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The other day Chase got a new wrestling ring for his “wrestle guys.” While at his dad’s he’s got another kid to play with and they’ll spend hours in their room playing with the toys and what not, but up in the D-Wood, there’s just Jess and I. It can get a bit boring for a seven year old, so to help keep everyone in good spirits we decided to have our very own Royal Rumble. Since we only have four wrestlers, we had to improvise. So we busted out an assortment of toys from Chase’s toy box and got everything set up.

It was a lot of fun and I reckon we’ll have another pretty soon. We might even have a championship match. Either way, it was good to see him smiling and having a good time. With the weather being like it is and at least one of us being sick every day it can get tedious and rather depressing around the house. We can’t easily go outside and ride his bike or hit up the pool. This summer should prove to be a nice change of pace. For now, we’ll have wrestle guy matches, puzzle time, SMB parties, and do what ever we can to keep us all smiling and in good spirits.

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Then you’ve probably never breathed air. Last night was the Muse show at the Gwinnett Arena and I have to say that it was in my top 3 of all time concerts (Michale Jackson at the Omni is #1). Granted I’ve not been to that many, but DAMN! Jess and I have been waiting on this show for a long time. Ever since we saw them open for U2, we knew we had to see them again. Having them headline was definitely the best.

To get ready for the show we took it easy the night before so we’d be well rested for Saturday night. Jess went to a job fair, while I stayed home and cleaned. We hit up the mall to get some new clothes and generally stayed chill all day. Around 4, Kim and James came by and we hit up some sushi, then it was off to the show.

The show it self was amazing. Muse always puts on a good show, and this was no exception. From the lights to the sound to everything, it was an unforgettable  evening. I can’t wait to see them again.

Muse – Arena at the Gwinnett Center:

Muse – New Born (live):

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Muse – Guiding Light (live)

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If you’ve read any of my bloggin’s over the past several years, you know that I love me some TV. Some of it is rather bad (like America’s Next Top Model), some of it is pretty decent (such as Heroes), and then there are shows that are pretty much the best thing around (LOST for example). Right now there are a few shows on that I needed to voice my opinion about.

For starters, this season of Survivor is turning out to be one of my favorites in a while. Let’s go through some of the cast.

• Candice: I don’t remember her from the first time she was on, and I forget about her 10 secs after she talks now.
• James: Why thank you James for personally providing us with this great ocean and the trees. You have bestowed your presence upon us, and we are forever grateful. Oh, and thank you for also being a total ass.
• JT: Pick a side/story and stick with it. Otherwise you’re gonna blow the 2nd million.
• Boston Rob: I’m gonna be nice, black out, have an epiphany that I should be bad again, win a challenge, then just kinda fade away.
• Russell: I don’t think you’re as good as you think you think other people think you are.
• Rupert: Did you ever actually leave the island or have you just been living there all along?
• Coach: Jess said it best last night. “Coach can suck my d*ck!” She’s right, but I don’t thing he would, unless he thought it was honorable and just and/or a dragon.

I’m not gonna go through the rest of the cast just yet. I have my opinions of each of them, but I’m curious as to what everyone else thinks. Who’s gonna win? Who’s going home next? How does Colby keep his teeth so white? Do you think anyone would notice if Courtney were to just leave?

LOST

Ok, so other than Survivor, we are hard core on LOST. This is the final season and it’s promises to answer all our questions. I’m not sure if they are answering questions that we have now due to all the new characters OR if they are going to try and go back and answer all the questions we’ve had for 6 years. Like… why did the SmokeLockeMonster kill Mr. Eko? The gaggle of people that AREN’T the Oceanic 6 + Sawyer and Jin…where are they? Did SmokeLocke kill them? Is Rose ok? What about Hippy Translator and Samurai guy? What’s their story? How many more structures are they going to find? Hey, it’s a huge temple…and a Lighthouse…and a casino….and a Super Wal-Mart. At some point they’re going to have to just get the writers, producers, director, etc on the screen and just say “We f’d up. We have no idea where this story is going.” Or just be like “So the 48 people that were on the plane just kinda died in a horrible fire and they also had no back story or desire to get off the island.” I dunno, I’d just like for them to unravel the mystery a bit more swiftly. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE the show and if it were to continue beyond this season, I’d be ok with that. I’m just sayin.

