kimmers for life

Honest Scrap about Kimmers

I've been tagged by Blogging Matilda for the Honest Scrap meme. And I really want to do a Florida post, because the trip was completely wonderful... but our flight was delayed and Nick and I are both coming down with something and I'm cranky and exhausted and just totally not up for the Florida post tonight. So! Procrastinating as usual! Meme it is! 

We'll save the Florida post for another day. But it's coming, I promise, along with a few pictures.

According to the rules of Honest Scrap, I'm supposed to list 10 honest and interesting things about myself. I know I've done a few similar memes on here before, so in an attempt to avoid any unintentional overlap, I'm going to try to list 10 things that are true about me RIGHT NOW. Current stuff that I may not have had a chance to blog about yet.

1. Nick and I were recently approved to work from home full time, starting on March 25th. I couldn't be more excited. I'm soooo not a morning person, and the thought of no longer having to wake up at 6 (ok, most days 6:40) to shower and make myself up and style my hair and pull together something cute to wear... is such a load off my shoulders. There are so many things about working from home that I think will be fantastic. I look forward to summer days in shorts and a tank top and lunch break walks to coffee shops and the library.

2. I recently joined the local gym. It's extremely expensive which I'm hoping will motivate me to go at least 3 and hopefully 4 times a week. With my schedule that will definitely be an effort so I'll be really proud of myself if I manage to stick with it! I really want to lose a few pounds and do some allover toning so this summer? Bikinis won't stress me out. Here's hoping.

3. I'm trying to cut back on what has, over time, become a raging Coke addiction. I figure there's not much point in killing myself at the gym only to down countless empty calories when I get home. My first attempt at cutting back was to give it up cold turkey - until 2 solid days of raging headaches and misery broke me down and I hit the bottle Sunday night (ha). A coworker today suggested that I try transitioning to Diet Coke so I can nix the calories but keep the sweet, sweet caffeine - so as soon as I can get to the grocery store I think I'm going to give that a try. Oh Coke. You've been so good to me. I'll miss you so.

4. Nick and I found two houses for sale in West Hartford that we're interested in possibly going to see. They're dramatically less expensive than the houses we had been looking at and we're thinking one of these houses could be the perfect solution for us right now. We could buy one of these houses and finally have some space for ourselves and to entertain in, a real office for work, and a yard for a dog. We could afford a house like this while still paying off some debt and saving for a wedding. We could get into a mortgage at a really great time and spend the next few years building some equity until we really need and can afford a bigger place. In the meantime both of these houses are extremely cute (at least online and in drive-bys) and would definitely fit our needs right now. So... we'll see. Time to see them in person, crunch some numbers, discuss our options. But I'm really excited about the opportunity.

5. I really, really want a puppy. Truthfully I want a pair of them. And we can't have any until we get a house because we're not allowed to have dogs in this condo complex. Our condo is way too small to accomodate a dog anyway. It's frustrating for me. I always grew up with dogs and I miss having them around.

6. I really, really, reallllllly want a Kindle 2.0 - to the point of obsession. And Nick tells me we can discuss it if we get a decent amount of money back for our taxes... so CROSS YOUR FINGERS PEOPLE. THIS IS LIFE OR DEATH. Clearly.

7. Nick and I saw the movie Taken last week and it was the best movie I've seen in ages, by far. Definitely a must-see.

8. I am in total Countdown to Summer mode right now. Florida completely drained me of any last shred of patience I may have had with the evil that is winter. I'm impatient for shorts and flip flops and walks around the town center in the sunshine. Why does winter in New England last so incredibly long?

9. I'm obsessed with bowls. Well bowls, serving dishes, casserole dishes, platters, pretty much all of that kitchen stuff. I could walk into Crate & Barrel and buy out the damn store. It could also just as easily be Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, whatever. I'm an equal opportunity bowl covetor. This is nothing new really, but house hunting brings it out in full force in me.

10. When we do get our tax money back, the biggest chunk of it is going to pay off my highest interest credit card... and that feels really, really great.

I think I'm supposed to tag 7 people now but I'm far too lazy sick for that step, so you guys get a free pass today. If you do decide to do it, leave me a comment so I can come check out your 10 big reveals. :)

He also washes his hands 5 times counter clockwise before eating

One thing you should know about my cat is that he is a little extremely OCD. (What, you don't think you need to know that?) He is definitely a creature who likes certain things to be exactly the way he likes them and that's the end of it. He likes his food bowl to be full at all times. He prefers his bed to be elevated if at all possible. It's extremely necessary that his litterbox be clean at all times if we expect him to use it.

