Happy Birthday, Dad!

Happy Birthday to my Dee. My dad is kind, smart, funny, the life-of-the-party, protective, loving, sensitive, emotional and fiercely proud to be an American. He only drives Fords, is a fabulous cook and is in his glory when I spend the night at home. I am so happy this man is my dad, and can't wait for the day he gets to walk me down the aisle!

I am a daddy's girl. And I like it that way!

Outside at the Noschelman's (and other random musings)

Last weekend was a fellow Mitten Kitten's 30th b-day celebration back near my hometown of Manchester. Since we live about an hour away, Ryan and I often just spend the night with the Novess', friends' or at my dad's when we go into town (which feels about every weekend!). The party was literally a stone's throw from my childhood home, so I stayed there for the night. Before I left on Sunday, I packed up some plants and flowers from my stepmom's garden. Mary has the greenest thumb known to man, and she has so many flowers that she constantly has to thin them out. My front flower beds needed a little pick-me-up, so I happily nabbed some things to plant. Keep your fingers crossed they don't die on me- my thumb is still on the brown side! Here's a few pics of our little home from the outside. Inside pics to come! NOTE: we live smack dab in the middle of the city. Homes are small bungalows, lawns are postage size and you better love your neighbors cause you're awfully close! But it's without any uncertainly that we will be settling in the country permanently within a few years, so for now, this works for us and I'm just in love with our little home.

You can't see them cause they are so small at this point, but there are little cactus flower plants next to each of the solar lights.

I'll take follow-up pics once things perk up and flourish!

Hi, Doggies!

Standing at front door looking out.

And to completely switch subjects, here's some recent happenings at the Noschelman household:

• I have had two phone interviews, one assessment test and one appointment for a face to face interview set up within the past five days. Woot woot! I feel a job coming on!
• Busy, busy, busy is what we're feeling right now. With the Fourth coming up, there are people to see and things to do! My mom arrives on Thursday- yay! And another Mitten Kitten is visiting from Texas. In the next few days I'll be catching up on lost time with some besties and my mom, spending time at the lake, going to a Tigers baseball game, attending summertime cookouts and watching the fireworks in my small hometown.
• My hair, though a little shorter than I originally thought I was going to go, turned out cute. Whew...

Bye Bye, Frumpalumpagus

After weeks, no- months, of not going to the salon, I'm finally getting my haircut tonight. In Florida and Memphis, I went every six to eight weeks. It's amazing how good you feel about yourself with freshly cut and styled hair! But without a job these past couple of months, I felt it was just an extravagance I really needed to do without. However, Ryan's sister, Alicia, is in school at an Aveda salon in Ann Arbor, and needs a "model" tonight. Which means I get my hair washed, cut and blown out ALL FOR FREE. Yippee! I'm so excited. My hair is long right now, definitely the longest I've had it for years. I had layers, and they've grown out. I had bangs, and they've grown out. So I'm just totally in this frumpy stage. But not for long! Here's what I'm thinking (sans tattoos, of course):

What do you think? Cute, eh? Hopefully Ryan agrees!

Keep Your Fingers Crossed

When I woke up this morning, I had a feeling today was going to be a good day. Maybe it was because Ryan asked for my help with something he was working on, so I felt like I was needed. Or maybe it was because yesterday he bought me the latest Tori Spelling book (YES!!!). Or maybe it was because the weekend is almost here, which means two days free from this tedious job search process. So when I received a call from a very notable Detroit area ad agency inquiring about my recent application, lets just say I wasn't surprised the call came today. Surprised...No. Extremely happy, thrilled, excited, prepared and ready...Yes! So, my fingers are crossed that they will love what I have to say, see that I'm passionate about this industry and bring me in for a face-to-face interview. I also have a lead at the University of Michigan, so things are starting to look up! Whew- I was beginning to think this unemployment period would never end.

25 Things To Do Before I'm 40

Since I just entered a new decade of my life, I thought it would be a neat idea to put to paper (or blog) some things I would like to accomplish between now and 40. Without further ado, my list:

1. Get married
2. Start a family
3. Buy a house in the country
4. Travel internationally- Ireland or Italy
5. Buy a big girl camera and learn how to really use it
6. Napa Valley wine tour
7. Run a 10k
8. Learn CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver
9. Pay off all debt (well, a mortgage is ok)
10. Learn how to change a flat tire
11. Buy a Dyson
12. Host a dinner party- where I do the cooking!
13. Become a mentor
14. Build a garden from dirt to veggies!
15. Volunteer
16. Get a second tattoo- this one with meaning
17. Eat more seafood
18. Live without envy
19. Contribute WAY more to savings and my 401k
20. Take better care of my body/skin- drink more water, get facials, buy proper make-up, stay out of the sun, exercise often!
21. Learn how to shoot a gun
22. Take a roadtrip with my mom
23. Smile more, worry less
24. Be content
25. Be a good, loving wife and mom