The dome in the capitol building
Perhaps the best sushi I have ever had.... mmmmm

Rockafire EXPLOSION

Perhaps one of my favorite parts of the trip was our visit to the Alamo Drafthouse, a movie theater with a full bar and restaurant. They show all sorts of Indie flicks ("Dazed and Confused," with the director... "Empire Records," a quote-along with "Monty Python and the Holy Grail..."). It's laid out like a basic movie theater, but there are tables in front of the seats, and you order drinks and food throughout the movie. Basically, it's amazing. And I want to open one in Little Rock. Who's with me?

We went to go see a movie called "Rockafire Explosion," about the amazing band in the 80s. It was a documentary about one of the most influential bands of our time. The Showbiz Pizza animatronic band. With Fatz. And Mitzi Mozarella. And Billy Bob.
Please go see this youtube video and continue to amuse yourself while you watch all the others like it. It will make your day.

Apparently there is a whole underground movement to bring back Showbiz (people are pissed about Chuck E. Cheese...) and most importantly to bring back the Rockafire Explosion. I'm with them. It does bring back many happy memories. And just a touch of fear (those robots are a little creepshow, yes?). There are people who spend their life's earnings to own a piece of the Rockafire Explosion and put them in their own homes. Hence the youtube videos. Enjoy. ;)

Whoot whoot

This weekend, our dear friend Julie completed the Little Rock Marathon. The whole thing. That's 26.2 miles. Wow. Amazing. It was her first year to do it, so whilst she was running, we went over to her house and decorated it. And the boys mowed her lawn. It was lots o' fun. Way to go, Julie! ;)


Alright, here's the rest of the rundown for the me:
1. I'm the only one at work today. Seriously. The ONLY one. What??
2. I forgot a lunch. Subway it is.
3. We leave for Austin this weekend- Saturday or Sunday, not sure yet.
4. We're going to camp on the way down there. Not sure where yet, but it might be here.
5. We're going to barely miss SXSW, BUT our favorite Cory Branan will be there on Tuesday night, opening up for the South Memphis String Band, with members from North Mississippi Allstars and Squirrel Nut Zippers.
6. Oh, wait, another employee just walked in. Whew.
7. ANTM tonight!!! Hooody hoooooooo!
8. Adam Lambert should get a Johnny Cash-style whoopin' for defiling that song. Shudder. I watched in complete horror. Come on people, start hating him now, ok??
9. I'm not going to lie, Anoop was kinda awesome.
10. Kris Allen was too.
11. Allison is still my girl.

Boo.ya.kah.

Welcome to the School Psych professional portfolio.... Here you will find pretty much every.single.paper. I have completed since August of last year. If you look at the second picture, you can really get a sense of the girth of that sucker.
Make you want to be in school....?
;)

Two weeks will Spring Break. Two months till FINISHED.

Things that are good

1. Nate at our wedding (I realized I never gave Kat this picture. It's awful sweet).
2. School has improved slightly.
3. I have improved, slightly, at school. (I kind of sucked it up the first month)
4. Spring Break is two weeks away.
5. The Spanns are going to Austin for Spring Break!! Whoooooooo! If you have been and have any suggestions for restaurants or activities, leave it in the comments section, please!
6. I am halfway done with my last semester (EVER) of school. Whoot.
7. Got to see friends last night!
8. ANTM. Makes me happy. Oh, and the Caesars-Cranfords-ANTM COMBO cannot be beaten.
9. Somebody gave me friendship bread today. That means I have to pass it on to 4 friends... who wants it?? It's delish.
10. I'm really enjoying practicum, which is basically like internship without a paycheck. I really am going to like my job.
11. I get to go home. Now.

Peace out, loves.

Congrats to my sweetie

Many many happy thoughts to Jeremy today, who is turning in his last paper, taking his last test, and giving his LAST presentation for his masters program tonight!! Some of you might not know that he has been kickin' booty on the weekends and some weeknights for the last 2 years. After tonight, he will be an official MASTER. Of the environment. That's right, my hubby's a smart one. He'll have his masters in Environmental Management. Take THAT, environment.
Congrats, baby. I'm so proud.

Find a two-step partner and a Cajun beat

This weekend, Jeremy, Baby Christy, Jonathan, and I all made the trek down to Baton Rouge to see our dear friends Chandle and David. Oh yeah, and to go to Mardi Gras, too. We had such a good time. We went to the big parade in Baton on Saturday afternoon.
Chandle and David graciously put us up for the whole weekend, and it was great getting to hang out with them for so long. I miss them in the LR.
Anyway, enjoy pics from the parade. We had so much fun.

The St. Valentine's Day Massacre

Once upon a time there was a dog named Zoey.

She was the sweeeeeetest dog ever. She always wanted to be held. She loved sitting in your lap. She always did the cutest little twirl dance for her dinner.

Then, one year for Valentines Day, her owners took her and her sister camping. It was their favorite spot to go camping (they even got engaged there).

See? Calm, serene. Lovely!

