If you could live anywhere...

Where would you live? I know that there are a lot of factors that go into that decision like where your job/school is and proximity to family and sometimes money, but if those factors weren't an issue, where would you live?

Matt and I have talked a lot about it lately because his job is becoming too much for us to handle. Matt being gone all the time sucks. So we've been looking into other jobs. Ideally we'd stay in the area because we own our home and because of my job, but we're not ruling out the possibility of moving somewhere else.

I know Matt has some pretty strong objections to Utah (which I do not share) but no strong inclination towards any other place either. I would love to live abroad for a little while (definitely not for a long time or permanently) and we've already shot that one down once. Right after Matt started working in Australia a few years back, they offered him a position there. I still regret him turning it down, but at the time we still had a lot of family close here. Since then, our extended families have spread out some and our tie to North Carolina isn't as strong.

Recently, we've had an opportunity arise to live in the UK for a year in addition to making a permanent move to California. Now, I'm not sure where in the UK it would be, but most likely somewhere in England and close to London. I jumped at the idea more than I thought I would. It seems crazy to me that I would drop my life here and live across the ocean in a foreign country, but I would do it in a heart beat. I balked at the idea of living in California, but the thought of being in England for Christmas fills my head with romantic images of snow covered country lanes and funny paper hats. And that got me thinking: Where would you live if you could move anywhere? Leave your thoughts in the comments!

Just call me Sickie Poo

I haven't been feeling really great the past few days and I'm proud that my body was able to fend off getting sick for so long (especially now I'm interacting with so many people on a daily basis), but unfortunately, my body caved in today. So it's time to play my favorite game! Web MD Symptom Checker!

Ok, so I know it's now really a game, but I like to put in my symptoms and see what the most random diagnosis is. Usually, whatever it is, that's what I'll claim as my illness, because suffering from walking pneumonia or cryptococcosis sounds so much cooler than the common cold. Today, I'm suffering from viral pneumonia. So take pity on me. *I would just like to note that I'm really not suffering from anything other than a cold, which still sucks*


I did get a lot of intermittent sleep and watched my favorite movie *ever*: Beauty and the Beast. Disney, in their infinite wisdom, has seen fit to bring Beauty and the Beast out of their accursed vault and make their delightful movie available for purchase again. I got it through netflix the other day. (On a side note, I love netflix. That is all.) I think I may go purchase it soon and give it to myself as a Christmas present this year. :)

Coolest thing ever! (Well, if you're into that sort of thing)

I recently reinjured my left knee (the one I've had surgery on) and my doctor is worried that I've torn my meniscus. In order to diagnose it, I had an MRI scan performed on my knee on Monday. Here are some of the cooler images.

I love that you can see the hole they drilled for the replacement ACL. I also don't love that I can see the incredibly thick layer of fat surrounding my leg. It makes me want to go work out for 3 hours.

So a few days after having the MRI done, my doctor confirmed that I have torn it and recommended surgery to repair it. So once again, I'm having my knee cut open. My doctor assured me that the recovery will be nothing like what I went through with my ACL (thank goodness) and that I should be down for a week max. I've decided to wait until after our cruise to have the surgery though (because there's no way I'm limping around in the carribean) so I'll have to put up with the dull ache and sharp stabbing pains from sideways movement until November. I suppose it could be worse. I could've torn my graft!

This reminds me of a conversation that Matt and I had last night. Matt was talking about some games he had on his phone. It immediately made me think of my new favorite game on my phone, Speed Anatomy. I pulled out my phone and started playing. After a few minutes I noticed he wasn't paying attention to me any more and I put away my game. He then looked up at me with a stone cold face and said, "Nerd."

Halloween costume

Why is it that it is nearly impossible to find a cute, non-dumpy Halloween costume that doesn't make a girl looks slutty? I don't understand what it is with Halloween that makes girls think they've got a pass on that night to dress (and often act) as slutty as possible.
With Halloween quickly approaching (as well as our cruise which leaves on Halloween), I find myself frustrated that the only costumes I can find are "sexy"(insert profession here)s. Or, the costume is of a superhero which basically means spandex. I don't look good in spandex (who does really?) And let me tell you nobody needs to see that!

The other frustrating aspect (which is slowly becoming a non issue as I can't find anything!) is that Matt and I wanted to coordinate our costumes. All the couple's costume ideas are weird, creepy or dumb. Ball and chain? No thanks. Ketchup and Mustard? What the heck? Marc Anthony and Cleopatra? Boring! It's hard to find a couple that involves both of us dressing up. Matt had the idea of Dr. Horrible, but Penny is just in regular clothes. Perhaps I could cross-dress and be Dr. Who...

Any way, I write this in the hopes that anybody has a good idea for us. It would be great if the costumes were coordinated or related, but at this point I don't much care if it isn't. So far the top runners in our minds are:

1. Wolverine and Rogue - I know they weren't a couple but they're good friends. Plus, Matt can really pull off the beard and hair. It does however require an incredible amount of spandex on my part.
2. Dr. Who (Danid Tennant style) and his companion - I would love to do this one, but again, I would just be in regular clothes. Boring!
3. Christine Daae and The Phantom - I love this musical more than life! However, Matt's costume would be stifling, what with the shirt and vest and pants and cloak and mask...
4. King Leonidas and his Queen - Matt would not be naked at all, but again, he can pull of the beard. 

So, there you have it. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!