What a Crock....

So yesterday I woke up early to get the CrockPot Lasagna ready.  Boy were we EXCITED to have this for dinner.  I assembled everything and placed my wonderful looking Lasagna into my CrockPot.  Turned it on low and left for work. 

I dreamt all day about the smells that would fill the house, the taste of the Lasagna, and how perfect it would be to warm us up on a cool day.  On the way home from work, Ethan and I talked about having some garlic bread with our Lasagna or a salad on the side.  As we pulled into the parking lot, I was relieved that our house was still standing (forgot to tell you that I also had minor anxiety all day about whether our house would be burned down). 

I opened the door to the house and the smell was intoxicating.  I started getting really excited and I think I may have even done a little happy dance.  Ethan came in and said "It smells really good!"

I didn't even want to change into my comfy clothes...I just wanted to see what it looked like and dig in for dinner. 

This is what I found:

BURNT....



I looked at Ethan, deflated and so so so embarrassed.  I said "Looks like we have to go out to dinner.  It's ruined."  He was quick to put his arms around me and tell me that it was okay...that this was not the end of the world and that I did everything I could to make this meal amazing.  He then reminded me that we are trying to eat better and that we have plenty of food in the house to make a different dinner. 

I managed to salvage one serving from the very center of the CrockPot disaster.  I put it in a container and placed it in the fridge for a later day.  

Later that night I put the Lasagna in a plastic bag to be taken out to the trash.  It was a brick of hardened cheese, noodles, and italian sausage and about 50% lighter than when I put it all together...Some day we will try this dish again...maybe not while we are away at work though....

The "No Good, Very Bad Day"

Ethan and I have been having a GREAT summer.  In late July we were able to be a part of Ethan's cousins wedding.  What a great day that was.  I think one of my favorite parts of that day was the video that Lori put together for her groom.  I hope some day she shares that with everyone.  I know that we were not the only people in that room that thought it was spectacular. 

I surprised Ethan with a trip to Lambeau Field as well.  I did not know what I was in for when we embarked on our weekend trip with Sean.  I learned a lot about football that weekend, I became more of a Packers fan, and I am ready to go back.  We were one weekend shy of being up in Green Bay with the players....if only we had known.  

August was a busy work month for us.  We were preparing for the start of the Fall semester and it all commenced this week.  For as slow and mellow my first 3 months were at Concordia, this week was just the opposite.  Busy and overwhelmed with emails and phone calls from students who you would think never attended college before.  Luckily, Everest College prepared me well to deal with moronic behavior....

I have had a sight visit every night this week.  This has made my days seem short but the week seem intensely long.  Today was the worst day I have had since May 6th.

I woke up every day this week and went to the gym.  I love going to the gym before work.  It puts me in a great mood and I feel like I have accomplished something before stepping foot in the office.  Well, this morning I went to the gym as normal.  I had a great workout, showered up, and got dressed.  While getting dressed, I managed to rip apart the zipper on my pants.  Now, the irony is that I'm at the gym working my fat @$$ off, yet I'm busting open my pants.  As you can imagine, I panicked.  I managed to get them on, zipped up, and finished getting ready.  Before I left, I decided to use the bathroom one last time before heading to work.  B.a.d. i.d.e.a.....

This time, the unzipping would be permanent.  I frantically removed my pants and tried to fix the zipper.  I was  sweating (which doesn't take a lot for me to do) and I was starting to panic more because of this.  I had to be at work in 10 minutes and I needed these pants because driving 30 minutes home to get another pair was not an option today.  NOT DURING THE FIRST WEEK OF CLASSES!!!  I managed to get the zipper fixed again and resolved that today I would not use the bathroom until I got home...I knew I had a tough day ahead of me with that promise in mind. 

I quickly wiped the sweat from my head, neck, and arms and walked out to my car.  Just as I turned on to Harlem there it was.......a mother freakin' freight train.  Great.  8 minutes until I have to be at work and the worlds longest and slowest freight train has to go through.  I put my car in park and wait it out.  It felt like an eternity.

I got to work, parked my car and walked the 1/4 mile to the office.  I jacked up the A/C and sat there.  I collected my thoughts and was sure that the worst part was over.  I severely underestimated the effect my students can have.  By 10:00am I was ready for a beer.  By 10:30am I knew that the beer was not going to be strong enough.

I ended up making it through the day without having to use the bathroom.  Not drinking coffee and only drinking 1/2 of a can of diet coke seemed to work out just fine.  Luckily, today my site visit was 5 minutes from our house so I was able to stop home fast before returning to work.

I came home after my site visit and noticed that the air was still on from my "quick trip" home before the site visit.  That's an hour...a straight hour that the air was running.  Something was not right.  Sure enough, our air conditioner stopped forcing cool air.  This was not the first time, but this was definitely the most inconvenient time.  I ran downstairs and unplugged the condensation tank that pumps the water into the sink...sometimes this gets too full and "forgets" to run.  This did not work.  Ethan was not coming home before hockey tonight. By this time I am sweating like a running faucet and getting really aggravated that my already terrible day just won't end.  I tried the unplug method again and let it sit for a while.  When I plugged it back in it started working normally again.

I changed my clothes, made some 'dinner' (if you call Spaghetti-O's dinner) and just sat here.  I need that beer.  I will have that beer....or something else.  Cheers to the No Good, Very Bad Day...may I not see you for quite some time...