10 Things: My First Visit Back to Small Town

This past weekend I had a short 4 day visit back home, my first since I have moved to Arizona. It was a little weird the things I noticed that AZ didn't have that Illinois does, or the things AZ has that Illinois doesn't.

Here's 10 things about my visit back home, stay tuned for a full trip recap! 

* Lightning bugs! AZ doesn't have any that I have seen, well really just bugs in general for the most part

* The Green-ness of the tree lined streets. AZ has palm trees for the most part lining the streets so the green is up high. Tree lined streets are nice

* Geese! I guess there aren't bodies of water all over AZ like there are in IL. A.drama and I went shopping and the little ponds were full of Geese! I've noticed ducks in AZ but not geese. {Correction: I saw geese today, so I guess you just don't see as many here?}

* Road kill. I saw more roadkill animals on the side of the road in one day than I have the whole time I've been in AZ.

* The character of the houses. Houses in Illinois just all have a unique look to them, I think it's the siding that gives them that look. AZ houses all have stucco and look the same for the most part.

* Bugs! IL has so many bugs, A.Drama's windshield was covered. Of course AZ has bugs but they are out in numbers. (which I'm glad of!)

* 2 lane interstates. Amature hour, I'm used to 3/4/5 lanes of traffic... my how my commute has changed.

* Combine tractor jams. I don't miss the highway being clogged with tractors and being unable to pass for miles.

*Humidity! My glasses would fog up every time I got out of the car or left the house... no thanks! 

* Cell service. I don't have to worry about dropped calls here in AZ. I was riding home with A.drama and remembered as the call was dropping out that there is a spot on the way home that I always have my calls dropped. Do not miss that one bit! 

Like I said, stop back later for my whole trip recap! 

10 Things: It's Only Wednesday

Sitting in a classroom learning all day for weeks on end is wearing on my patience. It's a necessary evil I understand, but it leaves me exhausted at the end of the day, hence my lack of blogging. At least this week I'm working towards a three-day weekend and we're almost there, just a few days longer!! I need to figure out something fun to do this weekend, it's been awhile. 

Here's 10 things for a Humpday:

* 8 days until PT & OL arrive for some fun! 

* Siblings are only 30 days away! :D 

* I made myself sloppy joe's for dinner (not pizza, yay me!)

* I finally got the link removed from watch so it now fits properly

* Tomorrow night I am going to the Phoenix Symphony with a couple girls from work 

* I signed up for my first reddit gift exchange, Arbitrary day, which is a summer secret santa from a random stranger (redditgifts.com)

* Sherlock season 4 is confirmed (still may have to wait several years but it's going to happen!) 

* The motorcycle is all official with Arizona plates, registration and title ($147 later, for two years of plates)

* I discovered this today ... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 

* The cats still aren't best friends, but can sit for a length of time in the same room without hissing and lunging at each other..... baby steps

10 Things: It's Saturday

* I went and got a mani/pedi today. The pedi went well but after I got safely into the car and arrived at my next destination this happened... (will be fixing that by throwing some glitter polish on it and calling it an accent nail) 

* The siblings and I had a fun Skype session last night 

* The siblings have officially booked their flight to come for a visit in June! #AZSiblingAdventure

* A trip to the Grand Canyon is being planned! 

* OL & PT arrive at the end of the month! 

* My good friend from back home got a job out here and will be moving to AZ soon! Can't wait!! 

* I spent a good solid hour or so at Barnes and Noble today checking out the travel section 

* I got a free cookie at Subway today because I put avocado on my sandwhich 

* The high today was 93° which was observed at 5:05pm

* I still have yet to visit the pool

10 Things: Arizona Life

I'm still settling into life here in Arizona but I have a few observations: 

* The ice cubes I make myself (from my filtered water) taste like garbage and smell like it too, can't figure that one out.

* I eat too much pizza, Jacks, Papa Johns and Pizza Hut, is there an AA for that or do they just call it Weight Watchers? For real, I need help.

* Afternoon traffic on the exact same roads takes twice as long as morning traffic.

* When signs warn of your lane ending and to merge, Arizonians take that to mean stay in the lane as long as possible then cut over right as the lane actually ends.

* It's been consistently in the upper 80's (sorry Illinois folks) but the air conditioning is set on polar in the office, so I've been wearing my cardigan sweaters.

* 90° really doesn't feel like Illinois 90° I'll let you know what 120° in the shade feels like.

