Grant and I are off to my parent's house in NH tomorrow morning to spend Christmas Eve and Day with my family. Then on the 26th we're off to Kansas to see his family! I think this is going to be the best Christmas ever. And maybe the last one where I have actual time off to spend days and days with the people I love instead of just a few hours as is normal for people in the hospitality industry. I am very lucky this year to have this opportunity to see everyone so close to the holiday. I don't know when this will happen again.
Grant and I are all moved into our new apartment. It is perfect! Now we just need the gas company to cooperate so we can get hot water!! (long story) and Comcast to come when we get back so we will have our own internet.
I have even more to be thankful for. I got a job! I start January 3rd, the day after we get back. It's easily within walking distance of my apartment too!
In other news: I am selling my car. :( I am really really going to miss her. She was my first car, and anyone who was reading my blog when I first started blogging will remember when I bought her. But, since my job is within walking distance, and Grant has a car, there is just no need for me to have it. I can't afford to register, inspect, and insure it either. I am not going to complain about saving money from avoiding all that! Not to mention the winter parking ban in Montpelier which has me up at 7am every day to move my car from a parking lot to a free spot on the street.
Anyway, I just wanted to give an update and tell everyone Happy Christmas! I hope everyone has a wonderful time. :) See you after the new year!
Friday, December 23, 2011
Monday, December 19, 2011
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
21!
Today is my 21st birthday! Ahh yes, very exciting. I'm happy and all, but it's really not as exciting as all that. I am going to the bar with a friend to see if there are any free drinks to be had for this birthday girl, and then we'll just be hanging out until Grant gets out of class at 10. It's probably bed time shortly after that because I have to be up early tomorrow. I have 2 job interviews tomorrow! And then on Friday Grant and I are going to look at some possible apartments.
How have I spent my birthday so far? Well Grant made me a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich on a bagel for breakfast. (yay!) And then later when we went to the NECI cafeteria for lunch Grant's car decided it wasn't going to start. Turns out the battery is dead. After trying to jump it ourselves to no avail we called AAA to come to our rescue. An hour later the guy jumped us with his super-power jumper (apparently when we tried to jump it the battery was just too dead for regular cables) and we bought a battery from AAA for $120.
Fast forward to me meeting friends for dinner to find a $15 parking ticket on my car. Damn. This is just not our month for cars and money! I'll admit the parking ticket was totally justified, just wishing I hadn't gotten it.
So that is the quick briefing of what has been going on. Hopefully I'll have more information soon about jobs and apartments. I have another thing or two up my sleeves that I am keeping hush hush because I don't know how they might turn out.
And a little something to make up for missing this week's Music Monday:
How have I spent my birthday so far? Well Grant made me a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich on a bagel for breakfast. (yay!) And then later when we went to the NECI cafeteria for lunch Grant's car decided it wasn't going to start. Turns out the battery is dead. After trying to jump it ourselves to no avail we called AAA to come to our rescue. An hour later the guy jumped us with his super-power jumper (apparently when we tried to jump it the battery was just too dead for regular cables) and we bought a battery from AAA for $120.
Fast forward to me meeting friends for dinner to find a $15 parking ticket on my car. Damn. This is just not our month for cars and money! I'll admit the parking ticket was totally justified, just wishing I hadn't gotten it.
So that is the quick briefing of what has been going on. Hopefully I'll have more information soon about jobs and apartments. I have another thing or two up my sleeves that I am keeping hush hush because I don't know how they might turn out.
And a little something to make up for missing this week's Music Monday:
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Not Moving Afterall...
So we have had a major change in plans! Everything got turned upside down in less than a week. It started last Saturday when Grant noticed the heater/AC unit in his car wasn't working. Lucky for us we haven't been getting snow so we could still drive without needing to defrost the windows. We dropped his car off at the mechanic on Monday and they told us it was going to be a $600-something dollar part. With labor, taxes, and the oil change and new wiper blades his car needed the total cost to make his car good to go? $940. That was a painful check to write.
I had some people ask, "Well why did you fix it? Why not just go without heat?" I just wanted to ask these people if they had ever tried to drive a car without heat in a New England winter. Your windows are iced over on the outside, foggy on the inside, and you literally can't see out of any of them until your car has sat there with the heat on for 5 minutes. It isn't ourselves keeping warm we were concerned with, it was being able to safely drive the car.
