Hot Chocolate Chip Cookies...Mmmmm!!

If you haven't cleaned out your fridge in the last 6 months, do it today!! We started out just getting rid of leftovers this afternoon and it turned into an hour long cleaning project. We emptied all the food out and washed all the shelves and drawers in the fridge. It was absolutely disgusting, but now that it's clean, it looks pretty darn good!! We also moved the fridge out from it's cubby and washed the sides, swept and mopped under it and vacuumed all of the animal hair out of the air intake grill. Pretty gross, but a great feeling to know it's all clean now!!

Cornbread and Chili

Justin and I went over to Cedar Rapids last Saturday to hang out with my dad and Roarke. We had such a great time!! We took Roarke bowling for the first time ever. I thought it was pretty great because I got to bowl with the bumpers up (which boosted my score all the way up to 86!!) and Roarke had such a good time too!! Here are a few of the high points:

• Roarke was worried that if he actually threw the ball it might fall on his toes, so he very masterfully slid the ball down the alley. We thought the ball might stop a few times, but it always made it to the end.

• After giving his ball a big shove, he would stand up, move to the side of the alley, stick his hands on his hips and wait. He even did a little hip-wiggling dance a few times while waiting.
• Don't think that the dance had anyting to do with his success though!! When my dad tried to tell Roarke that he should do the dance so he could knock down all of the pins, Roarke responded by saying, "I know how to bowl Old Man. I don't need to do a dance!!" (Justin had changed our dad's name to "Old Man" on the display and we had Roarke calling him that all afternoon...)
• Roarke got soooo excited every time he saw his ball coming back and always wanted to hold onto it, even if he was just sitting there.

Overall, we had a great time. The weather was a little iffy for driving conditions. Justin and I counted 66 vehicles in the ditch on our way to Cedar Rapids, including 3 semis, but we made it and had a wonderful time.

Whoooo are you?? Who, who?? Who, who??

Does anyone want to adopt me for the latter part of next week?? I have been spoiled the past couple years and haven't really learned how to cook, because my husband is such an amazing cook. I help him with dinner many nights, but I take all my directions from him. There are a few things that I can make, but they're mainly casserole type dishes and definitely should not be made for just one person (there would be enough leftovers for a week and waste would ensue...)

My husband is going to be working or at work-related functions 4 nights in a row next week. We're trying to think of things we could make on Monday or Tuesday night that would produce some leftovers, so I could eat those a couple nights, but if we run out of leftovers, I have no idea what to make for just one person. And I don't cook very often, so I don't want to "waste" any of my cooking skills when Aaron's not even around to enjoy the finished product.

*big sigh*

87 days until graduation!!

Aaron and I had the coolest Super Bowl experience. By the way, is it illegal for me actually say "Super Bowl"??

Thong, better known as "T", a cook at work, invited us over to his house to watch the game. Upon arriving, we were given an authentic Vietnamese meal. Spring rolls, pork and beef soup, and egg rolls. There was a different sauce for everything and it was prepared fresh by T's wife. Aaron even had beer from Singapore called "Tiger". (It made us all very happy when we saw a commercial with Lions, because then there were "Lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my!!"...I know, we're huge dorks!!)

Everyone who came to the party brought food as well, so we had all kinds of food to snack on during the game. Chips and dip (Mandy, from Colo), taco dip (us, from Slater), cake (Mandy as well, from Colo), chicken fried rice (Chau, also from Vietnam), shrimp salsa (Isabel, from Mexico), and a neverending supply of spring rolls and egg rolls...we definitely ate too much on Sunday!!

Salmon and Butternut Squash

I want a "work from home" job. You know, one where you stuff envelopes, construct CD cases or screw nuts and bolts together and they just pay you based on how many you get done, or getting paid to take online surveys or be a mystery shopper. But I have no idea if there are any legitimate jobs out there or if they're all scams. Any that I've seen advertised around campus require a "start-up fee" of $50 or more, which to me, screams SCAM!!

Ideally I could find a work from home job out there that requires 2 crazy dogs. If so, I'd be set!! :-D But I'll settle for something without a crazy dog requirement as long as it's legitimate.

Crescent rolls are yummy!!

We got some great photos from our wedding blown up and in black and white to go with some frames we got for the wedding. I'm so excited about how they look...

You've got to be kidding me!! A HIGH of zero?!?

So I'm thinking about donating plasma. At BioLife in Ames, you can donate two times a week for a total of $60 ($20 the first time and $40 the second). Aaron and I are lucky enough to be going on vacation in just over 5 weeks, but don't have a lot of spending money set aside. On top of the monetary incentive, I know it's a good thing to do and it can save lives.

However, I hate needles. When I was 6 years old and getting shots, I screamed at the nurse to "get that thing out of me!!" and my perspective hasn't changed much since then. So the idea of sitting for over an hour with a needle in my arm makes me very nervous. And I've heard that it can really start to hurt after a while because of scar tissue.

Has anyone had any experiences with plasma donation?? Tell me what you think...

Chocolaterie Stam rocks!!

**phone ringing**
Aaron answers: Hiii wiiiffe!!!!!
Blakely: Hello husband!! How are you?!?
Aaron: I'm awesome!!
Blakely: Why are you so awesome??
Aaron: Because you're calling. And that means you're coming home!!
Blakely: Yeah it does. I love you!!
Aaron: Cool!! I love you too!!
Blakely: I'll see you soon!!
Aaron: KayBye!!

I want a "Zorbeez"

Apparently we used our home phone more than we realized. I missed 8 calls from Aaron this morning, because my phone was on silent. I guess it will take some getting used to...

Our dogs love Ron Burgundy!!

Lots of exciting things going on in the Mortvedt household (as long as you view excitement as relative...)

• We got rid of our land-line. We first kept it because we weren't getting great cellphone reception in Slater. When that improved, it was almost time for the wedding and we were using it as a form of RSVP. But now, we have great reception and the wedding is over, so we're free to get rid of it!! Welcome to the 21st century to us!!
• I made my first "from scratch" cheesecake, with Aaron's help. I have never made a cheesecake before, and I hear they're hard, so I'm pretty excited, but nervous. Hopefully it turns out tasty.
• Aaron is celebrating his 1-year anniversary as the restaurant manager of Audubon's today!! We'll be taking the cheesecake in to work as celebration tomorrow.
• I've worked out 5 of the last 7 days and had fruits or veggies as a snack every afternoon this week. (Ask my mom, I don't do fruits and veggies.)