Monday, Monday...

I had ice cream for breakfast this morning.

It is one of those days.

A case of the Mondays, perhaps?

After a fun and relaxing weekend, it is always hard when the ol' hubby goes back to work and I am left to my own devices when it comes to entertainment.

Oh please oh please, somebody employ this poor soul! I am pretty cheerful most of the time (unless I am hungry, in which case, back away slowly) and I know how to napkin fold. I mean, come on, people!

While I am in this... transitionary state, I need some good ideas of cheap and talent improving/life brightening distractions. The only ones I have come up with so far are volunteering, blogging (obviously), and going to the library and/or Big Lots at least thrice a week. Ayudame, por favor!

On a more fun (and less pathetic) note, we had a wonderful weekend. Friday night, we had our friends Kei and Nami over for some Massaman Curry(we're pretty hooked on Thai food around here lately)and a few rousing games of Rummikub. Jordan and Kei work together, and he and his sweetie of a wife are here in Charlotte from Japan. It is fun to spend time with them comparing cultures and languages, and it makes us feel like we should be a little less whiney when it comes to missing our families and friends (at least we are still in the same country!)

Saturday, we were able to drive down to Columbia, SC, to visit the temple and drive around town a little bit. It was good for us to get away for a day, even if it wasn't very far, and visit a new place. Downtown Columbia is really beautiful and full of some really amazing architecture. We stopped at an old church to walk around the grounds and graveyard; some of the tombstones were from the 1800's.

Yesterday afternoon, we had some of Jordan's friends over to watch F1 racing and Top Gear and BBQ brats (obviously, all of these things were my idea. kidding ;) sometimes, you just gotta live in a man's world, ladies!) We capped the evening off with a nice sunset walk. I wish I would have taken pictures of my hair... when we left, it was tied back tight in a ponytail, but by the time we got back home, I had developed a strange curly crown of baby hairs all around my forehead. Gorgeous. Gotta love the humidity!

I am so grateful we were able to have such a great past couple of days. Next time, the things we've learned about living in the South. Stay tuned!

Super

So I watched the trailer for The Amazing Spiderman earlier (nerds, unite! Also, can Emma Stone and I just be best friends already?) It got me thinking about super heroes, who they are, and what they can do.

As one who frequently kicks major booty in an unconscious state (for some reason, a lot of my dreams involve me having to defend my loved ones against bad guys...), I'd like to think that if I were bitten by a radioactive arachnid or born with some telekinesis mutation a la Jean Grey/Phoenix from the X Men comics, I would really be able to do some damage and cut down on a crud load of crime.

However, sadly when I think about the powers that I would most like to have, they pale in comparison to those that are actually useful. My optimal list of super skills would go something like this:

1. Ability to eat as many cakes, cookies, and bowls of ice cream as I want without feeling full or causing major cardiovascular damage.

2. Stop time... so that I can nap any time of the day without losing daylight

3. Hear animals' thoughts. This would be really hilarious if it didn't turn out to be as annoying as all of the Dr. Dolittle movies (seriously, how many have they made now?)

4. Never grow leg hair

5. The ability to get ready for the day, shower and all, with a point of my finger (I borrowed this one from Sabrina the Teenage Witch)

I wish that these dreams were a reality, but alas, I am only human. Thankfully, I have known some pretty "super" people in my lifetime, so if there is any way I can learn from their goodness and awesomeness, maybe I can develop some more helpful traits.

To delight our many (har har) readers, I created a visual representation of what Super Alyssa might look like.

Why the sarong, you ask? Because it breathes. The grocery bag is to indicate one of my talents, which is carrying as many as possible from the car to the kitchen in an attempt to prevent having to go outside again (laziness at its finest). My record is thirteen.

What are your powers?

Chronicles of Frugality

I reached a new low last night, ladies and gents.

I dumpster-dived (dove?) for my accidentally discarded, newly-purchased hamburger buns.

Don't ask how they got in there.

They were from Big Lots.

They also cost me a dollar.

As Don Lockwood from Singin' in the Rain would say, "Dignity...Always Dignity!"

I feel ya, sister...

Holiday...

Celebrate!

We had a nice relaxing holiday weekend. Relaxing, meaning we didn't get much accomplished. Whoops. It has been really hot and muggy here, so the determination to get a lot of things done has been overshadowed by the want to stay indoors, nap, and watch Netflix.

However, on Sunday we went to a 4th of July potluck that some of Jordan's friends threw. There was some corn hole playing (more on that later), eating, catchphrasing, You Tube watching, and dancing on the Kinect. Our weapons of choice: Funky Town and Poison.

On Monday, we had really ambitious plans to go find fireworks or head to the Whitewater Center for their celebration, but it was just so yucky outside and we are babies. Therefore, we took a trip to the Asian market (air conditioning!). While there, we....

Checked out the live fish tanks (these are tilapia),

got some fixin's for our dinner and Jordan's favorite snacks from his mission in Japan,

and tried on awesome hats. Naturally.

We finished the evening off by making some Massaman Curry, watching a few fireworks from our window, and having a Scrubs marathon. All in all, I say the day was quite a success!

In all seriousness, I am so glad to live in this country where we have so many opportunities and we can worship and believe what we want to. Sadly, it is really easy to take it for granted sometimes. Hope you had a wonderful Independence Day, too!

Home Sweet Home

As promised, here are some pictures of our town.

Since I am currently jobless [boo hoo :(], I have a lot of time on my hands. Last week, I decided to head to our little square and walk around/snap some pictures so our friends and family could get to know where we live.

We have a really beautiful library and a nice little area around it. There is about a block or two of "downtown" where there are teeny mom 'n pop shops and an awesome farmer's market on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

We also spent some time last week in Uptown having a BBQ with friends. Enjoy these ones, because after being towed that evening, we are a little bitter and less than thrilled to go back up any time soon :)

Uptown Charlotte is a really interesting mesh of older structures that have been there forever and new, posh skyscrapers and buildings. It is neat to spend time just driving around the different neighborhoods and taking in all the restaurants, parks, and architecture.

Though we miss our friends and families (a lot), we are enjoying our time here and trying to learn more about all that the area has to offer.