Just Doing Nothing =)

Well, I had a fun birthday. We just had a simple, happy day together. We got sushi and cheesecake for my birthday dinner. And we watched Despicable Me! Johnny gave it to me for my present and that made me very happy. =D I don't know why, but I always forget to take pictures on my birthday. -.- So, this year we'll have a joint birthday picture again and soon. xD John had the day off for my birthday, so we spent a lot of time just being lazy and having fun together. =) Like how Christopher Robin and Winnie the Pooh "just do nothing" together. ;) It's tons of fun.
I've been cooking a lot again. :D This past week I made a batch of my pumpkin cookies for a friend of John's that offered to pay for his very own batch. I was very happy to fill the order. Thankfully they turned out just right. (I was nervous I'd mess it up!) I also made orecchiete with broccolini and ricotta and last night some vegetable couscous. ^_^ And there is a big tower of bowls next to the sink to prove it! xD Hahaha! I know what I'll be doing tomorrow! But, it's worth it. Something about cooking is just so satisfying. :)
There's nothing quite so uncomfortable or cozy as having two cats sleep on top of you, too, by the way. I am always a little sad when my spine forces me to move and upset them. I love my little family. =) And Johnny's birthday is coming up on April 6th! >:) I get more excited for his birthday so I can spoil him! Mwahahahaha! *begins plotting*

Birthday Goals =)

It's almost birthday time for the Christine! =D And it is actually Springtime in North Carolina in March which makes me so happy! It would always snow near my birthday in Utah, ruining my Spring birthday plans. Hahaha. I already have my new pink birthday shirt (more pinkish purple this year, though) and I'm excited to start another year of being me. :) So far we have pretty simple plans of going to dinner or something and watching a movie together at home. (Secret: I'm not a big fan of movie theaters. Sticky floors, booming speakers that make my head hurt, not knowing if the person that sat here before me had head lice - I'm extremely lice paranoid, weird smells, cell phones, annoying people talking, no bathroom breaks, hearing the person behind me CHEWING - yes this actually happened recently - I mean, WHY did someone think it'd be a good idea for a movie theater to sell nachos?... Anyway... renting and watching at home has always been preferable to me.)
I want to make birthday goals (kind of like new year's resolutions but birthday-related ;) this year. I'm only going to be around people that help me feel happy about life (including on facebook). I want to be more active physically and try to get some kind of exercise done daily. I know many people are against formal exercise for one reason or another, but I have gotten so I actually enjoy it. Sure it makes me tired and sweaty and my muscles get sore, but it gives me more energy for the day and I get a sense of accomplishment from it. :) Overall, I want to make this year full of positive, upbeat days. My next birthday I will on my own, since John will be in Afghanistan and I am determined to be a very strong person by that time. =) I'll be turning 29 this year! Gonna round out my 20s with some happy. =D I don't want to get depressed about getting older. It won't change anything and will just give me sad lines instead of happy ones. Hahaha. ^_^

Extra thing about me: Name a geeky hobby you have.

Oh, which one to choose. xD I'm quite the geek, as you all know. (After all, I'm a fan of Star Wars, Rainbow Brite, video games, comic books... I'm a geeky gamer girl and I love it!) Lately I've had this hobby finding as many animal species as I can and finding a few cool pictures of each of them. This explains the animal pictures I have in the sidebar of my blog. I think it's fascinating to see all of the different kinds of bats, snakes, horses, foxes, doves, etc. It'll take many years for me to get through the folder featuring a different animal with each new post, but that's okay. I love animals so so much. I feel like each one has its own unique personality. Some religions feel like the animals' souls will become people someday and so they treat animals with respect. I love that. I met an African gray parrot last week for the first time and looked into her eyes. They are some of the smartest birds on the planet. When John was a kid he had a friend with a very smart African gray parrot that would answer the phone and the door and had quite an extensive vocabulary. When I looked at this parrot at the pet store last week I could see the intelligence. Of course, my strongest bond is with cats (I'm not kidding - they follow me home and John has to take them back to their owners) but I love all animals. For a short time I had a dream of becoming a vet for a zoo. And then I found out there were no veterinary schools in Utah (programs to be an assistant or whatnot but not to become a full-fledged veterinarian). Anyway... animal pictures = one of my geeky hobbies. ;)

As It Should Be :)

I've been letting myself relax since John has been home. Sometimes you don't realize you've been stressed until it is released and the cause for the stress is resolved. Then things crumble a little bit. Hahaha. So, I've been sick for a few days with some flu-ish germ, but I'm starting to feel much better today. Better enough that I might be making some chicken gnocchi soup tonight to help me feel even more better. ^_^ I'll need to wash my giant cutting board and my knife first, but I can do it! (I love having a giant cutting board when I'm chopping but then when it's dirty I get a little mrffled. -I made up a word to fit the feeling.-)

It has been wonderfully stormy the past few days here. I like storms when I'm sick. Cause when you're sick and the sun's streaming in you - well, I - want to just look out and the window at all the sunny and say, "Shutup." And today is blissfully cloudy, just as I feel. Almost cleared up but still a little hazy.
The longer I'm off of the medication of grrrr the more I feel like I've come home to myself. The new medication doesn't really make that noticeable of an effect, just that I feel more relaxed. And I've lost a few pounds which was cause for much Snoopy-dancing. (When you're happy if you dance like Snoopy it makes everything even more wonderful. It is one of the many happy dances, in the same category as the Fraggle dance, in case anyone wondered.)
I'm sitting here with a Zoe laying on her back on my lap. She loves to watch the computer screen and kick back. :) I love my kitties. Things are really good and calm and as they should be. =)

Extra Thing About Me: A picture of you in your favorite shirt.
My favorite shirt is my red Hello Kitty shirt. John got it for me for our 3rd anniversary, I think. There have been so many wearings of the shirt it's hard to recall the first wearing of it. Hahaha. And this is my favorite picture of me in it on our 3rd anniversary in 2006.

Happy Enough To Dance

This is how happy I feel!!!