Barney.

One of the major obstacles Jason and I have had to overcome as a couple is our differing views on pets. While we both love them, the species is what comes into question. The McGee's are cat people, and I have not gone more than a few months of my life with out a cat. The Yinger's are dog people, and Jason loves dogs. As a kicker, I'm sorta afraid of dogs (I'm getting much better) and Jason is allergic to cats. So, I had more or less come to grips with the fact that I would be a dog person from now on, which made me a little sad.

My bridal shower was this weekend, so Jason was left to his own devices Saturday and Sunday, while I went home with my bridesmaids (sans Michele) to have love showered upon me. On Sunday, when Sara and I returned to the greater Philadelphia area, we called Jason so he could put some shoes on and helps us unload the loot. He said he had a surprise for me, which I could only guess was a visit from Michele, so we should come up first. Fine, we thought. We came upstairs, and I gave my man a kiss. "Where's my surprise," I inquired. "Check out the couch," he replied. At first, I didn't see anything. Then he lifted "Big Blue" (this giant blue pillow I've had for years...my A-15 roommates named it), and underneath was a tiny, black KITTEN. This was quite a surprise indeed.

A woman Jason works with has a cat who recently had kittens, so he had been thinking about it for a little while, even asking her to bring fur from her cat to see how much it bothered him. He picked our kitten up on Saturday for a trial overnight, just in case the allergens bothered him far too much. Fortunately for me, they did not and we have our little buddy. Jason picked him because he was sleeping...surprise.

We named him "Barney" after Barney Stinson from How I Met Your Mother, which is one of our favorite shows. We considered a number of television-inspired names (Hurley, Sawyer, Marshall...), but Barney fits. His white markings look a little like a suit. He is so cute and I love having a little friend around during the day. Jason also loves the cat, so we're all happy. We enjoy "raising" Barney, teaching him to use the litterbox and not to scratch things. He's a good little kitten, and has already started using the litterbox on his own. We're like proud parents to a very very fuzzy little boy. :D

- M & J

Storms.

So, the past week has been more or less characterized by wicked thunderstorms rolling through the Philadelphia area. At times, its been neat, but more and more it's annoying.

Monday was generally storm free, and I went to Quizzo.

Tuesday was dinner and Ikea with Em. We went into Ikea and the sky was slightly overcast. We left Ikea (at around 7:30pm) and she and I were convinced the end was near. The sky was D-A-R-K dark. We were petrified for our entire ride home.

Wednesday was another storm free day, but it was overcast and vaguely threatening all day.

Thursday was also vaguely threatening. I actually don't remember the weather that day because I was working really hard on my thesis.

Last night was ridiculous. Rain off and on all day. So, that night we had the brilliant idea of going to Main Street with Jen. She lives close and we could walk. The walk there was nice, but the skies opened up on the walk home and it was scary! We ended up seeking refuge in Jen's brother's house until late at night. That made getting up this morning tough for Jason.

Today has been rainy too. I'm pretty sure I fell asleep for part of it, but another storm is on its way. The forecast seems to promise nothing but rain and scary-ness. I just want to walk to the store!

:/

- J & M.

Life at 330.

Well, Jason and I have been living together for almost a month now, and I have to say, it's pretty awesome. We still haven't gotten every thing unpacked and where it needs to be. We're still missing a few pieces of furniture. There are still piles of my junk hanging out all over. However, it works right now and we do a little here and there.

I've been steadily working on my thesis, with one of the chapters really coming close to a final-rough draft. I still have to start 2 or 3 chapters, and get some serious edits going on the other, but I feel comfy with the way things are going. I also tried out for a play and got called back. However, I haven't heard back yet, and I'm keeping my hopes low in order to avoid real disappointment. It was still fun to get back on the proverbial horse, since I hadn't attempted theatre since Picasso.

We also bought some more Wii games at the Game Stop sale, and I'm really enjoying "De Blob," which is so much fun! Basically, you are a blob and you roll around making things colorful and liberating this city from the evil ink oppressors. I'm on level 5 and Jason's on level 2. He had to beat Zelda first. We borrowed that from Fred.

