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Meet Moses. He's adorable in every pug way. He's 5-years old, and he's quite the funny, loving boy. I'm quickly learning that I love every pug that comes through our door.... there hasn't been one that I personally don't want to permanently rescue. But alas, I can't keep all the pugs for myself. That would be selfish, since everyone needs to experience pug love.

Cheers

My favorite place to dine is the Melting Pot. I love the atmosphere. I love sipping wine in a dark nook with the smell of warm, melty goodness cooking in the steaming pot just inches away. I love that fondue slows the pace of a normal dinner to just over two hours. And while every course is amazingly delicious, there's no doubt that the best creation on Earth is waiting at the end of the meal: chocolate fondue of your choice (for us, it's usually the flaming turtle, which includes caramel, chocolate, and chopped pecans set ablaze right in front of our eyes).

Because the Melting Pot costs a pretty penny, we usually go for a special occasion (birthday? anniversary? half-birthday? .... let's go to the Melting Pot!). This time I decided to document the experience. This is just some of the yummy goodness.

Pixie

Those who know me know I like change. I have little patience, and boredom comes quickly for me. It's something I'm trying to work on.

I've been going back and forth about getting my hair cut. When I have it short, I want it long. Then, by the time I have long hair, I realize how cute it was short. For some reason, I just don't ever feel like long hair can be styled. So, I just end up putting it up in a ponytail. Lame.

Hair cuts, for me, are usually done on a whim. I get the notion in my head of a hair cut, and the next day, it's done (usually for $9.99 at Fantastic Sams, after a coupon).

Last night, Randy and I researched haircuts. I tend to gravitate towards the same, stacked haircut. But Randy's advice was a bit different than usual. He said, "Go short, or go home." So, I picked a super short hair picture and went in this morning. And, boy, am I glad I listened to my husband. We both absolutely love it...

One reason I love my job...

is that the 5 & 6-year olds make me laugh. Today, we had carpet time in which we played music for the kids. While most of the kids were doing the typical kid dance (you know the one... just jumping and swaying to and fro), one of the kids was seriously doing a mean robot move. I was impressed.... right after I wiped the tears away from me laughing so hard. Where to heck do they pick up these things?

Birthday: Part 2

How lucky am I to get a birthday weekend? Randy and I spent the rest of the Labor Day weekend at my forever friend's house in Peoria, so the 3-hour drive was a nice get-away without seeming impossibly long.

The only downside was that my allergies had been acting up since I woke up on Friday. With my nose simultaneously being stuffy and runny and a sore throat from the drainage... I wasn't feeling my best. In fact, my forever friend's husband suggested that I was more sick than allergic, but I brushed that notion right off.... what does he know? Well... probably more than me, since he is a doctor, after all. Needless to say, he had some great meds that really helped get me back on my feet. Hooray for a doctor as a friend!

Anyway, back to the visit. It was a relaxing weekend with no definite plans. We went where we wanted to go. We did what we wanted to do. Nothing demanding our time, which was really nice. And my forever friend is quite the hostess, as we had a great breakfast and tasty dinner. Quite the cook, she is.

And while I miss her and our fun adventures, it's still nice to be home. We spent 2 days visiting and came home on Monday morning, which gave us plenty of time to do chores and get ready for the work week ahead.

All in all, a perfect birthday was had. I wouldn't have wanted it differently. Maybe getting older really is about getting better.

Birthday: Part 1

It happened. I'm officially in my mid twenties. I think that exempts me from being in the "high-risk" population for getting the swine flu. Which is probably really good news, considering a case has been confirmed at the Alton middle school. But I digress....

I had an awesome birthday with still more to come. Last night was the first time I'd ever seen a cycling race. It doesn't sound very cool, does it? And really, the only reason we went was to support our cyclist friend, Heston. I was expecting to see a bunch of guys in spandex scooting around some track on their bikes. I was WAY off.

These guys are hard core. I've never seen so many athletes get carried away on stretchers. They go super fast (up to 40 mph) and ride super close to one another. One wrong move, and it's a domino effect. And the track is a city road course that winds around really neat old buildings, bars, and restaurants in St. Louis. It was a great time.

After seeing Heston race, we all went out to celebrate my birthday at Bailey's Chocolate Bar. An appetizer, pizzettas, truffles, and a bottle of wine later, we parted ways until our next get-together. It was a great 25th birthday....

Coming up: Birthday Celebration, Part 2: Visiting the Forever Friend.

Life after grad school...

is great. I come home from work and have no project, research paper, or article review to do. And while I haven't received it yet, I get a paycheck for my work, which is quite a change. My hours are 7:55 to 2:45, so I really can't complain. I've even been working out right after school, and I still have time to get home and cook dinner before Randy gets home.

Work also has other perks. I've met my co-worker and now friend, Christine, and her boyfriend, Heston. Randy and I have done something with them for the past 4 weekends in a row. Last week was the Alton block party, and this weekend is Heston's bicycle race. I guess it's a pretty huge thing... part of the Tour of Missouri. Who knew Missouri was such a big cycling state? So, for my birthday, we'll go and support Heston in his race on Friday. I hear there'll be bands, food, and drinks for the race, so it sounds like a good time to me.