Everybody sure looks happy...!

Then, it happened. After an AWESOME dinner by the fire (a huge piece of Chilean sea bass from Fresh Market, grilled on the fire to perfection) and a chilly camping night, Jeremy and I were drinking our coffee and looking out over the gorgeous vista.

That's when I saw Zoey, staring at something with her back perfectly straight. "What's she doing?" I asked. No sooner had I uttered the words when she POUNCED. And she had something, ummmm.... a little furry-looking in her mouth.

Read no further if you're squeamish. ;)

I screamed, jumped up, and tried to figure out what in the world she had. She disappeared into some brush for just a second and emerged with a TAIL hanging out of her mouth.

"OHMYGODSHEHASAMOUSE!" I screamed.

She ran off. And ate it. As I gagged and freaked out.

Here's the kicker... the "furry-looking thing" I mentioned that she had in her mouth.... was the nest.

Now YOU'RE gagging, right?

Thought I had to share.

I truly love my dog.
But I couldn't look at her for a little while. NO KISSES, either. ;)

Going to see Chandle and David this weekend... many fun pics to come!

Random on a Tuesday

It's only like a month after my birthday... it's not too late to post, right? ;) I came across some random pictures on my camera today (that's what happens when you don't upload them every once in a while). So for your blogging pleasure:

My birthday surprise from my very thoughtful hubby. Mmmmm Baskin Robbins birthday cake. Sooooo delish. Want some more now, please.
Sometimes I hold Pooty like a baby. I got caught doing this. I think she looks more surprised than I did.
She likes it.
I swear.

She is not supposed to be on the table. Pooty wants cake.

Hooooooooooray!

This is very much BELATED, but....

CONGRATULATIONS to Katie and Holt, who got engaged last week! I am super excited and happy for both of them. This is going to be so much fun. I gave Katie approximately 100 bridal magazines that were given to ME in one form or another (Jaime gave me a bunch when we first got engaged, and I received several when my leg was broken and I was on the couch all of May/June). ;)
YAY! Congratulations, you guys.

Best.night.ever.

I have updated the wedding bloggity with some absolutely gorgeous wedding pictures, taken by our wonderful, talented friend Jonathan. Please go see (click on the link on the right side over there).
I am not finished yet with them... but it's a good start! Enjoy!

The future has arrived...

...at the Spann household (oh my, that's fun to say)! We have officially moved into 2009 (er, 2004?) and signed up for CABLE. We jump forward to 2006ish with digital cable with a DVR (ahhhhhh!) and flash forward to 2008/2009 with AT&T U-verse.
Goodbye rabbit ears!
Goodbye TERRIBLE, stupid digital converter box. I hate you.
Goodbye VCR (don't worry, I didn't smash it yet... it's still connected to my DVD so we'll keep it so I can watch "The Karate Kid" and "She's All That," both on VHS).
Goodbye tapes that I still tape things on that I swear have "All My Children" from 1986 taped on it. No lie.
Goodbye having to program the VCR, only to realize you had it on the wrong channel and it didn't tape "Idol."
Goodbye to people saying, "Did you watch that awesome show on (insert cable channel here) last night?" Immediately followed by blank stares and "What? You don't have cable?"

Hellooooooo Bravo. Project Runway. VH1. Best Week Ever. Biography. Food Network. The Daily Show! Colbert Report! Housewives of Orange County! National Geographic! That show where people bomb whalers on Discovery! What else do you "cable people" talk about...?
TV- I promise not to watch you more than I already did. ;)

Any takers?

It's time...
I officially need an adult who is willing to let me assess their intelligence! Dum dum DUUUUMMM (lightening crash in the background)!
You must be between the ages of 16-89. You must also not be my immediate family or spouse, sorry guys.
Any takers? ;)

I can't give you an exact number (although I will know the number I come up with)... but I can give you a range (see the picture). Since I'm just "practicing," that's the way it goes... Oh, and I do have to write a report, but your initials will be used only. Let me know if you're interested. Ha ha.

I have an addiction, sir

Ohhhhh no, and today I've officially made my first purchase. Put it in your Google Reader... you won't be able to stop, either. The great deals! The ticking clock at the bottom! What's going to be there tomorrow?? Oh no!

Click here and become and addict too.

In Honor of Our Birthdays...

Happy birthday to me, KJ, and JR! In honor of our birthdays, I thought I would post this HIlarious picture of us from high school. As you can see on the front row, we have me, Liza, Kristen, and Leah.
You girls are going to kill me, right?
Also thought you should know that I used this picture in a presentation for all-girls schools that I gave recently.
But I digress. HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Kristen and her fantastic hubby. How cool is it that we all share birthdays?

Don't kill me for posting this. Ha ha ha ha ha.

Oooooh... Fancy...

Look what I got last night...

It's the Palm Centro. It's what stopped us from buying an iPhone. But seriously, it's pretty sweet.