* I haven't been to the pool yet, because well... I'm scared of the sun. Not like heliophobia style, I just don't want a sunburn. Then someone said that the higher the SPF after 15 the more chemicals there are. Damned if you do, damned if you don't I guess, so I'll stay inside.

* I'm thankful my job has a parking garage that keeps my car cool during the day.

* It sprinkled once since I've been here, like just enough to make my car ridiculously dirty. In Illinois I would wait it out for the next rain to wash it off, might have to pay up and go through the wash.

* There is an overwhelming amount of things to enjoy 'round these parts. Trying to get my AZ Bucket list together, I thought about doing something every weekend but that seems like a lot. Outside things are kind of out of the question during the summer, even the Zoo closes early (obvs, don't want the animals to melt) So I'll have to find indoor things to do and keep cool.

Here's The Thing

So here's the thing... My brother informed me this evening that I am a horrible blogger, and he couldn't be more right. I informed him that I have nothing interesting to write about because I have been busy working OT every chance I can and freaking out in my head about finding a place to live in Arizona. He then said, well there you go, write about that ( I did also indicate I have been doing great with my project 365 with a picture a day, but he said that is not writing) I hate when that kid is right.

So to catch up, nothing exciting has happened. I've been working until 7pm every chance I can to make some extra money to pay things off before I leave. I spend a better part of my evening throwing a dart at a map trying to find a place to live (the shear geographical location is enough to make your head spin) and there are a million different options, and everyone and their brother has an opinion and I don't know which opinion is correct. So needless to say I'm freaking out, it's overwhelming my mind. Mom and I leave Wednesday to go find a place, we have 3 days. I feel like it's a needle in a haystack to try and find a place that I can afford, has a good location, and is safe enough that I could leave my windows open overnight. YIKES! It's a lot on my brain.

But something else did happen. I turned 28. I'll recap that for you tomorrow (well this evening now since it's 12:33am) I went down a the YouTube rabbit hole this evening as a distraction of apartment websites and got a little farther down than I wanted, hence the late hour.

But here's a quick 10 things to hold you over.
- I've been shown BBC's 'Sherlock' and I'm obsessed
- Oddly attracted to Benedict Cumberbatch (who plays Sherlock)
- I wish Tom Hiddleston was my boyfriend
- I am entirely over this winter, it fees like it's never ending
- I got many Facebook posts for my birthday, but the texts from friends meant the most.
- The movers come to take my things on their adventure West Feb. 23rd
- I feel like a lazy blob and gained all the weight I had lost after my 83 days Fat to Fit
- I hope I can lose it all again once I settle myself in, I like that there are mountains to climb and hiking trails, and maybe even mountain biking
- I promise I will be a better blogger once the adventure gets going
- I haven't even had time to freak out over the fact I'm starting a whole new job, that in itself is stressful, so throw a whole other state in the mix (what was I thinking?! jk I'm excited) { I'm very lucky to have my work bff moving along too, that will make the work part easier } 
* Bonus * The Walking Dead is back!

So there you have it, I guess this is my official entry back into blogging. The adventure west begins this week so stay tuned, I'm sure there will be great stories to be told, this is mom's first time flying so that shall be interesting.

10 Things: Arizona Thoughts Pt. 1

{Part 1 because I'm sure there will be more}

Obviously moving to another state in just a couple months it is normal to have a million things about it running through your mind. I thought this would be a great place to share the random stream of consciousness thoughts about moving to Arizona that are running through my head, I'm sure there will be many many more of these 10 things as the months move on.

10 Things: Random thoughts about Arizona

* Crap, no longer have the excuse that "it's winter" for not shaving my legs.

* A coworker's reaction upon hearing the news "My first thought was maybe you won't be so white now" awesome.

* Everyone keeps saying I'll have to change the name of the blog.. well I'm not it will stay North of 10th, but I will need suggestions on a new tag line "stories dreams and random thoughts from the brick streets of a small town" won't work anymore.

* It's approximately 1700 miles (about 24 hours) from small town to Phoenix and we're driving out. Ultimate road trip or highway to hell?

* Things I'm so far most excited to check out once I'm there: Grand Canyon, Tombstone/OK Corral and Cubs spring training in Mesa! 

* I've been Googling Arizona facts too, here are some ones that stood out: 

     ~Arizona has 3,928 mountain peaks and summits—more mountains than any one of the other Mountain States (Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming).

     ~ There are more wilderness areas in Arizona than in the entire Midwest. Arizona alone has 90 wilderness areas, while the Midwest has 50.+

    ~ Thirteen species of rattlesnakes live in Arizona, more species than in any other state.

