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My First Kick! (I don't know why, but this automatically showed up in my title box, so I decided to use it)

Well, I suppose my long-contemplated return to blogging has been spurred on by my somewhat distant partner in crime and co-dictator. I kept putting it off, despite periodic thoughts of updating, for various reasons. You know, feelings of guilt for blogging when more productive (and dare I say "immanently important") things abound for me to do; lack of motivation for picking up a project which in previous instances has literally demanded hours of my attention and devotion in attempting to create the *perfect post.* But mostly, it's that I really didn't know what to write about.

Frankly, describing the everyday details of my life does not seem that extraordinary or entertaining.

But then I remembered: Hey, I'm going to be giving birth in a few months. What could possibly be more extraordinary (and entertaining) than sharing with friends and family the metaphysical wonder of bringing another life into the world, and all the fabulously ridiculous things that go along with it? And besides which, do I not still possess the creativity, wit, and somewhat sardonic outlook on life that enabled me to comment upon class, papers, and staying up all night to a small but loyal fan base?

And maybe more importantly, doesn't Google still have funny images for me to insert into my posts so they can be entertaining even when the subject matter is boring?

So on that note, be advised that this blog is returning to it's place in glory for all to see. I will be following up shortly with a real update, that hopefully will not violate my previous limit lengths.

We've got a lot of catching up to do.

The Intarweb: Newer, Faster, Funnier (NatalieDee Edition)

In celebration of the newfound Wireless Internet Connection recently installed at the President's House (as of 3:30 pm, Eastern Standard Time), this Blog is Up and Running! I for one am incredibly excited to have access to a non-dial-up connection, and plan to fully exploit the opportunity provided by the Ave Maria Foundation. Woohoo.

For those of you who, for various reasons, do not share in my rejoicing, there is yet another cause for celebration: Brigid is home! I fully intend to take advantage of that fact by spending as much time with her as possible, and coercing her into keeping me sane during the next month or so. And maybe we can even get a job together!

And so the countdown begins. As of May 16, there is officially one month until wedding time, although it has been brought to my attention that this summer is inordinately preoccupied with weddings of various parties. Congratulations also to Bernadette Roth, who is getting married on June 16th as well. As our preparations begin, there will be wedding showers to attend, receptions to plan, flowers to order, gowns to be altered, hair to be styled.... yes, the list goes on and on. Hopefully none of it will be the cause of any mental breakdowns or hallucinations (though it may be the cause of much consternation and conflict- especially with my Bridal Shop), and we shall, for the most part anyway, remain unscathed.

The school year is over (SCORE), and the summer begins- is everybody else as stoked as I am?

*all cartoons courtesy of www.nataliedee.com. Not for the faint of heart.

Toys R Us Kid: Educational: With Pictures!

Ok, well, since blogger is being a little retarded right now, not with pictures. But hopefully with some cool links. And my profile picture is new! Check that out! ^^^^

Well, it's Tuesday, which means with my newly altered schedule that today is my class day. It's nice to take care of all your school obligations on one day, but on the flip side, it's kind of obnoxious to be in class for an indefinite period of time, have a 2 1/2 hour break where you have to stay on campus, and then come back to school for a 3-or-more hour long class. Oh, and the vending machine is broken. I've decided that I'm going to start using my break period to do the reading for my class that I haven't done previously because I was too busy doing my other work for the class. Funny how that works out.

The best part of the day, though: it's WARM outside. The snow is almost completely melted up at school, as is the lake, and I can freely wear flipflops without fearing for the lives of my writtle toes.

In other news, I've applied for a youth ministry position at Old St. Pat's, and I should be hearing back from them by the end of this week, so say some prayers. Otherwise, Justin and I just might move to Hollywood to pursue our careers and ultimately become a couple of those crazy California-types. You know what I mean.

And last but not least, I'm getting back into the habit of Word of the Day. Although I do get depressed when I realize that I already know the words from the last several days:

coterminous \koh-TUR-muh-nuhs\, adjective:
1. Having the same or coincident boundaries.
2. Having the same scope, range of meaning, duration.

effete \eh-FEET; ih-\, adjective:
1. No longer capable of producing young; infertile; barren; sterile.
2. Exhausted of energy; incapable of efficient action; worn out.
3. Marked by self-indulgence or decadence; degenerate.
4. Overrefined; effeminate.

nonplus \non-PLUHS\, transitive verb:To cause to be at a loss as to what to think, say, or do; to confound; to perplex; to bewilder.

trepidation \trep-uh-DAY-shuhn\, noun:1. [Archaic] An involuntary trembling; quaking; quivering.2. A state of dread or alarm; nervous agitation; apprehension; fright.

cogitate \KOJ-uh-tayt\, intransitive verb:1. To think deeply or intently; to ponder; to meditate.2. To think about; to ponder on; to meditate upon; to plan or plot.

That's all for now!

Another Countdown: Anxiously Awaited Thaw: Axis of Evil

Well, today is March 8th. Which means, if I am counting correctly, that there are 3 months and 8 days left until June 16th. Which, for those of you who are interested, is the day that one Justin Enfield will be marrying the party of the second part (hereafter referred to as ME) at the designated place and time, those being Christ the King Catholic Church, Ann Arbor, and 1 O'Clock in the afternoon. Those who feel the inclination ought to freely attend.