Jess has got me watching American Idol, but I have to say, the “talent” this year is BAD. There are one or two guys that are a total waste, but for the most part it is uncomfortable to watch these people up there. I see Andrew Garcia, Lee somethingoranother, Longhair McDirtyBlonde, and Shorty Youngenstein going far…but beyond that I have no idea. We’ve also been watching Grey’s Anatomy and I’m not gonna say that I’m hooked yet, but I really enjoy the show. Heroes had their season finale a few weeks back and I wasn’t overly impressed. It seems that Sylar is now a good bad good good bad guy now…good. The world knows that Clair can fall on her face and heal up and HRG has once again escaped dying. I do like that show and want to see how it evolves.

We also have been watching Project Runway, Vampire Diaries, and um…that’s about it. My Tivo is full, but come to think of it, there use to be a LOT more shows. What should we be watching? Any suggestions? Thursdays are booked for now, until I can get a second Tivo. What are you guys watching? What’s on that’s good? I miss shows like Top Chef, CSI, Make Me a Supermodel, MacGyver, etc. We’re always on the lookout for something new!

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The coupon movement that is! For some reason couponing has become like a cult in the last few months with my friends! Coupon parties and entire phone conversations surrounding saving money by clipping. I still haven’t made it to a meeting/class…but my friend Heather gave me the cliffnotes on where to get started! Let me tell you…I was a complete skeptic! (Surprise, surprise) Not that it doesn’t work, but that it would work for me. I try to be a low maintenance person…but at the same time I do like organizing a good grocery list! So I tried it. I bought three AJC’s. I clipped coupons for an hour. I spent 2+ hours preparing the list and researching online. I spent over an hour at the store actually shopping to make sure I was getting what was on sale and the right amounts of each thing (and that was with SB helping!) Over 4 hours went into this trip, and it was a success! For me anyway. I’m not sure I will ever be one of those $150 worth of food for $26 bucks kinda people, but I saved 70$ on $200 worth of groceries! PLUS…the awesome websites I’ve learned about helped me buy just what was on sale so we got a TON of food.

It really is true what they say about the rush you feel when saving all that money! I’m hopeful that the time spent on preparation will shorten, and I’ll get into a couponing groove! I’m already looking forward to this Sunday so I can go for another shot at it!

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I have had the last week off of work and it’s been B.L.I.S.S. With a sick day AND a snow day prefacing it…it feels like Christmas Break all over again. There is SO much to blog about! SB took care of our Vday weekend with his previous post. It really was a magical weekend for us. It was our first Vday that counts, but I truly hope we continue to have weekends like that for a long, long time.

When we got home SB was off for President’s Day. We stayed pretty busy in Chattanooga so it was nice to have him home to rest up and unpack from the trip. We also realized though, that if we were going to try to go car shopping together, today was the day. So off we went to Gossett VW in Alpharetta. I had my sights set on a Jetta…but drove it and just felt….meh. Next was a Passat and as soon as we got 1/2 a mile down the road we look and each other and just knew. This was the car! I’ve had it for a week now and I love it! Old Greg is gone (for $500!) and the new car needs a name. One will find her soon.

The rest of the week stayed pretty busy! My break’s usually fly by, but honestly I usually spend them being lazy as ever. I got a LOT done! My new driver’s license is on the way with my maiden name and I found a new doctor in Dunwoody and the whole office is awesome. Wednesday we planned on going to Snow Mountain, but waited too late to realize they are only opened on the weekends. doh! SB had the day off anyway so we enjoyed some family time at home. We went to dinner with SB’s parents for his dad’s bday and had some delicious food at Red Lobster. Our week of getting shit done continued on until the weekend rolled around and BAM! We were hit with some beeaauuutiful weather! Blue skies, slight breeze, sun shining in the 60’s. Chase and I drove around to look at schools earlier in the week and came across an awesome park that is literally around the corner from our apartment.

Saturday morning we got up, I went for a run, then we picked up some lunch and headed to the park! You would have thought they were giving away gold! People were just as in love with the weather as we were and it was packed. As we sat in the sun, ate our lunch, and watched the families, dogs, and our Chase, play and swing….it was just a great way to end the week.