* I'm interested to see what this "dry heat" feels like. In my mind hot is hot but people seem to think hot in AZ is different than hot in IL

* I love to wear my sunglasses. Sunglasses days make me happy (Winter time in IL does not give many sunglasses days) I've read on average Phoenix has 211 sunshine days... whoa.

* I'm worried about traffic and my patience level with it.

* I'm very excited that my birthday twin and his family are making the journey too! My favorite thing that Skinny said when he found out we both got the same job/city was a Mighty Ducks quote: "... And when the wind blows hard and the sky is black -Ducks fly together!" 

10 Things: What's a Happenin'

Not a whole lot going on right at the moment but here's 10 things: 

* We had a fire drill at work today and this lady couldn't find the time to put her shoes on. This is only a drill, I repeat only a drill. You have time to put your shoes on!!

* Poor gma fell up the stairs and broke her arm. Of course it had to be her right arm. But Sophie the puppy dog came for a visit and is helping to make her feel better. Get well soon Gma!

* One of my postcards made it to their destination! It traveled 4,264 miles in 12 days on it's way to the Netherlands.

* The Walking Dead was back Sunday, I thought it was a little slow until the end.

* Last nights Sons of Anarchy was my favorite of the season so far. It felt very old school SOA, LOVED IT! 

* Edward Norton is going to be on SNL this weekend! 

* My favorite Pandora station lately has been 50's rock n' roll. Sometimes all this modern era crap gets old. I yearn for simpler times.

* Move over Candy Crush, Dots is my new addicting game.

* I'm a little off the wagon and need to stop stuffing my face with food and get back on track with my eating plan and back in the gym.

* Dad and I's Navy vs. Notre Dame tickets and parking pass arrived! I am so incredibly pumped! 17 days away! 

10 Things: I love about Tuesdays aka SOA Night

Specifically this Tuesday, but most of this can be transposed with any Tuesday during SOA season

* Sons of Anarchy...obvs

* Text exchanges with OL that mostly include exchanges of "Holy $h*t" or omg

* My mom calling at 10:17 to discuss SOA

* The fact I said holy crap before the first commercial break and 6 mins in

* Facebook messages from friends live chatting the show

* Having no clue what is going to happen this season but trying to figure it out anyway

* Following Twitter #SOAFX while I watch and seeing other people's reactions

* Tomorrow's lunch discussion

* Jax Teller 

* We are only 3 episodes in and I already can't imagine my Tuesdays without this show

10 Things: It's August Already?

I seriously cannot believe that August is here, but Fall would be a welcome sight, I'm ready for hoodies and all the fall goodies. Here's a short and random, nothing really to do with August; 10 Things. 

* I keep seeing teasers for the new season of Sons of Anarchy and I cannot wait!! Hurry up September! (talks of final seasons approaching makes me sad, I will really miss this show when it's done)

* I really really hate mosquitoes 

* I finished week 3 of Fat to Fit and have survived, starting to feel stronger

* I maxed out on bench at 90lbs in yesterday's workout

* 2014 is only 150 days away 

* I've decided that I'm going to do the mini I-Challenge at the Illinois marathon again (5K + 10K)

* I'm 3 tweets away from 2k

* 27 days until kick-off for the 2013 Notre Dame Football Season 

* I would have had this done sooner but Oliver hopped up on my lap and we had a little cuddle time

* I love Amazon Prime

10 Things: Warrior Dash 2013

Here is a quick 10 things about today's Warrior Dash to wet your whistle until tomorrow when I feel like uploading my pictures. The important take-away here is that I survived! 

* I got free sunglasses and a superman cape! Gotta love freebies

* This year's course was tougher than last year, could have been the mud ratio

* I was 50 seconds slower than last year... at least I'm consistently slow

* I witnessed a girl throwing up and it wasn't me

* Had couple omg Heather needs to get in shape/lose weight moments

* This will probably be my last Warrior Dash unless there are some lbs dropped and in shape gotten

* My new waterproof camera made the trek on the course with me and survived too even through the mud pits

* I got a little bit of sun- face is a smidge redish

* The medal this year doubles as a bottle opener

* I can't believe I paid to do that.

Also Happy Father's Day Dad! Thanks for coming to cheer us on even though it was your Holiday! 

Picture from Warrior Dash 2012- Dad's one-and-done dash

He was a great spectator/picture taker this year though!

