played a game. Being the paranoid person I am, I kept checking on her out the window. We finally played the Logo Trivia game I had gotten at Savers awhile back. It was interesting, although hard. We only played one game as by then Wookie was getting restless in her crate and we decided to head home (at 10 pm). It was a fun night and we had tasty Long John Silvers amongst other things, although I feel guilty that my mom spent so much money on food.

Sunday we went over to Savers for their Memorial Day sale and I ended up with a tank top and Joe got a pair of shorts. I pretty much hate most of my summer clothing so it sucks I can’t find any t-shirts I like. I don’t feel comfortable wearing tight clothing since I’ve gained some weight and feel self conscious. After a few more stores we spent the rest of the day at home. We let Wookie run around out back secured to the tie-out. I need to find a shorter tether since she gets into too many things with the 15 or 20 ft cord we have now.

Monday we planned on taking advantage of a local Asian place’s lunch specials but they weren’t offering them due to the holiday so after a walk at the park with Wookie we got Taco Bell. I wanted to try their Naked Chicken Chips which I really enjoyed, but not the bean burrito I also decided to try. They stuffed one half with just beans and the other half mostly rice so the ratio was all off. I could make a tastier burrito at home and for cheaper. I really like making my own burrito bowls, in fact, even without any meat. I just add some beef stock to the rice and top it with black beans, cheese, rotel, and sour cream. Probably not very health conscious since it’s high in calories but it’s very yummy, not to mention quick and easy!

I grilled burgers for dinner… and that was our holiday weekend. The end.

Weekend Roundup

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Friday (3/24) evening we decided to check out the fish fry at the local golf club and invited a friend to join us. I am not a big fan of fish so I ordered the manicotti for $9.99 and was able to access the same salad bar that came with the fish fry. The food itself was just ok. There’s no full-time bar/restaurant in the place so that might have been why it wasn’t better. They only serve food there during Lent. In any case it was still nice to do something different and catch up with our friend.

Saturday (3/25) morning we went to Schaumburg so I could check out this store called At Home. It used to be called Garden Ridge but apparently they changed them all to At Home so it’s the same everywhere. There was one in Arizona that we browsed when we were there which I liked. We purchased two different sized coffee table trays (a small one for $8 and a larger one for $10) since I wasn’t sure which size would work best on the coffee table.

We also checked out Home Goods and The Container Store for a ceramic crock I could keep the remotes in. I had seen a nice setup in an organization video on YouTube and wanted to do that on our coffee table too. We didn’t have much luck, although we did get some travel containers at The Container Store so we don’t have to spend extra money buying travel-sized saline and contact lens solution anymore.

I felt a little guilty leaving Wookie home alone so soon after her surgery but to be honest she won’t calm down and nap when we’re home so it was actually better for her that we left the house. She’s really good about just napping whenever she’s alone.

Since it was a rainy day I spent the entire afternoon reading books I had borrowed from the library that morning.

Sunday (3/26) we didn’t get out of bed until 9 or something which is crazy for us. We did some shopping at Walmart and then I started a batch of stuffed pepper soup in the crockpot before we went back out to Pet Supplies Plus to get Wookie a different food. It seems all the puppy food has chicken in it, however, so I’m not sure how much switching her food is going to help but we got a bag of Wellness puppy food for small breeds which was on sale for $10 for a 4 lb bag.

After stopping at the grocery store we spent the rest of the day watching tv and then watched Sing in the evening. It was an ok movie; nothing too spectacular.

This morning after cleaning I went to Savers to browse. I found a bunch of sweaters and pajama pants to try on but wouldn’t you know it, none of them were all that flattering. I did buy a game called Last Word for only $2 though.

I decided to stop at Target and found a ceramic crock for $3. It had a little handle which I just removed since it was a goldish color I didn’t care for. Here’s how organized the coffee table now looks:

I’m thinking about buying some contact paper to put inside the tray since the finish scratches easily but for now I just used the non-slip stuff I use for inside drawers and other containers. It’s not as pretty but it’s functional at least. Honestly, I wish they had nicer color trays but the only options were black, white, or teal so we went with black. A deep purple would have been cool. Oh, and that’s the smaller tray. I think it works better to leave more space for books and magazines on the table.