Anyway, that means we don't have the money to afford an apartment in Park City. Park City is expensive beyond reason. We had people give us plenty of suggestions. "Live in the youth hostel, find a heated storage unit and live in it, just move from temporary housing to temporary housing." None of these sounded at all appealing to us. Maybe we just have too high a standard of living?
So Grant went and talked with the financial aid department at NECI and asked if he could fast track. Fast tracking is skipping the internship altogether and moving on to his BA classes. We originally wanted to do that. We tried to talk to them months ago and they said unless he paid the entire tuition up front he couldn't. They weren't willing to estimate his grants and loans based on what he received before. For some reason they were willing to help him this time!
For a little while we weren't sure of what we were going to do. Find a place less expensive to move to? Go live with his friends in Kansas City? It was stressful not knowing, so I am glad we figured out we are definitely staying. It isn't a bad thing at all, especially because it was our original plan 5 months ago.
The problem? I told my work 3 months ago that my last day was going to be December 21st. They have already replaced me. I am now out of a job. I'm trying to figure out if there is a job within another department at the same hotel I can possibly move to. So far I have been offered a position paying much less money and it is only 4 days a week. I can't take that much of a pay cut and still afford to pay my bills. So as of right now I still don't have a job.
We also don't have an apartment. We are trying to find an amazingly cheap 1 bedroom apartment for just us, or a 2 bedroom and a roommate. We are looking at house shares. No luck yet.
So with the thoughts of "I don't have a job after the 21st, and we don't have an apartment after the 1st." running through my head, I have been worrying myself sick. Literally. I am sick because I've been stressing over this. I just need to calm down and trust that things will work out, but that is so much easier said than done! I want to know that we are going to be okay financially.
We have amazing friends, though. When I was crying and freaking out last night they told me that I was being really silly. "Worst case scenario you come and stay with us until you find another place and you try to work with the school." were their exact words. I feel blessed to have friends who are so willing to give us there extra room.
And I have to say that I am still happier this year than I was this time last year. This time last year Grant had just left to go to Florida for 6 months and I was depressed. I have great friends. An amazing boyfriend. And I am still going to find a way for us to see both our families around the holidays. Really, things aren't that bad. Please keep us in your thoughts though, because I could really use a job and a cheap apartment.
I'm off to send out my resume some more and scour for more apartment opportunities. Maybe I'll be able to rest a little after and my headache will go away. I am too stressed and tired to clean my apartment, which is saying something considering I clean when I get stressed 90% of the time...
I'll keep you posted! Warm wishes to all!
I had some people ask, "Well why did you fix it? Why not just go without heat?" I just wanted to ask these people if they had ever tried to drive a car without heat in a New England winter. Your windows are iced over on the outside, foggy on the inside, and you literally can't see out of any of them until your car has sat there with the heat on for 5 minutes. It isn't ourselves keeping warm we were concerned with, it was being able to safely drive the car.
Anyway, that means we don't have the money to afford an apartment in Park City. Park City is expensive beyond reason. We had people give us plenty of suggestions. "Live in the youth hostel, find a heated storage unit and live in it, just move from temporary housing to temporary housing." None of these sounded at all appealing to us. Maybe we just have too high a standard of living?
So Grant went and talked with the financial aid department at NECI and asked if he could fast track. Fast tracking is skipping the internship altogether and moving on to his BA classes. We originally wanted to do that. We tried to talk to them months ago and they said unless he paid the entire tuition up front he couldn't. They weren't willing to estimate his grants and loans based on what he received before. For some reason they were willing to help him this time!
For a little while we weren't sure of what we were going to do. Find a place less expensive to move to? Go live with his friends in Kansas City? It was stressful not knowing, so I am glad we figured out we are definitely staying. It isn't a bad thing at all, especially because it was our original plan 5 months ago.
The problem? I told my work 3 months ago that my last day was going to be December 21st. They have already replaced me. I am now out of a job. I'm trying to figure out if there is a job within another department at the same hotel I can possibly move to. So far I have been offered a position paying much less money and it is only 4 days a week. I can't take that much of a pay cut and still afford to pay my bills. So as of right now I still don't have a job.
We also don't have an apartment. We are trying to find an amazingly cheap 1 bedroom apartment for just us, or a 2 bedroom and a roommate. We are looking at house shares. No luck yet.
So with the thoughts of "I don't have a job after the 21st, and we don't have an apartment after the 1st." running through my head, I have been worrying myself sick. Literally. I am sick because I've been stressing over this. I just need to calm down and trust that things will work out, but that is so much easier said than done! I want to know that we are going to be okay financially.