Jasper doesn't like messes, at all. He's very clean himself and he likes his surroundings to be neat and orderly too. Nick and I always crack up when we see Jasper encounter a mess because it is SO OBVIOUS that it completely freaks him out. If I spill something on the floor in sight of him he will shoot me a dirty look like, hey, planning on cleaning that up anytime soon?! One day Simba threw up on the floor, (gross, I know, try not to think about it) and Jasper collected random pieces of dust and lint from the floor and tried to cover it up, litterbox style. He really likes order, that's all I'm saying.

One thing in particular Jasper can't stand is when his cat food gets spilled on the floor. This is a SERIOUS pet peeve of his. When I pour food into his bowl, if a few pieces happen to fall onto the floor, he will eat those pieces first to restore neatness to his food area. Even if a stray piece rolls pretty far away, he'll go after it. There's currently a piece stranded under the TV stand that he's trying to pretend he doesn't know about.

So imagine the horror he must have felt the day we came home from work and found this:

 

(notice Jasper scampering out of the frame, lest we mistakenly think HE had something to do with this travesty)

If The Big Spill occurred early in the day, I totally picture the poor guy having a thousand little meltdowns over it waiting for us to get home.

I also think it says something about our awareness of his issues that the moment we saw the mess, Nick grabbed a broom and cleared the food up for him and refilled the bowl. Neatly. 

And Jasper looked visibly relieved the moment it was over.

When you wish upon a star...

I think if I were going to star in my own reality TV show, the title would be something like, "Mickey Mouse Maniacs: How far some people are willing to go to visit Walt Disney World as many times as humanly possible".

Wait, don't go... I'm normal I promise!

But daaaaaaaamn people. I really am obsessed with Orlando vacations. I think if it came down to "eat this month" or "book a Disney trip"? It would be a difficult decision for me.

And probably my ultimate decision would be, I can totally subsist on Cup of Soup for a month! IT'S WORTH IT!

I also have a very real tendency to make Disney fanatics of the people around me. For example: my best friend in college had never been to Disney. After much persuading, I convinced her to book a last minute spring break trip with me March of our Junior year. By day two she was completely and totally obsessed with The Mouse. We were up at 6:00 a.m., hitting 3 parks a day and then playing Disney Trivial Pursuit in our room until midnight (don't judge me). We took tons of pictures and then came home and made scrapbooks of our trip.

Five months later my family went to Disney and I brought an extremely excited Jenn along.

That's correct. She went from Disney Novice to Frequent Traveler in just five short months.

Cut to 2008. This year for my birthday in January, Nick took me to Disney for a week. (Best. Boyfriend. Ever.) He'd been to Disney a few times as a kid and liked it, but didn't love it. We had a really, really fantastic time on our trip. Eight months later we planned a ten day trip there with my parents. Less than three months after THAT trip? We just booked another trip for early February.

Yes, really.

Annnnnnd we're kind of hoping to go back next September too.

(If you're still here, I'm impressed. And possibly grateful.)

You know quite honestly? I'm kind of ok with being a freak for being so damn into it. Say what you will but it's the one place where every single time I go, I have a fantastic time from start to finish. I've never had a bad Disney trip, and I kind of doubt I ever will. I swear just landing in Orlando energizes me. Driving past the "Welcome to Walt Disney World" puts a smile on my face. (cue sappy music)

I think Disney has a lot of nostalgia for me because I've been going there on family vacations since I was 7 years old. My mom is at least as into it as I am, and for me, as corny as it sounds, going there almost feels like going to a second home for me. Everywhere I turn there are fun family vacation memories, and that's kind of cool.

It's also a great place for making new memories with people you care about. Nick is the perfect person for me to go to Disney with, because he gets there and just wants to act like a big kid and have as much fun as possible. He'll go on every ride, watch every show, hit the pool 3 times a day and then happily shop with me until the stores start to close.

Next trip is 2/06/08... let the countdown begin. :)

Does anyone else want to own up to being a Disney fan? I'm curious. And if you're NOT into it... have you actually ever been? 

