external hard drive...

in the hizzy. so excited. nick hooked it up. just have to transfer the files. now i can upload all my pics to flickr, scrapbookpictures.com, and here!!
so i'll start with the winners of my coach questions.
there are three. krystn and brandy with the correct number of items. and bre for closest monetary value {without going over bob}. i bought five items for about$580. retail would have been over $1300. egads, right?
here they are....
the one i had to have.


then the extras. the ginormo one is for nick's mom. not sure what came over me, lots of my peeps were way shocked. but hey, it was about what we would have spent on little things, so why not?

so congrats girlies. thinking on prizes. keep your eyes open....
thought i should snap a pic of the new car. it isn't the greatest. sucks going to work when it's dark and coming home when it's dark. maybe i can pull it into the driveway tomorrow. it's going to the shop on monday. should have it back thursday with all the new upgrades.
here she is...

averaging just over 38 miles to the gallon. which is huge. when i first got the car, the mileage was not so great. really hoping to hit that 40 mark...
whatelse.
the foot. here it is... one week later.


pardon the crappy pics. best i could do by myself. was bruise free on the outerside until work on monday. just had some pain and swelling. feeling better. still not great but improving. the second pic shows the bruise under my big toe. got that one falling down the stairs on sunday. seriously. what the hell? and please no one call me colleen or heather... kidding! ;o)
was at bath and body works today. found some super comfy, warm socks... with grips on the bottom. bought 2 pair! one is even supposed to moisturize while you're wearing them...
officially at a scrappy block. think it's the foot. cracked open some wine. moscado to be exact. quite yummy. not so winey. more fruity. a white. i think you reisling likers would enjoy. hoping that helps.
pup gets nipped monday. gonna miss him for that day he's gone... i think. gonna laugh for sure when i see his little cone head tuesday. okay, not little. heffer weighs in at 57.5 pounds. not even 6 months. almost. but not quite! he can stop any time!
and a picture update of guinnea pig.
one of him and nicholas... just so you can see him in relation to a human.


and a fun one. just because.

crap.

lots going on here. so glad i have a few days to recoup.
hit midnight shopping today with a girlfriend and her neighbor. went to the coach outlet. stood in line for 2 hours outside. insanity. it was cold and we had some lake effect snow. thankfully, it wasn't much. made it home today around 5am. maybe i should have a contest... wanna guess how many items i purchased from the coach store and what the total was? sounds like there should be two prizes: one for each question. i'll update later with pics and totals. ;o) hints you say? hmmm. nick freaked a bit. i had been telling him he couldn't get his ps3... after my purchases, i had to let him get it. it's only fair.
slept til after noon today. i am still exhausted.
went to get a new car today. i'm in mourning for beatrix. that bmw was awesome. i was just sick of the service at their store and no way i want to pay to repair that sucker since the warranty would have been up with the lease.
curious as to what i/we got... check it out. missing lots that i'm used to... power seats, sun roof, heated seats, the radio that tells me what's playing, all wheel drive... but we are getting the leather seats and heating mechanism installed soon. got a few other upgrades. not a lot offered since they don't want to change the aerodynamics or add some goodies that will suck the life out of the gas mileage.
had a freak out the last few days over this. i do not do change well. at all.
better now. had a blast watching the gas/battery/charge part of the dashboard coming home. stopped by the 'rents. they approve. my brother is way upset that he can no longer nab the beamer. oh well, tis life. nick and i were just discussing the circle of life in cars... we all start with that beater/hand-me-down from the parents, then we can buy our own car and think we are splurging. that we have this kick ass car because we bought it. then you get your first real job and upgrade that car. sports car, luxury vehicle, gas guzzler.... whatever. then you get practical. like why the heck am i paying this for this. well, at least that is how nick and i are seeing things!
is the best decision for us. got an excellent deal. was really surprised at our bargaining skills. nick was way proud of himself! excited to not have to pay for premium gas any longer. looking forward to the tax break and receiving my boss' incentives from the hybrid purchase.
nick tried to take some pictures but we only had the little camera. couldn't get it to agree with him. everything was blurry. was cussing about how this was a pos. that the rebel is the best camera ever. so proud of him!
nick wants a new car. might have to wait a month or five... or i'll die from a bleeding ulcer. he's looking at this one. funny looking thing. but really neat on the inside.
came home to celebrate... cracked open some wine, went to take the garbage out, and slipped on the wood that is in the garage. seriously thought i broke my ankle. hurts like hell. immediately took some ibuprofin, wrapped it in an ace wrap, and elevated it. feeling much, much better. refusing to go to the er. don't want to admit that it could be broken. being a bad nurse. yeah, it's what we do. keeping my fingers crossed that it won't be three times the normal size in the morning.
oh and thanksgivings. turned out really nice. both of them. might have been the adult beverages helping too... got christmas lists from everyone. really excited to start shopping. i did do some shopping last night. {hint: one purse at coach was not for me!} hoping the ankle cooperates and we can do some shopping tomorrow. really need that new external hard drive!

seeing the light.