We have amazing friends, though. When I was crying and freaking out last night they told me that I was being really silly. "Worst case scenario you come and stay with us until you find another place and you try to work with the school." were their exact words. I feel blessed to have friends who are so willing to give us there extra room.
And I have to say that I am still happier this year than I was this time last year. This time last year Grant had just left to go to Florida for 6 months and I was depressed. I have great friends. An amazing boyfriend. And I am still going to find a way for us to see both our families around the holidays. Really, things aren't that bad. Please keep us in your thoughts though, because I could really use a job and a cheap apartment.
I'm off to send out my resume some more and scour for more apartment opportunities. Maybe I'll be able to rest a little after and my headache will go away. I am too stressed and tired to clean my apartment, which is saying something considering I clean when I get stressed 90% of the time...
I'll keep you posted! Warm wishes to all!
Monday, December 5, 2011
Music Monday
I know there are only a few singers on here, but these are damn good songs. Well, they are if you like country. ;)
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Packing...
Grant and I are slowly packing our things. This calls for some tough decisions, and the realization that we have a lot of stuff. A lot of stuff that, when it comes down to leaving it or lugging it across the country, we're opting to leave it in the closet at my parent's house.
Goodbye more than half my clothes. Half my shoes. Most of my books and movies. I just hope everything we are bringing fits in the car. (hopefully my parents don't give me unneeded stuff for Christmas, or we're screwed) We should be fine if we find a furnished apartment.
On that note, still no luck finding an apartment. Or a job. I almost had a panic attack today thinking about both of those things and the amount of money we have in savings versus the amount of money we might need. I'm still fighting myself to not worry about it.
Yes, we still have time. But not a lot. It's December, and we're moving in less than a month. Yikes. Please wish us luck!
My parents come up this weekend with Tia and our dog Cuda, and they are taking some things back with them. I am very excited to see my sister in just a couple days! And my dog. And my parents. I'm just all around excited for this weekend! Spa day with Tia; lunch with the family. I can't wait! :D
Goodbye more than half my clothes. Half my shoes. Most of my books and movies. I just hope everything we are bringing fits in the car. (hopefully my parents don't give me unneeded stuff for Christmas, or we're screwed) We should be fine if we find a furnished apartment.
On that note, still no luck finding an apartment. Or a job. I almost had a panic attack today thinking about both of those things and the amount of money we have in savings versus the amount of money we might need. I'm still fighting myself to not worry about it.
Yes, we still have time. But not a lot. It's December, and we're moving in less than a month. Yikes. Please wish us luck!
My parents come up this weekend with Tia and our dog Cuda, and they are taking some things back with them. I am very excited to see my sister in just a couple days! And my dog. And my parents. I'm just all around excited for this weekend! Spa day with Tia; lunch with the family. I can't wait! :D
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Baking on a Cool Day
Grant and I had Sunday and Monday off, and yesterday I got the urge to bake. It was a cool, rainy day. The rain, of course, melted all the snow we got last week. So now it's slushy and gross out. Anyway it was a perfect baking day! Plus my sweet tooth wanted something. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I finally chose to make Russian Tea Cakes. I think I first made these in my senior year of high school. I believe I made them for a cookie goodie bag I was giving out to people. I made them again last year with my sister just for us. I've finally perfected the recipe this year!
•1 cup butter
•1 teaspoon vanilla extract
•6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
•2 cups all-purpose flour
•1 teaspoon milk
•1 cup ground walnuts (optional but recommended)
•1/3 cup confectioners' sugar for decoration
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2.In a medium bowl, cream butter and vanilla until smooth. Combine the 6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar and flour; stir into the butter mixture until just blended. Add milk. Mix in walnuts. Roll dough into 1 inch balls, and place them 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
3.Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. When cool, roll in remaining confectioners' sugar.
Why did they come out so much better this year? I did something a little differently that I hadn't done before. I actually added the nuts. I was never a big nut-in-my-cookies fan before, so I had always excluded them. It says optional, right? True, but even adding a little extra flour just doesn't get the same taste or texture. I actually didn't have walnuts, but I did have almonds. Almonds worked perfectly, and I honestly don't think I'll use walnuts next time I make these just because they turned out so well! If I had had any almond extract I would have added that, but we didn't.
Another alteration I made was in the powder coating. I had extra ground almonds, so I mixed that with the powdered sugar. YUM! These made our rainy cold day better. :) What have you baked recently?