Drive In Movie: Man of Steel

One of the perks of living in this particular small town is our twin Drive-in theater! Last night we went and saw Man of Steel, the new Superman reboot. EXCELLENT! This superman is way hot, I kinda liked him better scruffy at the beginning of the movie rather than the clean shaven hero type, but that's just me, HOT either way.

Admission in is $7 and I gave the man a $10 bill and this is the change I get, kinda cool. I was waiting in line early because i like to get there early and get a good spot, and my friends from out of town were going to be a little later so I volunteered to wait in line so we could get a good spot then they could just come find me when they got there. Since I had nothing better to do I got in line at 6 and had about 30 mins to waste before the gates opened. Every time I have waited in line I get stuck behind the WT parents of the year. Yelling at their kids to behave and cussing up a story... stay classy. This particular family left their vehicle for a bit to go look for frogs in the crick. Ok cool whatever.

Then I get to my perfect spot and this family of yahoos pulls up next to me, first off they almost hit the pole getting too close as he was backing his pickup truck in and then they continue to be almost the most annoying people there. As I look around there usually aren't too many townies there which I find odd since there isn't much else to do in small town USA. I also notice that it's kind of a WT mecca, I don't know what it is about the drive in but it attracts some interesting people. Don't be those people...

10 things: A few Do's and Don'ts for the drive-in: 

- Bring Chairs- this way you have a comfortable viewing spot.

- Bug Spray- Mosquito bites SUCK!

- Blankets- summer nights can get a little chilly sometimes.

- bring a radio- 

- In this day and age there is this thing called the internet, most businesses have these things called websites, they tell you information about the place you are going, research a little.

- Don't talk and play on your phone the whole time, it's still dark and it's distracting to others

- Do bring something to do while you wait for the movie to begin- a book, a frisbee, bags

- When exiting please be kind and let at least one car out in front of you.

- Do keep inside your own space, or kindly ask to invade your neighbors airspace. Typically the front of your car is your space.

- Do get your snacks early, the snack bar line is LONG!

Don't forget to have fun and enjoy the movie, you are ultimately there to watch a movie.

Ah swoon...

10 Things: Think Positive Thoughts

I'll be completely honest with you, the above picture is my life 7 hours and 45 minutes everyday, 5 days a week, and it's blah. Add to this already depressing gray world the fact that the Page Turner is abandoning us in just 2 days time and off to play Willy Wonka in her small town and it becomes difficult to find anything to be positive about. But here I give you (scraping from the bottle of the barrel) 10 things: Think Positive.

- I got new pens! They write in different color inks and I had a $1 off coupon hooray! 

- I finally beat the stupid Candy Crush level that I had been stuck on for weeks

- Mom and Dad brought me a strawberry pie from McD and an iced tea! :D

- Vacation days renewed on the 1st and I haven't used one yet! 

- I get to sleep with the windows open tonight (a nice break from the rain!)

- I have finally recovered from the 'Red Wedding' on Game of Thrones

- My brothers stupid videos on Vine are hilarious.

- I have a jar full of starburst's on my desk. (favorite flavor is Pina Colada)

- OL is going to take me gambling sometime this summer :)

- Tomorrow is food day at work.

10 Things: I Have A Few Questions

* Does thinking you might be a hypochondriac in fact add to your possible hypochondria? 

* Are Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles really appropriate for the workplace? 

* Would it be unhealthy to give up every kind of beverage except for water for lent?

* Since P. Phil didn't see his shadow, what defines 'early' spring?

* Is it wrong to just want a simple thank you for your hard work?

* Why was February the month that got shortened out of the other 12?

* Could the sun be anymore MIA lately? 

* Have you seen any Cadbury mini eggs in stores?

* Do you think your luck factor is upped the week of your birthday?

* Why do you have to bring the treats to school when it's your birthday? 

I Liked Today: 10 Things

Today was just a plain ol' ordinary day but I liked it very much.

- The Page Turner celebrated an undisclosed number of birthdays today
- The Weather was AMAZING!
- Bike Night with friends
- Rode the bike to work
- Approximately 130 miles put on the bike today
- OL was back to work :)
- More OT for next week = more money for me
- It's Wednesday already!
- We got our vacation days back today :)
- I wasn't in the bottom two for our biggest loser contest

10 Things: On My Want List

It's been a pretty uneventful week here at North of 10th. I've been working 12 hour days for most of the week and I worked yesterday gearing up for more OT this week. I know it doesn't make sense to be spending more time at a job that is bugging me, and we start training some new people this week for our new system (hello headache) but the extra money is too sweet to turn down.