But wait!! We have one more in us!! We were going to Snow Mountain dangit!! After two failed attempts (saturday time slots were sold out), we finally got a time slot at 6pm Sunday night. It seemed late for a school night, but it turned out perfectly! There was a small crowd at first but by 7:00 we were going straight up to the slides and tubing away! I was so nervous for Chase b/c I’m telling you…those things went fast! He loved it though…and I learned again that I need to let go just a little bit and let him be a boy. We have some great pics from the week. Now…if the next 9 weeks would just fly by so we can have Spring Break!

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After the falls we headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. At this point I still had no idea what was in store for the evening. Either way, I was totally excited and eager to have a night out with Jess.

Since Jess was in charge of everything, she drove us down to the river front and was all “Hey, that’s a cool lookin’ boat. I wonder if you could eat dinner on one of those?” As it turns out… we WERE having dinner on the Southern Belle Chattanooga Riverboat. I’ve heard about the riverboat, and my parents have done it, but I’ve never been myself. I was really excited once I found out what the plans were. Jess and I were lookin’ pretty fly and we were about to begin our first ever, Riverboat Adventure.

Well, upon stepping aboard the boat we were transported to 1984. It was as if we ran 88.5mph and triggered the Flux Capacitor. I could tell that Jess wasn’t overly excited about the experience. There were old people all around and the boat itself didn’t appear to have gone through any major changes over the past 20 years or so. I knew that in Jess’ mind this was a lot more magical and modern than what we were experiencing, but never-the-less, we were going to make the best of it.

We waited in line to get our picture made and step onto the actual boat. We were promptly sat by the 3rd string Quarterback from the local YMCA. Our waitress, brought us out some water as I went to get some drinks from the bar. I had to remind Jess that it wasn’t about the boat or the lazy-eye’d waiter walking around or the buffet prime rib. It was about she and I on a dinner where to us, no one else existed. It was about having our first Valentine’s Day (that counted). So we sat there and chatted and talked about the past, present, and the future. We marveled at the people and the odd couples that were everywhere. We went outside and enjoyed the night looking out at the city. We did what we always do, we had a wonderful time.

The whole trip was about 2hrs. Near the end of the excursion, the DJ guy decided to bring out the big guns and hit up some Cupid Shuffle. I mean, it was only fitting seeing as it was Valentine’s Day. So he called everyone out and taught them the steps. Then the music got going and…oh boy… This was a sight. Watching some old people who just learned the cupid shuffle attempt to dance was quite entertaining. Jess and I couldn’t just sit there so we got up and showed everyone how it’s really done. I’m pretty sure we gave some people heart palpitations, but what ever, we did what we had to do.

Click here to view the embedded video.

After the dancing the boat docked and we headed back to the hotel. We were both eager to go out and do something fun, but since neither one of us had ever really been to Chattanooga and sought out the night life, we didn’t really come up with anything. So it was back to the hotel.

Duppa duppa doop! Next day we headed over to get our Valentine’s Day massages. We had found a local shop that had some openings and jumped all over it. I have to say, that there really is something that is so much better about a) having a massage with someone you love there beside you and b) going to a place that isn’t like the Target of massage (Spa Sydell for example). After that we headed over to the TN Aquarium. I’ve been there a few times, but always enjoy another visit. For some reason I kinda like it a bit better than the GA one. Maybe it’s because it’s no so crowded. Who knows, it was still a ton of fun.

We were both pretty hungry after seeing all the fishes so we decided to head to what I thought was the Mexican place I eat at every time I go. As it turns out, that place closed down a few years ago and they built a new one it it’s place. We had a great lunch. Sitting, talking about the riverboat, the weekend, Ruby Falls, the blizzard like snow that was coming down outside, the chlorine leak that was taking place in the building next door, and all the other wonderful things that make us happy.

We finally decided it would be a good idea to head home. It was a great drive. The weather was perfect, the tunes were pumping, the sun was shining, and our Valentine’s Day was pretty much it was the best it could be. We got home, got cleaned up and then just enjoyed each other’s company for the rest of the afternoon.

Our Valentine’s Day Weekend had come to a close and it was just as amazing as both of us had anticipated. We got to play in the snow, stay in a hotel, enjoy a wonder dinner/experience on a riverboat, dance, laugh, see some fish, sing, etc. All the things that make life worth enjoying. I can’t wait for next year, the year after that, and the many, many, many more years to come. I’ve continually fallen more and more in love with this woman and our lives. She continues to inspire me and bring me more joy that I could ever imagine. I love her and cherish every thing about her. This will certainly be a weekend to remember.