Layers of Kimmers

I'm stealing this meme from Nilsa  because it addresses some topics I haven't talked about on here, and I think it's a pretty good "getting to know Kimmers" post. Enjoy!  

LAYER ONE:

• Name: Kim
• Birthdate: January 27, 1984
• Birthplace: Worcester, MA
• Current location: West Hartford, CT
• Eye color: Blue
• Hair color: Blond
• Height: 5'9"
• Righty or lefty: righty
• Zodiac sign: Aquarius

LAYER TWO:

• Your heritage: Irish, German and French 
• The shoes you wore today: Black and blue Pumas
• Your weakness: I have a soft spot for animals
• Your fears: Losing the people I love
• Your perfect pizza: chicken, red peppers, & artichoke hearts
• Goal you’d like to achieve: write a novel

LAYER THREE:

• Your most overused phrase on AIM: I think I'm too cool for AIM
• Your first waking thoughts: Noooooooooooooo
• Your best physical feature: Eyes
• Your most missed memory: My dog Bruno

LAYER FOUR:

• Pepsi or Coke: Coke of course
• McDonald’s or Burger King: Subway is the only fast food I eat
• Single or group dates: I like the one-on-one time, but group dates are fun once in a while
• Adidas or Nike: Pumas!
• Lipton Ice Tea or Nestea: Arizona green tea 
• Chocolate or vanilla: I'm a chocolate girl 
• Cappuccino or coffee: Hazelnut Coffee

LAYER FIVE:

• Smoke: Never
• Cuss: hell yeah
• Sing: softly, along with the radio
• Take a shower everyday: always
• Do you think you’ve been in love: I am :)
• Want to go to college: been there, done that
• Liked high school: yes
• Want to get married: absolutely
• Believe in yourself: yes
• Get motion sickness: ohhhhh yes 
• Think you’re attractive: I'm cute enough I guess
• Think you’re a health freak: definitely not
• Get along with your parent(s): yes
• Like thunderstorms: I looove them! The more intense the better.
• Play an instrument: nope... no musical talents here

LAYER SIX: In the past month…

• Drank alcohol: Nope
• Smoked: No
• Done a drug: No
• Made out: hell yeah
• Gone on a date: yes
• Gone to the mall: yes :)
• Eaten an entire box of Oreos: Hahaha, no - though I have been known to eat a row
• Eaten sushi: Nope... I'm not a fish person even when cooked
• Been on stage: Nope
• Been dumped: No
• Gone skating: No
• Made homemade cookies: Yes... now I feel like Betty Crocker! 
• Gone skinny dipping: I actually have have NEVER been skinny dipping. Which suddenly seems very sad.
• Dyed your hair: Yep, highlights
• Stolen Anything: No

LAYER SEVEN: Ever…

• Played a game that required removal of clothing: No (dammit I am lame) 
• Been trashed or extremely intoxicated: Yes. Shut up Nick.
• Been caught “doing something”: Nope!
• Been called a tease: No... hahahahaha.  
• Gotten beaten up: No
• Shoplifted: I stole some cartoon band-aids when I was like 4...
• Changed who you were to fit in: No - at least not in any significant way.

LAYER EIGHT:

• Age you hope to be married: 26... so I can be married for a few years before I get pregnant, and still have my first baby before I'm 30. Don't freak out honey!
• Numbers and names of children: none so far
• Describe your dream wedding: Hmm. Maybe a park or a beach wedding... followed by a 2 week honeymoon, Disney World then a beach in Mexico. Beautiful dress, lots of flowers.
• How do you want to die: In my sleep. At age 200.  
• Where you want to go to college: I went to UCONN.
• What do you want to be when you grow up: a writer, a wife, a mom
• What country would you most like to visit: maybe Australia... or Africa

LAYER NINE:

• Number of drugs taken illegally: zero!
• Number of people I could trust with my life: maybe... 2
• Number of CDs that I own: quite a few
• Number of piercings: 6... 3 in each ear 
• Number of tattoos: None
• Number of times my name has appeared in the newspaper: probably only once or twice, for school - related stuff
• Number of scars on my body: i have a tiny chicken pox scar at the outer corner of my right eye... other than that, not much
• Number of things in my past that I regret: none. I'm happy where I am today.

Would you rather?

Tattooed Minivan Mom is havig a fun little question and answer session called "Would you rather" over at her blog. Go check it out and join in on the insanity. :) Don't forget to sign her Mr. Linky!