I still don't own an iPod. Why would I jump on the Apple bandwagon now? ;)

Oh, and I don't think Oaklawn is going to happen on Saturday. It doesn't seem like it's a good weekend for people. Plan B...??? No plans!

Best Week Ever.

3 days till our birthday (mine and Kristen's). Whooooooot!

The last couple years, I've had a pretty bad attitude about aging another year. However, this year, I've returned to my usual lovin-my-birthday self and will celebrate without remorse! It's going to be a great year, I can tell already!

Inauguration today.... yay! I hope to be able to watch and not be stuck in class (she says with her fingers crossed!).

To celebrate said cumpleanos, I will be going to Oaklawn on Saturday. Anybody want to come?

Poor Pooty.

Friday night, Pooty had a run-in with an aloe vera plant. Ummmm, did you know that aloe is bad for pups' GI system...?? We did NOT. Until 2:30 a.m. when the vomiting began. Poor little Pooty... Apparently, aloe blocks food from being absorbed, they get all bloaty, and then they vomit... a lot. No fun. She also seems to have some sort of inner-ear, head wobbly thing going on that is quite scary... We're keeping an eye on her. She seemed just 100% fine yesterday and Sunday, so I'm sure it's alright. Just a scary weekend!
Wedding items are pretty much put in their proper place by now. I am not going to lie, I'm a little bummed it's all over! It really has been lots of fun. Be sure to check out flickr... I put many more pictures up there. If you need the link, let me know. It's on the wedding bloggity, too.
I'm officially back at work now! Whoot. This semester is going to be quite tough, I believe, but there will be NO comps, so how bad can it be? ;) We'll see. I might need to practice some IQ and behavior tests on friends, so beware. I'm analyzing you... Just kidding.
Oooh, birthday's coming up! 10 days. ;)

Hello, 2009!

My resolutions for this year:
1. Be more active! I realize that a good chunk of 2008 was spent with a broken-in-three-places leg, HOWEVER... I am ready to get back out there!
2. Going along with that: I have a goal to be well enough to go backpacking this Spring. I miss it.
3. Relax more, stress less! Comps are o-v-e-r. There is nothing giant and stressful hanging over my head. There is nothing giant but wonderful (the wedding) coming up, either. Therefore, I vow to not sweat the small stuff!
4. Enjoy married life! I have a feeling this is going to be an easy one...
5. Tell my husband every day that I love him. Eeeeee, I just said husband!
6. Visit with friends more... I miss Survivor night! What can we change that to...? Any ideas? ;)

Happy New Year, friends. I do believe it's going to be a good one!!

Pictures from the Honeymoon!

Honeymoon

Helloooooooooooooooo! We're back!

Hey guys! We have returned! I am still sorting through all the millions of pictures and videos (all awesome), but go visit the wedding bloggity for some pictures from the honeymoon...!
Good to be back, I tell ya! But it was awesome. Much much love!

Yeah buddy!

Here it is...! Pictures from graduation! I got hooded. And became a MASTER. It was actually pretty exciting and fun. In the picture (starting on the left): Amy, me, and Krystal












Next we have: Jamie, me, Krystal, and Amy















Followed by the same folks + Josh...
















And guess who was there?? Kim was watching her brother graduate. What a happy coincidence!!














Jeremy got me an AWESOME Nikon camera as a graduation/wedding/
yaywe'regoingonvactionsoon present! It takes the clearest pictures. Ever. My old camera (I believe) was a 2.3 megapixel. This one's a 10. WOW. And it waits for people to smile. Trust me, we've tested it out. So here comes many many more pictures on the blog cause my camera won't be so crappy. ;) Thanks, Jeremy!
We are down to FIVE DAYS!!!!!!!!!! Hoooooooray! I have serious doubts you'll hear from me before the wedding, so this is me, signing off for now. Much love you all, and there will be many many posts to follow! Thanks for all the support, guys.

EIGHT DAYS.

Go see the wedding bloggity... 8 days away! Can you believe it?
We made our bags of snow for you guys to toss at us as we leave the reception. It's going to be beauuuuutiful.
I graduate tomorrow! Pictures of the batcape to come. This robe is hilarious. Whoot whoot!

Word.

A message from Pooty:
If you haven't reserved a room yet for the wedding and you are still wanting one... please oh-please do that soon! We are trying to get everything all figured out and it would help mucho mucho!
You know who you are. ;) That little thing in your invite has a stamp on it. Hee hee.

But seriously, getting mail every day is FUN. Seeing who is coming to the wedding is often the highlight of our day. We cannot wait. We are in the HOME STRETCH. 20 days. TWENTY! Wow.
Besides all that, I am wrapping up school. Finals this week. Finish up at work next week. Graduate on the 13th. Yes, I'm graduating the weekend before the wedding. Cap, gown, and hood and all. Should be incredibly exciting. I will get my masters... but I still have a semeseter of classes to go. Yeeehaw.
If I am quiet for the next few days/weeks, you will know why. Call me and make sure I'm alive. And maybe go have a happy hour with me. I might need it. ;)