10 Things on my Want (not necessarily my need) List

- The movie I want to be in the Redbox
- Zero calories in all my food
- Nice weather for the 23rd or On demand would be awesome
- A House in the country
- Forward controls for my bike
- To win the lottery
- Quit my job and find my true calling
- Travel the world
- Patience to deal with the stresses at work
- The faith to believe things will work out

10 Things: I loved About Today

* Shamrock Shakes at McDonalds *

* Short day at work *

* It was 60 degrees in February *

* I visited the Harley Dealer *

* I wore a purple shirt *

* I checked out a book at the Library *

* HOG magazine came in the mail *

* All the snow has pretty much melted *

* Found out tomorrow is the first Fish Fry at the Church *

* AND this weekend is the Lion's Club Pancake Breakfast *

10 Things: The nighttime sniffling sneezing coughing aching stuffy head fever so you can rest medicine edition

It seems like cold and flu season is officially upon us. 'Old Lady' and 'TT' were out today and I was left to hold down the fort all by my lonesome. Somehow I managed. My nose is a little runny and I've been sneezing but I'm going to chalk that up to allergies? I have no known allergies (well Vicodin makes me vomit) is that something that you can develop as you age? I suppose that means my immune system is slowly breaking down, I guess that's why old people have to get flu shots all the time. Not looking forward to that.

But in honor of using your PSL days whether it be legit or not I give you 10 Things: The nighttime sniffling sneezing coughing aching stuffy head fever so you can rest medicine edition. 10 things to get you through cold and flu season.

* Kleenex [we discussed at length one day box preferences, I prefer square]

* Warm tea- helps ease a sore throat

* A safety perimeter- don't get too close to those with symptoms

* Soup- stock up, it makes you feel better

* A warm blanket

* NyQuil (or your drug of choice)

* Did I mention Kleenex?- your going to need em, don't be cheap your nose will thank you

* Hand sanitizer- Use it.

* Cold/Flu germs can live up to 48 hours on hard surfaces- clean your desk!

* No brainer- wash your hands and as a courtesy do the sleeve sneeze

I can tell you what we don't need really is this heatwave. Sure it's nice but now we are all going to be dodging the sicky's and picking up their slack at work. :)

Try to stay healthy!

10 Things: Favorite Holiday Movies

I had to make a stop at Target this evening to snoop to see what they had and to see if I could find anything that I couldn't live without. But what to my little eyes should appear (if you're expecting eight tiny reindeer you're not too far off) That's right folks the Holiday season is officially upon us. There were "Holiday" trimmings all around the store, hanging from the ceilings, in the form of trimmings for your tree... the whole shebang. And I think I mentioned in a tweet way back in September that the winter scents candle commercial kind of makes me want the holiday season to be here..ask and you shall receive. With only 52 days until Christmas (thanks iphone App, yep there is indeed an App for that) and the holiday songs getting stuck in my head already AND the stores forcing it upon us early... I bring you 10 Things: My Favorite Holiday Movies (meaning a MUST watch every season or it's not Christmas yet) in no particular order...

- A Christmas Story (annual tradition to at least try all 24 hours, thanks TNT!)
- Frosty the Snowman & Frosty Returns (a back-to-back must)
- Rudolph
- Charlie Brown Christmas
- Christmas Vacation
- Home Alone
- How the Grinch Stole Christmas (classic cartoon edition)
- It's a Wonderful Life
and the last two are actually Halloween movies, but a Holiday must none the less
- Hocus Pocus
- The Rocky Horror Picture Show

It just isnt' a Holiday Season without these movies.
What are you're must-see Holiday Movies?

10 Things: First Frost Edition

I am a fan of the cooler weather, but it does make me a little bit sad because it'll be no more motorcycle and snow will soon be here but there are plenty of things to love about cooler weather here's 10!

- soup
- cozy blankets
- warm fires
- my fleece jacket
- scooby-doo slippers
- snuggly cats
- an extra 5 minutes under the covers in the morning
- my comfy pj pants
- leaves changing
- NO MOSQUITOS!!!

of course I could list 20 more reasons why colder weather sucks, but that would be counter-productive now wouldn't it!

10 Things: I Randomly Love

- stale Oreo cookies (I like them mushy)

- being the first to walk in new snow
- a stack of mail to send (cards or invitations)
- warm blankets out of the dryer
- October
- sharpie markers
- finding money in your winter coat
- crisp fall nights
- wearing long sleeves with shorts
- the clicky noise my boots make on the sidewalk