1. Kat wants to know: Would you rather eat a cockroach or a bull nut?

Gross... I'm pretty sure I'd puke either one up as soon as I tried to swallow... and then I'd still be brushing my teeth 2 days later. That being said... cockroach.

2. Brandy wonders: Would you rather not shower for a month or not brush your teeth for a month?

Brush teeth... I never skip showering... most I ever do (even on a lazy stay at home weekend day) is shower later in the day. I like to feel clean what can I say.

3. April asks: Would you rather....have to have sex everyday for a year straight or go six months without it?

Hahahaha. I couldn't go 6 weeks! Every day, definitely.

4. Ashley wants to know all kinds of good stuff: Would you rather find true love or 1 million dollars?

I've already got the true love... so I'll take the million. We could use it. :)

5. Would you rather always have to say everything on your mind or never speak again?

Everything. Never speak again? EVER?? No thank you.

6. Would you rather know it all or have it all?

Have it all... nobody likes a know it all.

7. Katie wonders: Would you rather have extremely bad tourettes or uncontrollable orgasms?

Both of those situations sound pretty socially awkward. Can't not brushing my teeth be awkward enough?

8. Would you rather skip Christmas for a year or skip your birthday for a year?

My birthday... I'm OBSESSED with Christmas and I could never give it up. But... why no birthday? :(

9. Heather asks: Would you rather be followed by a cloud of dust or a cloud of gnats?

Dust... although I'm allergic, so not too sure how that would turn out.

10. Michelle wants to gross you out: Would you rather eat a toenail omelet or a hair sandwich?

Omelet... I'd never get the hair down. But GROSS.

11. Would you rather lick the discharge from a cats eye or lick the dried spit from the corner of a teachers mouth?

Just reading that question made me gag...

12. Jennifer wants to know: Would you rather have dinner with the Obamas or go on a date wiith George Clooney?

Clooney... but honestly I wouldn't be too psyched for either.

13. and as an after thought she wanted to know...Would you rather be paralyzed or blind?

Answering this question feels like jixing myself... so just to be clear I would *HATE* either option... but I could never handle being paralyzed. It would just take away so many things I currently take for granted (see question #3). To not be able to do something simple like pick up my future kids... I hate this question. Moving on.

14. Jo-Jo said: Would you rather blog or sleep? I am like your boy...I choose both.

Blog! Although damn I do love my sleep. But I'm officially addicted to the blog. Couldn't give it up. Or any of yours either. :)

15. G from Where's My Angels: Would you rather take a cheese grater to your sunburned back, or pour alcohol in a new hole in your toe?

Ewwwww. I'm gonna man up and say toe... because just picturing the cheese grater thing (sunburn or no) makes me shudder.

16. Yaya: Would you rather use the woods or a port-o-potty?

Probably woods... but if I say woods, can I still have TP? If I can't have TP, I may have to brave the port-o-potty... provided that it's a pretty new one. Ick.

17. Jamie: Would you rather walk across hot coals or drive a nail through your foot?

Oh god... what's with all the pain questions?! I'll say coals... reluctantly.

18. Magpie: Would you rather have city street water splash on your bare feet (ew ew ew) or lick a shovel from a horse barn?

I'll take the water... it's only my feet, they'll wash. 

19. Heather: Would you rather join a charlie horse orgy or take ten four-year-olds on a field trip to some ancient Indian burial grounds? (Hit the charlie horse orgy link, read the post and the comments for explanation if you're wondering. So much work today!)

I'll take the 4 year olds... doesn't sound so awful.

20. AngieDe apparently has way to much time on her hands to think about weird shit: Would you rather have to go pee ALL the time, or have to go pee really bad but never be able to go?

Pee all the time... annoying but doable. The other one sounds maddening.

21. Would you rather drown in Coke or Pepsi?

Coooooooooooooooooooooke!! I'd probably be able to drink my way out anyway.

22. Would you rather eat a bar of soap or drink a bottle of dish washing liquid?

Liquid... I don't think the bar would go down too easy.

23. Would you rather be stranded on an island alone or with someone you hate?

With someone I hate... at least I would have someone to talk to once in a while.