-the end of the deck construction is in site! woot, woot! i will be so happy for the boys. it was snowing while they were working today. hoping it is completely finished tomorrow.
-i freaking took a nap almost every day this past week. not sure what my deal is, but i was exhausted on friday since i didn't nap thursday. must nip this in the bud.
-puppy classes went well. really like the trainer. have seen a bit of an improvement already. however, the food aggression did not go well. have to continue to hand feed him. which is okay. i want to do whatever is best for him. hoping she can work wonders and put an end to it.
-scrapped for the first time in ages today. lots. well, lots in one day for me. 4 so far. hope to crank out a few more.
totally enjoying my raspberry beer. yum-o. been hoarding a few bottles for some time. had to crack open the bottle to make the boys raspberry syrup with their pecan french toast this morning. and heck, a girl can't let a perfectly good bottle go to waste... can she?
-still need to get the external hard drive. soon. this week.
-glad for the short week. bummed that work is always crazy on the short ones tho... and we get bonuses on wednesday. bonus. just in time for black friday shopping. nick has to work friday morning. trying to convince him to come with me anyway. a girlfriend has offered to replace him. she doesn't want to buy and i feel if i drag her along, i will just be tempting her. so we'll see.
-starting looking at new cars. thinking about hybrids. you kids have any car suggestions? bad thoughts? good thoughts? i'm open. love beatrix the beamer, but the lease is up and so is the warranty. not sure if i can afford any repairs on her should they arise. so new car it is.
-diggin this fun site. thanks for sharing jude. another way to pass time at work. put it in the sidebar ----> for easy access. good thinking, eh? :o)

earplugs.

i so need some. last night i elbowed nick in the middle of the night thinking he was the jackass snoring so loudly that it woke me from my slumber. after elbowing him a few times, and still hearing that annoying snore, i realized it was guinness. ole boy might be moved into another room if this keeps up.
and yes, i apologized to nick for any bruises that he might have after the angry elbow jabs. ;o)

vacation?

can i please go on another one?
felt well rested after jamaica, then went to work and had a super busy week. then had the byom get together in chicago. which was exhausting. a blast, but whoa, was i beat. about 6ish hours of sleep in one weekend, does not cut it for shannon!
work was crazy again and i'm hoping to relax this weekend.
guinness passed his puppy class with flying colors. has a cute little certificate and everything. however, we aren't 100% about what we are going to do next. i think his pitbull tendencies are coming through. so we have a private puppy class with this company. they have an excellent reputation and i just want to make sure we do everything correctly. okay, that might not be worded properly but i want the little g man to be well behaved. no growling, no nipping, and listening all the time, not just when it's suits him.
my external hard drive is in the process of crashing. have all the pictures burned to dvds. just have to upload them to scrapbook pictures and flickr.
watched saw 3 last night. holy heck. each time i watch one, i swear i will not watch the next. but now i'm anxious to know how it plays out. must watch a funny one tonight to make up for it!
have lots of scrappies to do. sooo excited for the goodies coming from byom. cannot wait! working on rsc stuff today. lots of goodies this month, hope i can find time to squeeze something about with everything! working on a fun page for my article. it features a challenge blog. working on the details, but might include a challenge with it. jen has some prizes, hoping to figure it out. i'll keep you posted here!
diggin the weather warm up. 20 was way too cold. i'm so not ready for winter. ack.
deck is getting there. so proud of those boys. has taken forever and this daylight savings isn't helping with time!
putting up an electric fence for guinness too. hope it works!
kittys are same. thinking of getting a kitty tower for them. they are currently hanging out on my dining room table. found a cute one at petsmart, have to figure out transportation details tho!
excited for football tomorrow. bears are off of their bye. really hoping they can beat oakland. and looking forward to the indy/chargers game.
cannot believe it's almost thanksgiving. seriously, christmas is coming! eek! throwing around some project ideas but who knows if i will actually find the time to complete them.
have ditched yoga/pilates for over a month. and might not go this week for private puppy classes. i'm thinking if they were pissed that we weren't showing up, they would call. we pay monthly automatically so i would think they were happy with just having that money. we shall see. hoping the schedule settles a bit!
k. enough procrastinating/bloggin. must do some work!