down to the wire.

i just completed and mailed the license applications required for my funeral director & embalming licenses. 

i need to hit the books this month.

this is getting serious people!

i was hoping winter was over.

like most people (it seems), i have been ill the entire month. my body has been in desperate need of so much sleep. i have constantly used moisturizer and chapstick, though it did not stop the skin under my nose from getting so dry it peeled away. i have used so many tissues, it's crazy. i hate to say it, but i usually endure winter. in the words of one of my nieces, "i can't like it". the cold is so uncomfortable. finally, i am feeling better. finally. however, winter is still here. my windshield is feeling it too, the temperature change caused a tiny mark on her to spread and spread (getting a new one early next week so my windshield doesn't burst!) i have been getting dental work done this month too, repairing something done by a very "special" dentist. obama started his second term this month, same old stuff, different person. & my computer died, someone put a virus on it, and it was not me. kinda sad about that. what i am trying to say is, all of this seems worse in the winter. really, it is just worse in the winter because to me, this season is bad, so bad.

BUT

i won't complain about the soup.

& i love my new job. i just love it. i am so fulfilled. 

it feels like i have a new life & it outweighs most the bad.
and someone did point out to me this week that every day passing is one day closer to Spring !

hamburg.

just a very beautiful skyline photo of hamburg, germany.

can i go there NOW?

image credit.

the tens.

 on thursday:

our friends chad & cammie came over for taco bar at our house.

 & then we went out to Actor's Theater to watch "The Tens" by the apprentice group at the theater.

 we loved the plays & loved going out with the smiths.

they are awesome! it was a fun night, even though i am somehow STILL sick.

someone passed the sickness to me. not fun.

on saturday i could not stop sneezing. i was convinced that my allergies were acting up because of all the flowers around the funeral home. but after church on sunday, my fever kicked in and it was more than just allergies. i could not taste food (which is almost the worst part of being sick, to me). after laying down for an hour on sunday afternoon, i gave in to sleep and my aching body & gave up on getting things done around the house. luckily, jonas brought me chicken noodle soup, juice, tissues and water & helped me up the stairs. when i woke up for work today, i found that the dishes were finished and the laundry was folded. it made me feel so special that jonas did that for me yesterday, he knows how i like things to be and knows how to help when i need it. 

today i kept up my tradition of going to Ermin's deli {on first & oak} for soup when i do not feel up for anything else. seriously, all of their soup is delicious.

i hope that everyone gets better! this stuff is rough.

date night on frankfort ave.

 i used my first groupon tonight & really saved on sushi.

i am now a groupon believer.

we walked around frankfort ave. after dinner.

it was so warm, i did not even need a jacket.

heck, it was so warm i wanted to be outside.

but the allergies. help..

it was somehow warm enough for ice cream too.

 the ice cream parlor had chairs on the wall

& i made a call using the "ice cream hotline".

 it was life changing.
the end.

i have decided that 2013 is my year.

there are several things in my life that should make this my best year yet. i never say that, so it must be true. unless these are the famous last words ;) but today, i am counting my blessings and typing them in a list:

1. my job. my brand new job. it is wonderful and that is all you need to know. i feel like if i say too much, it will disappear. we cannot let that happen. ever.

2. knowing myself better than i have in my whole life. feels pretty great.

3. being a red head now. duh.

4. the city where i reside. i love it.

5.  moisturizer, yes. i never knew you before this year & you have changed everything. sad that this is JUST happening, i know.

6. having a place to call home. it is a beautiful place too (on the inside. construction outside, not so pretty).

7.  travel. yes, we shall travel more this year & it will be glorious (travel is my absolute favorite thing to do).

8.  our cat is going to stop peeing on everything. right? 

9. i will be faithful to weight watchers everyday and i might do yoga. maybe.

10. adam curry & john c. dvorak of the no agenda podcast will continue to be a part of my life every single day.

11. i have jonas. he is kind of a big deal to me :) 
12. a subscripton to real simple magazine. yummy recipes & organization tips await!
13. i will finally have my funeral director exam out of the way. *if i pass. eek!

happy 2013 to you & yours.

there are times when we match.

& i like it.

a poem that makes me laugh.

i relate to this poem & the book it came from, which is a collections of poems from the perspective of cats. if you have a cat who likes to pee on things, i feel your pain.

a silver lining date.

 

my photos are crazzzyyy colors today. i am so cool like that. that green photo is the lights that were up in the restaurant, if you cannot tell.  they were pretty!

jonas took me out to celebrate my new job that starts on monday. eep. 

& we went to see Silver Linings Playbook, which was a fantastic film.

just a quote from the book:
“I don't want to stay in the bad place, where no one believes in silver linings or love or happy endings.” 
neither do i.
yep.

goodbyes are so joyless.

early, early this morning we took jonas' brother to the airport. it made us very sad & i hate thinking about jonas being away from his family. the house was gloomy after he left too. it is always that way when someone leaves. it takes all the cheer out of the air or something.

but we hope to see all of the Wolfs in germany someday soon!

our last day with benni.

 ^^^benni loves bagels so we started the day at baby d's, which we never would have tried because we forget about bagels. they were great & the menu is so fun! i had the "hipster", they had the "kevin bacon".

^^^after my hair appointment & those two boys played video games, we had a sushi lunch at Wild Ginger. yum sauce.

^^^benni drove jonas' car tonight, which is pretty cool for someone who takes the train and subway everywhere, though i love to use public transportation in places other than louisville :) jonas and benni also played laser tag. we had five guys burgers & they played one last round of video games tonight.

we are so grateful that benni could come to kentucky and visit!

some people in this world have never had a krispy kreme donut.

it is our very altruistic mission to change that, one person at a time.

a new year today.

his activities: hiking 7 miles early in the morning with some other guys & shooting guns later in the day. good old kentucky stuff..

& hers: sushi & taking my nieces on their first ice skating trip- they progressed from holding onto the side to going around five times without assistance. it meant a lot to me..

it was a very successful first day of 2013. we spent it with family and friends and did lots of fun stuff. hopefully, this is an indication of good things to come this new year!