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Last weekend was Valentine’s day and man…it pretty much blew all other V-Day’s out of the water.

For about a month or so prior to the day, Jess has been planning something super secret. She would drop hints every now and then, but never telling me the full details of what our plans were. All I was told for sure was that under no circumstances was I allowed to plan anything for that weekend. I was happy to put it all in m’lady’s hands.

The weekend got started off right with some snow flurries on Friday. It was one of those rare moments when the weathermen were right and Atlanta was actually hit with some serious snow. We knew we wanted to get something “fancy” to wear on Saturday so we hit up the mall, then we went and met up with KiBob and some other friends at Taco Mac. The roads were treacherous, but it’s the Snipers, we don’t let a little ice and snow stop us. After the T’Mac we headed over to Kit and Bob’s for some more drinks and general chit-chat by the fire. The snow was perfect for building a snow man, so Jess and I got out there and built the best one we could. Then all hell broke loose. There really is no way you can be in the snow with a group of awesome people and not bust into a snowball fight. It was inevitable. So after an hour or so of attempting to slide down the hill on nothing but our chests, an epic snowball fight, snow angels, and a snowman that looked more like a snowpenis, we headed inside to warm ourselves by the fire. We knew we had to get up early and hit the road for Chattanooga, so we called it an early night and headed home.

The next day we got up and, oh boy… there was ice all over the place. It looked pretty bad (in that ice storm day after cool sun shining perfect day to play in the snow kinda way). Never-the-less, we weren’t going to let a little ice/snow stop us from heading north for an epic Valentine’s Day.

We hit the road and it wasn’t as bad as it looked. There were a few patches here and there, but for the most part, it was smooth sailing. We made great time and got to Chattanooga in just under 2hrs. Jess had made reservations at the Double Tree and damn, the room was nice. There really is something about hotel rooms that just makes everything nicer and more special. This one was no exception.

After getting settled in we decided that we were gonna hit up some Ruby Falls. Jess had never been, and I always enjoy going 1200ft under ground and seeing all the crazy rock formations. So we made the 10 min drive, snapped a few exterior pics in the snow, then headed on in. Now, for anyone that’s ever been to Ruby Falls, not much has changed over the years. They still have all the same formations, the guides still tell the same jokes, and the falls are still lit up to showcase all it’s grandeur. Jess was very skeptical of being underground for that length of time, but all that went away after we stared seeing the rocks and formations and stuff. It really is a cool place that you should check out. We definitively are going to bring Chase back. I think he’d get a kick out of it. Also, I didn’t think it was possible, but that day…I really did FALL a little more in love with Jess.

Now on to part 2!

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no more grrrrrface! Things are still the same with the previous situation…I’m just channeling some really positive energy (from somewhere?) and going to make the best of it until May. It certainly helps that SniperBen is always there to be a voice a reason for me.

In other news…I have a change in my top 5! I’ve added Bob from The Biggest Loser. We’ve been watching this season and I just love him! He’s hilariously intense and pretty damn sexy! I happen to think he looks like SniperBen as well…*delish!!!

Oh! SB also introduced me to www.thesuperficial.com this week. I have to admit that I am all about these dumbass celebs and what they are up to. This site has the goods! Check it out if you haven’t.

I hope the rest of your week goes by fast…b/c that means mine will too! Winter Break…car shopping…sleeping in…VDay weekend…*SQQQEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!*

Grrrface. That’s what I am right now. I have so many awesome, wonderful things going on in my life, but there’s just one little part to remedy. And what sucks is…it’s where I spend most of my time. When the place you spend 8+ hours a day is making you miserable, something’s got to give! Next week is Winter Break and I fully intend to hit the streets and find something closer to home. Send me good vibes, prayers, whatever it is you do. If not for my sake then for the boys I live with. Bless ‘em for putting up with my foul mood for the first hour after I get home.

Other than the previous, things are great lately! Life has been extremely different lately. The journey to get me where I am now is not a fun one to look back on interesting…but the destination is turning out quite beachy. <3

Also...this weekend is Valentine's Day! I know it can be silly holiday. Why not tell someone you love them EVERY day instead of waiting for a holiday?? I get that...but it's also a great reason to come up with some Special Secret Sniper Plans! I have dinner reserved and the hotel booked. I can't wait to put SniperBen in the car Saturday morning and drive to our secret destination. This is not our first Valentine's Day...but it's the first one that counts.