•1 cup butter
•1 teaspoon vanilla extract
•6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
•2 cups all-purpose flour
•1 teaspoon milk
•1 cup ground walnuts (optional but recommended)
•1/3 cup confectioners' sugar for decoration
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2.In a medium bowl, cream butter and vanilla until smooth. Combine the 6 tablespoons confectioners' sugar and flour; stir into the butter mixture until just blended. Add milk. Mix in walnuts. Roll dough into 1 inch balls, and place them 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
3.Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. When cool, roll in remaining confectioners' sugar.
Why did they come out so much better this year? I did something a little differently that I hadn't done before. I actually added the nuts. I was never a big nut-in-my-cookies fan before, so I had always excluded them. It says optional, right? True, but even adding a little extra flour just doesn't get the same taste or texture. I actually didn't have walnuts, but I did have almonds. Almonds worked perfectly, and I honestly don't think I'll use walnuts next time I make these just because they turned out so well! If I had had any almond extract I would have added that, but we didn't.
Another alteration I made was in the powder coating. I had extra ground almonds, so I mixed that with the powdered sugar. YUM! These made our rainy cold day better. :) What have you baked recently?
Monday, November 28, 2011
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Thanksgiving With Friends, and a Bailey's Cheesecake
Grant and I just celebrated our first Thanksgiving together. This was our first Thanksgiving spent together because last year he went home to celebrate with his family. It's a very important holiday in his family. It was the first time in 10 years Grant hasn't cooked with his dad, so he was feeling a little homesick. To make him feel a little better we made something he's always made with his dad for the holidays, a Bailey's Cheesecake. YUM! This is probably the best cheesecake dessert I've ever eaten. 
He "frosted" it with whipped cream, and dusted it with chocolate shavings.
I know I skipped right to dessert, but that was what we made for the meal. The rest of the meal was made by our friends. We started with snacks, some of my favorites were the baked brie and the goat cheese logs. Have you ever had baked brie? It is one of the easiest, most delicious snacks you can make. And perfect for a party!
Goat Cheese Logs. From left to right-
Dill and Lemon Zest
Chocolate Ganache with Hazelnuts
Pistachios & Cranberries with Honey
The baked brie is puffed pastry, brie, fig and raspberry preserves. You bake it and out comes deliciousness! You can serve it by itself or with crackers.
Our friends brined the turkey for 3 days before smoking it on Thursday morning. This bird came out beautifully! It had great flavor, and I think it was better than the roast turkey we also had.
Along with the turkey were all the fixings. It was a great meal and I can't thank our friends enough for having us over! When we finally sat down the table was beautifully set.
We all had a great time. I feel bad that Grant and I didn't stay very long after the meal to help with clean up, but we were asleep on the couch by 8:00. I had to work in the morning from 7-3, but I made it in time to see my friends and eat some good food, which is what counts. We had a terrific holiday, and I hope everyone else did too!
He "frosted" it with whipped cream, and dusted it with chocolate shavings.
I know I skipped right to dessert, but that was what we made for the meal. The rest of the meal was made by our friends. We started with snacks, some of my favorites were the baked brie and the goat cheese logs. Have you ever had baked brie? It is one of the easiest, most delicious snacks you can make. And perfect for a party!
Goat Cheese Logs. From left to right-
Dill and Lemon Zest
Chocolate Ganache with Hazelnuts
Pistachios & Cranberries with Honey
The baked brie is puffed pastry, brie, fig and raspberry preserves. You bake it and out comes deliciousness! You can serve it by itself or with crackers.
Our friends brined the turkey for 3 days before smoking it on Thursday morning. This bird came out beautifully! It had great flavor, and I think it was better than the roast turkey we also had.
Along with the turkey were all the fixings. It was a great meal and I can't thank our friends enough for having us over! When we finally sat down the table was beautifully set.
We all had a great time. I feel bad that Grant and I didn't stay very long after the meal to help with clean up, but we were asleep on the couch by 8:00. I had to work in the morning from 7-3, but I made it in time to see my friends and eat some good food, which is what counts. We had a terrific holiday, and I hope everyone else did too!
Monday, November 21, 2011
Music Monday
I originally wanted to post a mixwit tape for this, but upon searching for the site quickly found out it has closed. I guess I'm out of the loop! Oh well, a little research and I found a new playlist maker. Here's 10 songs. :)
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