Not much else to report. Pictures of the new digs when I feel like things look organized enough.

200 days until the wedding!

- J & M.

PS: If you commented and we didn't respond, it's because we didn't have it set up that comments were sent to my email. Sorry Gwen and thanks for your comment! :)

Revenge of the Nerds

Last weekend was quite a nerdy weekend for Jason and I.

First, I drove to Philadelphia alone for the first time with my car bursting at the seams with my crap, aka: move #1. It went very smoothly, even though I got started late and didn't get to Philly until almost midnight. Oh well.

On Friday, we lounged, then decided to see Harry Potter in the evening. When we got the movie theatre for the 8pm show, we found that it was sold out. This was probably all for the better since we didn't want to be dealing with tweens for two and a half hours. We bought our 9pm tickets, and walked over the mall. Jason wanted to go to GameStop and buy MarioKart for the Wii because we're a bit obsessed with it. It turns out that GameStop was having a sale of buy 2 used games, get another free. Well, we were all over that and ended up with 6 used games for the price of three new games. I have latched on to Mario Brothers' Galaxy (which is like Super Mario World for SNES, only 3-D and in space). Jason's gotten all kinds of things opened up in Mario Kart, and we have enjoyed playing Wii Music, Dancing with the Stars, and Mario and Sonic at the Olympics. Jason also bought a Resident Evil game, so obviously I know nothing about that. We might go back and get more games soon...who knows?

We enjoyed Harry Potter, but it really deviated from the books, so we're interested in seeing how movies 7a and 7b are played out. We also both have the hankering to read books 6 and 7 again. We <3 Harry Potter.

Saturday Jason went to work and I stayed around the house waiting for my parents to drop off some things from their house. They didn't stay long and soon after they left, I played some video games, worked on my thesis, and Jason was home. We decided to have some people over, but this party was a little less populated than the last. Doug and Jen came over and we drank, played video games, and played Seinfeld Scene-It, which Jason won. Doug and Jason also got really into playing Dancing with the Stars, which we bought for Jason's mom, but after trying it out (to make sure nothing was wrong with it), we realized she probably wouldn't like the game.

Sunday was another lazy day of unpacking, cleaning, and general organizing of our home. We also made our infamous cheesy crab soup...mmmm.

On Monday, I had planned to go back to central PA, but after talking to my dad and finding out that Quizzo plans were happening, I decided to stay an extra day. Jason had my keys made, so I could come and go as I pleased. I also had my car, so I decided to go on an adventure. I went to Staples, then drove to the Chemical Road shopping center and bought CD's and some hardware. All in all, a productive afternoon. Doug picked me up for Quizzo around 7, and we had dinner at the Dark Horse. My team (Team Space Pants) came really close to winning, but we got edged out at the end. It was great to see my friends again before this final week in Central PA. I came home to find Jason playing Dancing with the Stars.

The rest of the week after I got home was all about preparing for the move, so not much to report. I spent Thursday at Nancy and Scott's visiting and helping with the baby. We had delicious orange chicken, and Nancy got a wicked oil burn on her hand. Quite the exciting night.

I've had my Caddy Shack dinner, and now I am ready to move to Philadelphia. Co-habitation begins tomorrow!

- J & M.

The Long Weekend

Jason and I have had an incredibly long week since the last post.

Following our epic books post (thanks again emib), we embarked upon a trip of epic proportions, and at the time, we had no idea how very long it would be.

Saturday afternoon (the 4th), Jason and I packed up our things and drove to Harrisburg for some 4th of July fireworks and last minute packing before the Finger Lakes. While we were home we found out that Miss Nancy and Mister Scott's beautiful baby girl made her debut! Anne Beth was born in true American Studies fashion on the fourth of July and Jason and I could not be happier for such a wonderful couple (and fantastic friends). Anyway, I finished making shirts for the crew and we spent the evening at Nik's house, playing Wii, setting off fireworks, and having some delicious beers, as well as waiting for fireworks that never materialized.

