It's been a few days because of the computer issues and life in general getting in the way. Because of that, I have a whole host of random things to talk about. Get excited!
First, a friend of mine sent me an article today about how Vienna has the highest quality of life (for the third year running, according to Mercer). I've only been there twice and for a grand total of about 11 days, but I could have told you that from my experiences. The city is clean and safe, the public transportation is absolutely fantastic (they have a clock letting you know when every train/tram/bus, etc. will be there and I've never seen one run late), and there is so much culture and history there. The only problem I have with Vienna (or Austria in general) is that it is way too complicated for an American national to move there. Apparently Matt and I just need to win the lottery, form a corporation, and pay ourselves each €4200 per month, and then they'll let us move there. Simple enough, right? :P Also, because I feel like posting all sorts of pictures, I'm going to put one relevant to this up:
Me on my first visit to Vienna in front of the Hofburg. It's one of my favorite buildings there. It's also right next to the ruins from the Holy Roman Empire, which is pretty sweet. Have I mentioned that I want to move there tomorrow?
Second, I have a few pictures from our Friday-after-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving dinner. If you recall, we were too lazy to make turkey and all the fixings on Thanksgiving, so we just waited a day. I had to work at an ungodly hour (6:30 am, which isn't even bad for the Friday after Thanksgiving) so Matt put the turkey in the crock pot and let it go all day. You can judge us if you want, but we saved so much money in electricity for not using the oven that I don't care. It ended up being so delicious. And then, of course, we had mashed potatoes, stuffing, and canned cranberry. I know that canned cranberry is exactly the processed American crap that I'm trying to eliminate from my diet, but I'm just going to not count it. Who doesn't love gelatinous, can-shaped cranberry goodness? People with no soul, that's who. I also made homemade gravy from the drippings (again, so freaking good). Matt had one taste and then declared that he wanted me to be the mother of his children, so I'm going to go ahead and assume that I'm not the only one that thought it was pretty fantastic. (Although I am pretty sure that he figured out the mother of his children thing before he married me. xD) I have some pictures of the dinner, so I will post them, too!
Everything all served up! (Not pictured: the kitchen, looking like something exploded.)
Delicious, delicious gelatinous can-shaped cranberry. Favorite Thanksgiving food.
Aaaand...I'm not really sure what's going on here, but it's always fun to embarrass Mr. Leick by posting ridiculous pictures of him on the interwebs.
Third, I've figured out that working out and stress don't generally get along. I have not been as good as I should be about keeping up with this. I'm losing weight because I'm generally eating much healthier and have given up soda and going out to eat, but I'm not losing it as fast as I'd like. Work has gotten a lot more stressful with Christmas on the horizon. Plus, I'm really tired most days and just don't feel like it. I'm still very motivated with the food portion of the lifestyle change, but finding the time/motivation/energy to get a great (or even decent) workout has been escaping me lately. Hopefully I can hunker down and get back into it. It's not easy but it'll be totally worth it in the end. Fortunately, I have a new work-out buddy (sort of). I know her from our high school and she and I are both doing the 30 Day Shred. We're trying to check in with each other frequently to keep each other motivated. This will be really good for me, too, because I have an over-active conscience and if I don't do something I should, I start feeling very, very, very guilty. I imagine I'll find the strength to keep going - if I haven't given up on any of my goals yet, I won't any time in the near future.
Fourth, CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If you can't tell by the bolded caps, I LOVE Christmas. I love everything about it. The music, the decorations, the food, the family, the shopping, the presents, Santa, EVERYTHING. It is, far and away, my favorite time of year. Matt and I were going to put the tree up on Sunday but it ended up being a pretty crappy day for me and I just wasn't in the mood, so the decorating got put off until tonight.
The Christmas tree, all lit up but without any ornaments.
Matt and I have decided to build our ornament collection by getting one Hallmark ornament a year. My family did this and we have a pretty awesome collection of ornaments. This is my ornament for the year. It says "The Bell Still Rings For Me 2011"
The tag says "The Polar Express Round Trip". Every year, my mom read that book to my sisters and I. I love the book which is why I got the ornament. It was a no brainer when I saw it. :)
Matt picked out this one. It says "Joe to the world". I bet you can't tell that he's obsessed with coffee. :P
Trying to decide where to put the ornament.
And we have a spot!
Final product!
And some pictures of us for fun.
Aw, cute. :)
The set-up. Not too fancy, but we've only been married for two years. Once we've been married for longer, have a house, and more room to decorate I will go absolutely crazy with the decorations. I can't wait. :)
And finally, another apple update! I haven't been taking pictures, but the apple now has two definite bruises and is definitely to the point where I wouldn't eat it. It's still relatively firm, but the two big bruises thing is more than I can handle. It's been about two and a half weeks, but it's still not melting on my counter, so I'll keep it out and see how it ends up.
I think that's about it for now. Hopefully I'll keep updating regularly so I don't have giant posts with all sorts of ridiculous things thrown in. As usual, comments/suggestions/whatever are welcome and invited!
Until next time...
Tschüss!