Of Summer...

Not a lot to report here.. we're just working, trying to squeeze in some relaxation, and enjoying a grad school free existence. I think it's really starting to sink in that I'm done and I don't have to "hurry up and relax so I can work again". For those of you who have been through the grad school while working full time experience, you know what I mean...

I found out this week I will likely need my second round of braces. My bite is lopsided for lack of a better explanation and it's causing some wear on the teeth on that side. An added bonus s that it might help my TMJ! Sooo... look out for a newly minted metal mouth in the near future.

We were able to see a bit of our parents this week. My mom attended a training I gave in Terre Haute on Thursday and we had brunch today when Shane's parent's came to pick up their computer that Shane had been working on this week. Family is always good to see!

The Chapman Parents 70 GTO Judge Ram Air III as seen by my camera...

The rain on my windshield on our weekly grocery trip. Beautiful and peaceful, summer rain....

Lazy Summer

Usually we travel to Saint Louis to see family and friends over the 4th of July holiday each year. This year we decided to stay home for a few different reasons but mostly because we have both been so busy with work and just needed a weekend at home. Friday we did a deep clean of our apartment, reorganized some things, and basically got ourselves set to stay here for another yearish. Oh yeah, we decided to stay in the apartment for another year to pay off a few bills and save up money and wait things out to let the housing market stabilize a little. Financially, this is a really good decision that we both know to be the right one but it's not fun. We capped the day off with dinner at Mug n' Buns and a trip to the drive in theatre to see "Public Enemies" and "The Hangover" (again) with Todd and Roxann. Saturday, we woke up late and after our normal Saturday routine we had dinner and played some wii with our friends The Bradley's. Today, was a lot of laziness :) So a good weekend all in all!

On a side note, my graduation present to myself is a guitar and guitar lessons!! This week my friend and teacher Jill helped me choose a guitar and lessons start on Monday!! I am pretty excited and my new guitar worked as an outstanding subject for my weekly camera play time. Macabean isn't sure what to think. Every time I strum it he runs but he sure thinks it smells nice!

Macabean wishes you a very happy and a peacefully lazy summer!

Pretty "Cool" Pictures...

We had a pretty chill week (or tried too) staying inside and avoiding the oppressive heat and humidity outside! Shane and I are just NOT summer people in the least so when it hits the 90s and the humidity is 60 - 80% we pretty much stay inside! Our rubber tree... it looks soo calm and cool here...

I used the oppurtunity to play with my camera and Shane beat a mod (I think) on Fallout 3. Since screen shots aren't really telling of all the work that Shane put into his game I'll share a few pictures... I should also explain before we get to the pictures that last week while I was travelling I caught my engagement ring on a bathroom stall and took a knick out of a prong. To be on the safe side I took my rings in and had them inspected and polished. So while I was ring-less for a few days they are now all shiny, pretty, and made for a lot of cool pictures. Shane has never gotten his wedding ring polished and as our rings are platinum they develop a really nice patina as they are warn. Soo... I tried to capture that contrast.

Okay... on to the good stuff!
Macabean always makes for a nice model..

What a week...

..and I mean that in the best possible way! I was in Clearwater Beach, Florida for the Annual University of South Florida Social Marketing Academy and Conference. I have been dying to go to this conference since I started grad school so I had a great week doing super nerdy public things with a side of beach in the evenings...

Shane was working on updating the home theatre computer and going through his parts...

Macabean was hiding from the Indiana storms...So to top off a week apart we spent a wonderful day together at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, Modern European Design Since 1985 exhibit.

Macabean enjoyed a day without a storm....

Random Fun Stuff

It's been really lovely to be school - free! Shane is enjoying the occasional (note, the word "occasional") and Macabean is getting snuggled, er, pestered more than he would like. It's a beautiful thing to just come home and relax!
At the end of May I received my diploma and a few days later received notice that I had passed the Certified Health Education Specialist or CHES exam that I had taken in April. So, officially, I'm an MPH, CHES :) I have one last optional exam to take in August, the Certified in Public Health or CPH and I should get those results in October.
Oh yeah, and red?! I decided to try a little something different and fun. My stylist and I have been plotting it for a while and today I finally had the guts to do it. It's soo much fun!!!

Last week Shane finally found a "good enough" deal on a bigger TV. So now we are the proud owners of a 46 incher (LCD, 1080p for those of you that care). It's been great to watch the Stanley Cup on!

Please ignore the mess. We were still in the set up phase at this point but the camera was handy, soo....

Macabean has been adorable as per usual nothing new in that department.

A Little Late...

I know I promised pictures a week ago however, its been a busy week! We had a great time at the concert. Shane and I both love thunderstorms and we were treated with a double show when a massive thunderstorm rolled through the area. Ahh... a GREAT night!!!!
On a semi related note... we have had several thunderstorms lately which again, makes Shane and I happy campers but Macabean really doesn't like them at all. So Shane, thought it might be a good idea to help in overcome his fears by taking him outside as one of the storms moved in. At first he was sniffing around and interested in that pre-thunderstorm air then the storm started to pick up and he buried his head in Shane's arm and it was all over. I had to take pictures because it was just too cute! He does this same little hiding maneuver at the Vet's office too :)

NIN Day!

Shane and I are HUGE nine inch nails fans! It all started way back when we first started hanging out as friends and I was introduced to Mr. Reznor via Shane and have been in love with them both ever since! If you listened closely at our wedding we even threw a few nails songs into the playlist. Soo, whenever they get close enough we go! Okay... so we've missed them a few times but big fans nonetheless. In fact, I had joked (although, I had a budget and itinerary laid out), that we should follow them around to a few cities on this tour since it's going to be the last one for a while. According to Trent they are "taking an extended hiatus". Anyway, we scratched that idea and are just going to this one, tonight. Pictures will be posted soon I am sure.....