Sunday morning came quickly and Fred picked Jason and I up in Middletown. Rather than let Nik's parent's house become a dumping ground for everyone's cars, we all found ways to carpool and such, so Fred kindly picked Jason and I up. We stopped at Dunkin' Donuts and Barnes and Noble's before getting back to the Shah's. By 1:30, 2...we were on the road. It was an easy drive up, between the singing, Mad-Libbing and sleepies. Our double wide trailer was lovely and all in all, the week went well. See our pictures on Facebook.

When we returned to Middletown on Friday, we discovered that Jason's car had been towed for being in an emergency construction zone...in the parking lot of my apartment building. Muchos dineros later, we had his car back, but we're going to fight to get our dineros back. We stopped at Nancy and Scott's to see Anne (so cute!) and made our way to Mom and Dad McGee's BYOM BBQ. (Bring Your Own Meat). While we were there, Jason found out that his Nana had passed away and we soon had to be on the road again. We drove to Philly (Jason had to work), then back again on Sunday morning to Harrisburg for me to re-pack, and to pick up stuff for Jason's parents and meet up with Tim (Jason's older brother). We made it to Pittsburgh by 9ish and stayed up way too late watching "The Game" (don't bother).

The next morning's service was lovely and by 3:30, we were back on our way to Harrisburg. When we finally got back, I took my poor pickel to Panera (we also discovered that Jason's turn signal was out on the Pittsburgh leg of the trip). We went to Mom and Dad McGee's to have a quiet meal. After this weekend, we really wanted to be somewhere quiet. Jason and my dad fixed his turn signal (yay dad!) and Jason took off for Philly. I'm now at Mom and Dad's for a few days to work and relax.

I hope this week shapes up for everyone, since the weekend was so sad.

I'm back in Philly on Thursday. Jason and I are planning cheesesteaks and Harry Potter for Friday afternoon than who knows! Hopefully we can also squeeze in another beach day and make good use of our season OCNJ beach passes. Let us know if you will be free.

Also, I'm looking for some strapping young men and hearty young women to help me move on the 25th or 26th of July. Right now it's just me and dad (Jason has to work). If you will be available and in the Philly area, let me know if you can lend a hand lifting my unusually heavy dresser or moving my wacky puzzle sofa.

- J & M.

We have way too many books.

According to BBC (and Emily), most people have only read 6 out of all these books. Jason and I are pretty sure that we've read more.

M = Megan
J = Jason

Instructions:

1 Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen -
2 The Lord of the Rings – JRR Tolkien - J
3 Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte - J M
4 Harry Potter series – JK Rowling -J M
5 To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee – M
6 The Bible- J
7 Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte -
8 Nineteen Eighty Four – George Orwell- J M
9 His Dark Materials series- Philip Pullman – J M (M has only read one...she's working on it!)
10 Great Expectations – Charles Dickens - J
Total: M = 5
J = 7

11 Little Women – Louisa M Alcott- M
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles – Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 – Joseph Heller - J
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare - J M (some...)
15 Rebecca – Daphne Du Maurier- M
16 The Hobbit – JRR Tolkien – J M
17 Birdsong – Sebastian Faulk
18 Catcher in the Rye – JD Salinger - J M
19 The Time Traveler’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger - M
20 Middlemarch – George Eliot

Total: M = 6
J = 4

21 Gone With The Wind – Margaret Mitchell -M
22 The Great Gatsby – F Scott Fitzgerald – J M
23 Bleak House – Charles Dickens - J
24 War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy -
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams - J
27 Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoyevsky - J
28 Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck -
29 Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll - J M
30 The Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame – J

Total: M = 3
J = 6

31 Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy -
32 David Copperfield – Charles Dickens - J
33 Chronicles of Narnia series – CS Lewis - J M
34 Emma-Jane Austen -
35 Persuasion – Jane Austen -
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe – CS Lewis – J M
37 The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin – Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh – AA Milne – J M