24. Angela: Would you rather papercut your eyeball or step on a nail?

Omg - why do I have a feeling that the phrase "papercut my eye" is going to be the source of many future nightmares?? DEFINITELY I'll take the nail. I can't even handle a papercut on my damn finger.

25. Black Betty who knows she's a perv asks: Would you rather receive a golden shower or a roman shower? (I had to ask what the roman shower was. BTW, got the Black Betty song stuck in your head yet?)

Ok, I'm not too proud to admit that I had to look up roman shower - GROSS people!! I'm going with golden shower, because I can say with full confidence (and relief!) that Nick will never, ever take me up on it. Not that he'd be into the other one either. We're not weird like that. Ugh.

26. Cyndy, a fellow Dysfunctional Mom wonders: Would you rather lick a frog or drink rusty water?

Rusty water please!

27. Crackwhore, better known as Live.Love.Eat asks a very thought provoking question: As a blogger, would you rather be famous like Dooce and too busy to really connect with bloggers, or not so famous and have connections? (Good one CW!)

Ooooh, good question! I don't know that there would ever be a point where I didn't get excited about every single view and comment. I love keeping up with everyone else's blogs and I'm a total comment whore. For me, it's definitely about the connection with other people... but hey, the more connections the better, right?

28. Hula: Would you rather live without water or electricity?

Computer requires electricity so I guess electricity trumps water... can I still have Coke? I could exist on Coke.

29. Captain Dumbass: Would you rather shave your head with a cheese grater or be audited? (Again with the cheese grater. I can't stand it when I accidentally grate my knuckles.)

Who the hell would audit me?? Eh, I pay my taxes... I'll take my chances with the audit. No cheese graters please!

30. My new whacked out friend Sassy would like to throw in: Would you rather drink a gallon of dirty hot dog water OR a shot glass of foot sweat?

Ughhhhhhh. As much as the hot dog water makes me want to puke, the foot sweat kind of makes me want to DIE. Hot dog water it is.

31. Would you rather loose your 4 front teeth after bouncing your head off a cement curb OR get a paper cut on your eye?

WHAT IS WITH ALL THESE PEOPLE WANTING TO PAPERCUT MY EYE?! I guess I'm gonna have to be toothless... sorry honey! I'll get some dental work.

32. Would you rather have explosive diarrhea OR uncontrolled vomiting?

I really am not  fan of either, but I suppose if I must, I'll take the vomiting.

33. Drama Mama came in on the last minute with this doozy: Would you rather have a Permanent Yeast Infection or Permanent Hemorrhoids?

GROSS. Well I've never had hemorrhoids, but I think I'm going to go with them... let's leave the hooha alone, shall we?

34. Ann asked : Would you rather be able to read your husband's mind? Or have him be able to read yours? (Good one!)

Oh god... I truly wouldn't want either one. That would only lead to disaster. I don't care how much you love someone, there are always gonna be moments you're sitting there thinking, what an asshole. (love you honey!!) Some stuff just doesn't need to be an open book.

35. Toni asked: Would you rather suffer from incurable baldness, everywhere, or wolfman's disease, everywhere?

Gross. I can't decide which I'd hate more... bad head/no eyebrows or furry beast all over my body. I think I'd probably rather shave than wear a wig, if push came to shove.

36. Would you rather share your house with a skunk or a porcupine?

Porcupine, hands down... those guys are cute!

37. Betty asked: Would you rather eat opossum roadkill (thats been jacked up) or bambi.

Sheesh. I really would starve before I'd eat either one. More often than not I get skeeved by chicken. I'm not made for roadkill.

You're up!

It's a party in a bag

My friend Kathleen just recently joined Weight Watchers, so everything she eats she now thinks of in terms of how many points each food item is worth. It's become a source of daily entertainment at lunch for the rest of us to try and guess the point values of different foods. Kathleen can look at what you're eating and probably guess within a point. The rest of us are usually way off but it's fun to try tto guess.

One of her daily snacks is usually a snack pack of cookies or crackers. Each pack is worth 2 points and always comes with the same number of cookies or crackers. We always give Kathleen a hard time because she likes to lay the cookies or crackers out in even rows on a napkin and count them before she eats any to make sure she got the correct number.

Today, things escalated when Kathleen brought in a "party mix" snack pack.

 

Kathleen's question? She wanted to see how the individual snack components stacked up against each other. And now she would like to know why she got ripped off on the little rice puffs. And so would I.