February goal update

February is over. Let's revisit the goals I've set.

Goals:

1. Do a pull-up or handstand without help - Minor setback with the workout schedule - I haven't been going to the gym. Fail. I'm still going to bed late. Double fail. Ugh.

2. Clean out the garage - I haven't made any progress on cleaning. In fact, I actually added more things out there this month. What's up with that?

3. Challenge my creativity and imagination - We had some fun times geocaching this month. Shooting guns, fire school and playing in the park were also on the agenda. So, we're doing pretty good about getting out and doing stuff.

4. Maintain a conscious spending plan - Aside from coupons, we've been fortunate to find some deals on our purchases: 50% off a new suit for me and a free oil change from Molle Chevrolet. Every little bit helps!

5. Be aware of our environmental impact - This month we pared down some possessions that weren't getting used to their full potential. The truck went to a good home and some extra kitchenware and cleaning products will be going to Lauren as she moves out of her dorm at the end of the semester.

Overall, it looks like things are going pretty well. I read somewhere that 80% of resolutions get broken by Jan. 31. How are you doing on your goals or New Year's resolutions?

That's not my name!

I felt like I was in a music video with the Ting Tings today at Molle Chevrolet. I was picking up the Buick from its oil change, and the lady at the window asked for my name so she could look up the car.

"Schad. S-C-H-err...I'm sorry that's not my name. Wow, and I've been married for two years. It's under Stapp. S-T-A-P-P. Sorry."

And while my cheeks flushed and I continued apologizing, she laughed and assured me she wouldn't tell anyone.

Thanks.

I had to wonder if I said "Schad" because of some recent researching of John Schad, the progenitor of the Schad line in America, with my brother-in-law or if it was merely my subconcious letting me know that it still wasn't okay with the name change forced upon it.

Before I married Jason, I spent a long time named Schad. It wasn't just my last name. In high school, that WAS my name. In college, "Mandie" was how I was known on the job, mainly to avoid confusion among other workers with similar names. But still, it was followed by Schad. And because of that, I spent some time researching name options after Jason popped the question. I could keep Schad and make a stand for my individuality in our union, but if we had children, I wanted us to be considered one cohesive family unit. We could combine our last names, either by hyphenating or smooshing them together, but none of those options appealed to Jason or me. Jason could take my last name, but he likes his name, and it's harder for a boy to change his name than a girl. That's also why we didn't choose a completely new name to represent our new family-that and we really couldn't think of a new name that we liked better. So, I took his last name, much to my family-history-researching mom's delight.

It would seem like it would be easy to make the switch. Both names are Germanic. They start with the same letter, so my initials didn't change. And they are both short, with only five letters each. But, for these reasons, it was also difficult.

It had been a while since had I slipped up. I think that's why today caught me off-guard. I guess it takes a little bit of time to get used to change. What about you? What changes are you getting used to?

Friday funday

After not feeling well this week, Jason took me to the park to shoot some hoops and play on the swing. It was nice to be outside for a bit.

We're going to shoot guns!

Jason and I went to eat lunch at IHOP and our waitress asked us what brought us out in this weather.
"We're going to shoot guns!" I exclaimed excitedly. Needless to say, she was a little surprised.
Jason took me to Crossfire, a shooting range near us in Independence.

Bye, bye, Truck!

Sniff, sniff. The truck is gone.
A couple of people noticed that it didn't move from it's parking spot very often and made offers. So, we sold it to a lady who has a house-painting business. The truck has gone to a good home, but I am a little sad when I don't see it waiting for us across the street.

Anniversary Day

Valentine's Day...Anniversary...Chinese New Year...busy day!

Jason and I had originally planned to go to Crown Center to go ice skating, but when we got there, it was super cold! I mean, I know it has to be cold to have ice to skate on, but the bitter wind? Definitely NOT necessary! Instead, we headed over to the shops to pick up a hot chocolate and regroup.

Our new plan included finding some geocaches around the area. That way we could duck inside to warm up when we wanted. We looked around Crown Center near the rink for a cache, but we decided it had been muggled and was missing. Our next attempt was in a median, and Jason found it. The third cache was outside Children's Mercy Hospital, which has a pretty sweet playground. Jason even got to play the piano, Big-style.
Our last cache led us to Union Station. We ate lunch (and spent the last of our anniversary money - hot chocolate + lunch) at the Harvey House counter. It was crazy to sit there and imagine what it would be like to eat there while waiting for the train back in the Harvey heyday. I think Fred Harvey would have disapproved of the quality of our service, but not of the quality of our food.

After dropping AJ's geocoin off in the cache, we headed back to the car.

Happy Second-First Anniversary! (Second wedding anniversary, first celebrated together.)

Anniversary Gifts

Our anniversary day turned into an anniversary week thanks to some great parents. On the Schad side, we received a red velvet cake to celebrate our anniversary. It was decorated really pretty and swirly. I've never seen a red velvet cake shaped like that! On the Shields side, we got cash money, enough to pay for our wild Valentine's Day spending spree. (More about that later.) So there you go, delicious cake and extra dough.

This year, Jason and I celebrate our second anniversary, the cotton anniversary. So, I crocheted Jason (and me) an afghan we affectionately call the Love Blanket. Jason is in the middle of a painting on (cotton) canvas so he surprised me with some flowers to make up for not having it done. I wasn't worried, though. I know he's swamped with work and school. It'll get done eventually.

Winter Fire School 2010 and a bonus cookie

Winter Fire School only means one thing - the boys are back in town! Even though I got to Boone Tavern a little late, I still had plenty of time to hang out and catch up with the guys. I'm so glad Little Joe included Lauren and me on the invite list. It was a fun time!

Because I was so late to the event, I didn't get to chow down on any food. I was famished! So Lauren and I hit up my favorite Hardee's in CoMo, the one on Paris Road. I ordered a burger, curly fries and a drink, specifically of the medium variety. But, upon trying to fit my Dr. Pepper-filled cup with a medium lid, I discovered that I had not received the size I had ordered. I exclaimed to Lauren across the empty restaurant, "Hey! This isn't a medium!" Rude, I know. I have no excuse. However, a new guy appeared behind the counter to apologize and asked if a cookie would make up for the mistake. Heck, yeah it will! And that's why I love the Hardee's on Paris Road.