Total: M = 3
J = 4

41 Animal Farm – George Orwell – J M
42 The Da Vinci Code – Dan Brown - J
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez -
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney – John Irving -
45 The Woman in White – Wilkie Collins -
46 Anne of Green Gables – LM Montgomery - M
47 Far From The Madding Crowd – Thomas Hardy -
48 The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood -
49 Lord of the Flies – William Golding – J
50 Atonement – Ian McEwan -

Total: M = 2
J = 3

51 Life of Pi – Yann Martel-
52 Dune – Frank Herbert -
53 Cold Comfort Farm – Stella Gibbons -
54 Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen -
55 A Suitable Boy – Vikram Seth -
56 The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon -
57 A Tale Of Two Cities – Charles Dickens - J M
58 Brave New World – Aldous Huxley -
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night – Mark Haddon - J
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera – Gabriel Garcia Marquez -

Total: M = 1
J = 2

61 Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck -
62 Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov -
63 The Secret History – Donna Tartt - J
64 The Lovely Bones – Alice Sebold -
65 Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas - J
66 On The Road – Jack Kerouac - J
67 Jude the Obscure – Thomas Hardy -
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary – Helen Fielding - M
69 Midnight’s Children – Salman Rushdie -
70 Moby Dick – Herman Melville - J M

Total: M = 2
J = 4

71 Oliver Twist – Charles Dickens - J
72 Dracula – Bram Stoker - J
73 The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett - J M
74 Notes From A Small Island – Bill Bryson - M
75 Ulysses – James Joyce - J
76 The Inferno – Dante - J M
77 Swallows and Amazons – Arthur Ransome -
78 Germinal – Emile Zola -
79 Vanity Fair – William Makepeace Thackeray -

Total: M = 3
J = 5

80 Possession – AS Byatt -
81 A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens - J
82 Cloud Atlas – David Mitchell -
83 The Color Purple – Alice Walker -
84 The Remains of the Day – Kazuo Ishiguro -
85 Madame Bovary – Gustave Flaubert -
86 A Fine Balance – Rohinton Mistry -
87 Charlotte’s Web – EB White – J M
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven – Mitch Albom – J
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - J
90 The Faraway Tree Collection – Enid Blyton

Total: M = 1
J = 4

91 Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad - J
92 The Little Prince – Antoine De Saint-Exupery - M (in french!)
93 The Wasp Factory – Iain Banks -
94 Watership Down – Richard Adams - J
95 A Confederacy of Dunces – John Kennedy Toole -
96 A Town Like Alice – Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers – Alexandre Dumas - J
98 Hamlet – William Shakespeare – J M
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl-J M
100 Les Miserables – Victor Hugo

Total: M = 3
J = 5

Total: M = 29
J = 44

Still...we need to read some things. There were a lot of books that we own, sometimes multiple copies, and still haven't read.

- J & M

The Wedding Planner

Jason, the moms, and I have made some great strides forward in the wedding planning department, which is incredibly exciting. Each little detail that falls into place makes the wedding itself even more real for both of us.

We booked the church and the reception hall. We have made some decisions on other vendors. I have my dress (which is b-e-a-utiful and I cannot wait to wear it). The bridesmaids are outfitted from head to toe. We are registered (Macy's and Target). Nancy has been designing up a storm and the Save the Dates are printed.

Much closer to the wedding, we are going to need the help of aunts, girlfriends, and cousins for the DIY projects I have planned. Bows to be tied, cards to be labeled, candy to be packaged.

Jason and I have also been working on our honeymoon (Disney cruise) and we are super psyched to spend our first week as husband and wife in the happiest place on earth!

Wedding Countdown: 250 days until the wedding!

- J & M

Hello!

Thanks for visiting our new blog! I thought it would be fun to blog our adventures, especially once I move to Philadelphia and we're far from our families and some of our dearest friends. Stay tuned for tales of cooking, domestic life, and love. :)

Additionally, this is where we'll be directing people for info about the wedding, like directions and registries. We're just so darned excited to get married!

- J & M