So, given the alluring sound of icicles dripping outside and the deceptively bright sunshiny days that occasionally recur, I think it's altogether understandable that I wait in eager anticipation of Spring Fever. Every once in a while, the temperature goes unbelievably high (say, around 27 degrees) and I fool myself into thinking, "Now, this has to be the big thaw." You know the one I mean. The one where everyone finally brings out their shorts and skirts and flipflops, actually manages to stay outside in the sun for more than half an hour in the hopes of getting a jump start on their summer tans. And the smell... yes, that unbelievably amazing smell of fresh air and sunshine and damp dirt. It's funny how the smell of dirt can be so invigorating, but it's not the dirt itself that is exciting; it's everything that comes along with it. Growth, life, distraction from the winter doldrums, that inescapable temptation to stare out the window rather than paying attention in your afternoon lecture. Am I the only person experiencing this right now?

And then you open your door or window in the morning and realize that it snowed again last night. And the best you can hope for that day is a really spectacular snowball fight. But hey, that's not too shabby.

The Axis of Evil is managing to branch out; not in its membership, per se, but in its actions. It has collectively decided to buckle down and entrench itself into the world of self-motivation and initiative. And probably an unhealthy amount of activity, considering how lazy it was to begin with. In fact, I know from concrete evidence that it is causing a certain co-dictator to lose a certain amount of weight; but don't worry, we will be monitoring progress closely to ensure that we don't waste away to nothingness. But Kalish, this is a far cry from being fat with power.

To close, the ever-recurring Word of the Day:
malapropism \mal-uh-PROP-iz-uhm\, noun:
The usually unintentionally humorous misuse of a word, especially by confusion with one of similar sound; also, an example of such misuse.

Hey, It's My Two-Month-iversary!

Yes, today I decided to celebrate the last two months (to the day) of not posting by actually updating my blog.

And the peasants rejoiced. (yay!)

So many spectacular things have happened in the last few weeks- like, finals, then Christmas break, then going back to school. Which sounds extremely boring when I say it like that, but trust me, there were several entertaining episodes within that time.

I managed to make it all the way through last semester with insomnia while avoiding failing out of college. I was pretty impressed by that, and you should be too. With that in mind, I would like to inquire about the subsequent lack of congratulatory cards, cakes, and assorted surprises. Well, I guess we were all kind of busy at that point, and with all the holiday food present, I'm not sure I could have stuffed down any congratulatory cakes anyway. So consider yourself forgiven.

Spent an extremely busy, but altogether entertaining Christmas vacation with the fam (and the McNallys). Played T-Her-A-Pie! (so, tell us...) and did the New Year's Eve thing at the Zmuda's. Went to a couple of B-Mac's basketball games at Gabriel Richard to RING IT UP, and that was awesome- there are still some games left, so contact the McNally's if you want to go! Still have to set up a date night with Justin so we can use the gift card to Macaroni Grill... which I have to say sounds extremely delicious right about now.

On my way back to school after my brother's birthday party, managed a little altercation with my automobile. But it's a long story, so suffice it to say that I'm alive (and still have all my appendages), my James Bond car is still intact, and Justin's brother managed to take all the attention away from my almost-accident by managing one of his own while rescuing me.

Went to David's Bridal with a couple of my sisters the other day and (FINALLY) decided on a bridesmaid dress that should work for everybody. Get stoked.

Anyway, I guess that's most of what's going on, aside from my classes, my internship, my thesis, and (hopefully) a job at some point. If you'd like more details, feel free to contact me- after all, this is what cell phones, email, blogger, and facebook are for, right? Hope you're having an amazing day/week/month/year/whatever!

A Birthday, A Surprise, and A Countdown

So, as you know, Justin's birthday was on December 2nd, and due to my laxity I failed to blog about it. Sorry, Justin- I love you, I really do.

So for his birthday we went to NFP class (probably not much of a birthday-worthy event, but at least we've graduated from it now), went to (a slightly unimpressive) Handel's Messiah at the Hill Auditorium that evening, and then went to B-Dubs for dinner (where we had to crowd in to fit everyone, but had a lovely conversation about TV locations). A bunch of people showed up for dinner, and I'm sure Justin was encouraged by that friendship. Plus, the day after his birthday was the first day of Advent- and that HAS to be good. His fam threw a small party for him too, with delicious chocolate cake. It's making me hungry thinking about it.

Now, it should also be put forward that as always, the week BEFORE finals is inevitably the most stressful one of the semester. Generally, I deal with this stress by a good deal of avoidance, but I don't really have that option this year, because I've got so many papers to do before the end of the week. But luckily, Launchcast saves my life, or maybe my sanity.
-So, in highschool I used to listen to this song "Denise," by a band I didn't know because I found it on a random mix tape of my sisters'. I didn't hear it again for years, and it bothered me that I didn't even know where to begin looking for this song... until the other night, on launchcast, and it turns out the song is by Fountains of Wayne on their album Utopia, from 1999. Problem solved.

Also, a Countdown begins this week- namely, the one that every college student is familiar with: the end of the semester. For most, we count not only the last days of classes, but also our final exam days, until that last second we can finally say "I'm DONE!" I won't lie and claim I'm not counting those days (hopefully I'm done by next Tuesday), but this semester it also includes a later date- the day a writtle bear returns to Michigan. I think my family might end up trying to kill me this year because of all the non-immediate family activity I've got on my plate, but frankly I think my co-dictator and I need as much catch-up time as we can get.

That being said, feel free to call me anytime after next Tuesday so we can all hang out!