Duck Dinner

I wrote this a while ago, and forgot I didn't post it.  So, this is the old stuff:

Yeah, Anton's really into duck hunting.  He brings one home about every other day and we have duck for dinner.  It's pretty good-- but only when it's cooked right, otherwise it's not so good.  And I can't eat it as a leftover.  I like to bake it in the oven for a couple hours.  It tastes like a really good pot roast (with less fat).  Nothing like chicken, which is what I had been expecting.  But the best part is that Anton loves it.  Duck season ends on Friday and then he will move on to coyotes.

I can't be a full time student this semester because it's my off track and they changed the rules-- I now have to come up with the money myself (which is kind of hard, since I spend most of my life being a student instead of earning money).  But I got a loan so I could at least keep taking Russian.  It's a lot better when I only have that to study.  But it's still hard.
Since I'm not a full-time student I decided to tuff it out and keep my job a while longer.  Also I work out with Shantal every night.  I'm still in pain from working out too hard when we first started (almost two weeks ago).  So I haven't been cooking more.  But I am going to... because I need to eat more, otherwise all this working out is doing me no good.  Well, maybe some good.

I got everything I need to make bread and started on it after I got home from work tonight... and realized I need to buy dry milk.  Thought I had everything, but I didn't.  Anton was pretty bummed.  I told him I'll go to the store first thing in the morning and get some dry milk and he will have hot, fresh bread waiting for him in the afternoon.

Our First Christmas-- with a few pictures

Well we got a new car... again.  Mazda 6 this time (2009).  Anton got a really good deal because it's the end of the year and all the dealerships want to get rid of as much inventory as possible.  And he got them to reupholster the seats and make them leather.

I tried to surprise him for Christmas but he figured out what I got him.  He surprised me, though.  Now I have lots of perfume, lots of nail polish and a shiny new purse.  He couldn't wait for Mom's present so we've already been using the orange blanket and bread-maker... actually I haven't made bread yet-- but I'm going to.  I have to finish un-cluttering our apartment first.  We're getting rid of clothes and stuff we don't use.  I can't feel good about cooking until everything is clean.  So basically we starve until the apartment sparkles (we don't actually starve).

Anton also decided we are going to start our own Christmas traditions-- stockings and presents at midnight Christmas Eve, which is then Christmas Day.  But he fell asleep so we didn't do it.  I did get some pictures though.

 This is Anton playing with the kitty... which you can't see.

 Holding his Curve, which he already knew.  I told him I don't like that smell and I would never buy it for him.  But he didn't believe me.

 The tree he cut down.

Just Kidding

   We're actually not getting our own house.  Anton received some counsel from his millionaire former sponsor and decided against the mobile home.  The interest was pretty high anyway.  I guess I can deal with listening to my neighbors's conversations and everything else, including the smell of what they cook, for a couple more years... : (

Got some more books in the mail.  I love my children's books.  I read them to myself because I don't have anyone else to read them to.  Someday...

Anton is such a big softy.  He says he will never feed this ridiculously spoiled cat ever again.  And then he lets the cat inside because the cat is cold and gives him little smokies and lets him eat our butter.  So we're out of butter now.

We came to a conclusion about our jobs.  I am going to quit mine and we'll get a loan to cover what I won't be making.  But he'll probably keep his job since we can't afford the benefits we get (like half of his school paid for and pretty good insurance) without it.  So after I quit I can get my homework done earlier, which means... I will have time to cook.  Yes, I am going to cook.  Hooraaaaaay!

I'm getting my own house! Yay!

I wrapped Anton's gun and told him he couldn't have it until it was under a decorated tree and we were drinking hot cocoa and eating cookies... and stuff like that.  So he got a tree permit, drove an hour away to cut down a tree (and an hour back), got some christmas decorations with me, cleaned the apartment, and put everything up by himself while I was at work.  I had no choice but to let him open it.  He was so excited, he went out shooting with his buddy the next morning and showed it off to his brother over skype.

Also we decided to buy a mobile home here because it would be cheaper than paying rent and a nice rest from having dummies for managers and landlords (which seem to be pretty much inescapable here).

Two of the ladies in my ward turned 100 years old last week.  Pretty awesome.

Anyway, we're figuring out that working while we're both full-time students is very, very stressful (partly because both of our jobs suck and there is way too much childishness and unnecessary drama going on that interferes with our regular lives).  So we're trying to decide what to do... just deal with it and live miserably for a few years, quit and live off of student loans, go somewhere else to work on our off-track and hope we make enough money to live for awhile... find a rich person to sue and live pretty for the rest of our lives (just kidding).