The following week is Winter Break! Soooooooooo stoked about that! I am planning a trip to Snow Mountain that week and I’m also gonna start car shopping. I can’t believe poor Ol’ Greg has even made it as long as he has…and my tax money is going towards new wheels so he can finally be put to rest.

So…back to the grrrface. I wonder…what do YOU do to find your happy place at work? Favorite website that makes you smile? Something that gets you through the day? So far…blogging is working ok for me.

So it seems The Snipers have been a bit absent or lazy in their upkeep on this thing in the past few weeks. Well, that’s mostly true. The main reason is that we’ve been getting settled in to our new apartment, been working like the dickens, dealing with ailments that just won’t go away, cooking, watching movies, and all manner of things. Now this blog is supposed to capture that all that stuff, so it seems only fitting that one of us go back and jot some things down that have gone on in the past few weeks.

So as you know, we’ve officially moved into our very own apartment. It’s like really real and legit now. Before it was either my place or Jess’ place. One weekend here, one weekend there. On Wednesday’s I’d drive to Milnertowne to hang with them and back here the rest of the week. In December Jess moved most of her stuff to ol’ 3202, but that wasn’t really the same as it is now. Mr. Chaserson was sleeping on an air mattress and half her stuff was still at her old place, well Jan finally rolled around and we got our very own place. Chase has his own room, complete with his toys and 3 DS’s, and posters and a bed he can call his own. We got all our clothes into the closet so there’s no hunting around in the morning looking for stuff, all the books, games, furniture, dishes, liquor, decor, etc. are in the place they belong. There’s not a single box that hasn’t been unpacked or relocated to storage. It finally feels like home. Most importantly, last night was the first night we actually got to eat dinner at our very own dining room table. That was a great feeling. Sitting there, looking around, everything was as it should be.

Reading that you’d think it’s just been easy peasy and like butter and/or cake. Well, that’s not all the facts. Jess and/or Chase have this never ending cold that has crippled 2/3 of the Sniper clan. Undoubtedly it’s from all the kids runnin’ round the school of hers touching things, rubbing their snotty noses all over the place, coughing, hacking, spreading germs and such. So she’s been under the weather for the better part of 2010, but that hasn’t stopped her. She’s a trooper and has been pressing on. She’s unpacked boxes, moved furniture, organized books and the kitchen, done about 1 bajillion loads of laundry and dishes. This woman has pushed threw the sick and got this place feeling like home. I love her more than she probably realizes. I mean, I was in a house for seven years, and it never felt this close to a home.

In addition to all the unpacking and getting settled in, we’ve still managed to have some fun. Last weekend was our fist “date night” of 2010. Dinner, dancing, drinking, peeing in a parking lot, busted hands, laughing, all the things that make up a good night. We’ve got into a groove during the week of shows to watch and dinners to cook and all the stuff that families do. It didn’t take us long to figure these things out, because we worked together. Heck, I’ve even started watching Vampire Diaries and a little bit of Grey’s Anatomy. Jess watched one episode of Heroes and was lost, but that’s to be expected with that show. Speaking of LOST, we jumped right back into that. It was no big throw-down premier party, but it was a lot of fun. The show is amazing and I can’t wait to watch every episode with Jess, and explaining time travel all over again.

Other than that it’s been fairly normal for The Snipers. The weather has kept most outdoor activities at bay, but I have a feeling that’ll change soon. I went back to kick-boxing this week and am eager to continue doing so. We are both signed up for a 10k in March that we’re not actually going to do, because we’re in no condition to run 6 miles. We do have big plans for our health and fitness though. We’re slowly moving into a healthier lifestyle, cutting things out here and there. Making better decisions and such. I can honestly say that aside from the plague of doom that appears to be attracted to Jess, we are feeling a lot better, both mentally, and physically than we were back in December.

So that’s that. I’m going to try and get some pics of the place and post them up. Not just to show the place off, but to see how it changes over time and we live here and continue to grow and add more and more memories to it. Oh, and our doors are always open for people to come by. It doesn’t take a passport and a treasure map to find us, a phone call should suffice.

Stay tuned for more!