Okay, Annie, here you go.

Since Anton now has a green card and is about to get a hunting license... I think I might get him a gun for Christmas. He can't stop talking about guns.  He really, really wants a 12 gauge right now and he has a PELL grant coming soon (he applied for one right after he got a green card).  So you could get him some bullets if you want...?  Since my ears are pierced now, I like jewelry and stuff.  And books-- I'm really into buying children's books right now.

I probably can't visit for Christmas, though.  It depends on whether or not I can come for Thanksgiving.  Kmart is so stupid.  $7.25 an hour and they think they own me.  I threw as nice of a fit as I could when they said I can't get Thanksgiving off.  I told them this is the only holiday I have asked for time off for and that my family only gets together like this once or twice a year, and this year, it's for Thanksgiving.  They said they'll see, so I hope it works.  But if it does, I can't come for Christmas.

Other than my lame job, things are pretty good.  The snow was nice for the first night, but now it's too cold and I want it to go away.  Shantal got a little kitten... she is so cute!  I take her to my house and play with her all the time.  Anton LOVES her.  He plays with her instead of doing his homework.  She cuddles with us when we lay down to take a nap too.  And now we both really want a little kitten.

I'm glad I married young

So the green card interview went well.  It was pretty easy.  And kind of lame... I was a little disappointed when they didn't put us in different rooms, shine a bright light in our eyes, and ask us what color each others toothbrushes are... but that's okay.  They did ask Anton:  are you a terrorist?  Are you involved in any terrorist groups?  Have you ever killed anyone?  Have you ever imprisoned anyone?  Have you ever tortured anyone?  Are you violent?  Are you a communist?  I'm pretty sure he said no to all of them but my mind wandered a little.

Shantal's wedding was beautiful.  Anton had to leave to do school and work stuff, so I hung out with Grammy most of the time.  I miss Grammy.  And everyone else.  After I graduate I'm going to take road trips to visit family too.

I heard that school would get harder as I go, but I think it's getting easier.  Maybe I'm just taking easier classes (except Russian).  And classes I like better.

I am so tired of feeling so helpless and dumb in my Russian class-- I found the story we were reading by Pushkin online because I knew my computer would offer to translate it into English.  So I read it in English and then aced the in-class quiz... does that count as cheating?  I still read it all... and it didn't make sense in English either.  For the first story we read, my teacher told me I could find it in English.  So I assumed it was okay for this one too.  I think we're going to have to bring Anton's mother over here to be our nanny, because  my kids aren't going to learn very much from me.

I keep hearing talk about how dumb people are for getting married at 18 because it's WAY too young.  That they need to be ready for it first and date seriously for a long time to know they're making the right decision and a bunch of other crap.  Incidentally those who speak like they know so much about this are mostly single.  Well I'm not sorry I got married at 18 and only dated my husband for 2 weeks before we got engaged.  In fact, if I could go back and do it differently, I would have married him sooner--in November instead of February.  Age is not the most important factor in being ready (even if it does have a fairly significant influence), there are plenty of perfectly mature 18 year old people and plenty of perfectly immature 25 year old people.  And everyone else's love life is none of their business anyway.  I just wanted to get that off my chest.

I married an Alien

Our interview is on Tuesday!  Anton can't stop reminding me... I don't need him to... but he does.  It's funny.

What's not funny is how incredibly lame I am.  How am I going to be a mom if I can't even handle a few classes and a lousy job at the same time?  I don't like this.

Anyway...in my Psych class in high school, we did a section on dreams.  We had to keep a little "dream book" by our beds and write down what we dreamed about.  And we interpreted them-- I don't remember how, though.  I feel like I should keep a dream book by my bed again.  I keep having very bizarre dreams that I can't keep my mind off of, for a long time.  Four years, even.  Maybe if I write them down, I can forget them.

I can't wait to graduate and have my own house!  The couple above us is SO loud.  They fight all the time.  The woman is crazy-- she screams at the top of her lungs for hours.  Anton and I aren't the perfect couple that never fights, but I'm pretty sure we don't wake our neighbors up and make them listen to us scream at each other for the rest of the day.  And I do mean scream.
Sometimes I feel like going up there trying to help them... but that would be weird.