Suze Orman teaches Jamie what Roth IRAs are.

Thanks Suze :) I just never understood *why* anyone would want one until I opened your book! It's like seeing a Magic Eye drawing, it all clicked and I see the sailboat now!

So I borrowed this book from my sister and found it very useful...if just a little bit too late for me. I think I would have really benefited from it right out of college. I've kind of been there done that on a lot of the things she was warning against and advocating for and all that, but still good to hear. It was really easy to read, and I skimmed through a lot of the "Duh" stuff and finished it in two nights. Particularly, she cleared up the fuzziness in my brain about Roth IRAs... money stuff has never been crystal clear to me and I guess I'd always just hoped someone else would figure it out for me and I'd have lots of money when I retired and everything would be grand. Well, of course it's not that easy and it feels really good actually to take control!

And her thing is "People first, then money, then things"...which when you think about it is true, but isn't always how we live and spend money...

Oh, and a hilarious SNL mockery of Suze ... it's seriously dead on.



Another awesome money book that Scott and I are reading together, one chapter at a time is Smart Couples Finish Rich by David Bach. I can't recommend this book highly enough... for us it's been absolutely invaluable. We feel smarter bc we're learning stuff about money, and also it's opening up conversation on some stuff we might have disagreed on before. The book is helpful because it's not written specifically for the dual income high earner couples - his thing is that ANYONE can finish rich, no matter what your income level. I am just thankful we found this book when we did. :)

Plus, that guy trademarks EVERYTHING! It's kind of funny you read along and you just see random TM's everywhere. So obv Scott and I make fun of that. One concept he TM's is the "Couple's Latte Factor"... which is essentially the nickels & dimes that you spend w/out realizing it (on stuff like lattes.) So yeah... again, he hits home with spending and saving money with purposes in mind - and not just letting your money spend you (I made that one up... should I TM it??)

Memory Keeper's Daughter

by Kim Edwards

I finished this book last night - and after the whole "Outlander Incident" I was very primed to read a good book. And this was a great book... really readable and deep, with a few very well described and realistic characters. I always think it's amazing when an author can craft characters where you can love and hate them at the same time. With this story and the way it was told (each chapter in a different POV) I was really able to understand *why* the characters did what they did, even if it seemed uncharacteristic or out of the ordinary for their personality.

So the gist of the book: It's about a husband and wife who have a child. It turns out it's twins though - I guess in the pre-ultrasound world of the '60s they never knew how many kids would pop out. The first child is a healthy baby boy and the second is a girl who is obviously not well. Turns out she has Down Syndrome...and the dad (who happens to be a doctor, and delivered the babies) tells his wife the girl died and gives the baby to the nurse to stick her in a home (as was an accepted practice at the time, I gather.) So, OBV the nurse doesn't do that, she keeps the girl and raises her... and the story kind of takes off from there. It's interesting that it's told from each character's POV bc you get so wrapped up in their perception of the situation that at times I forgot that Phoebe (the little girl) didn't actually die.

I read this book for my July book club meeting and to be 100% honest, I'd heard the title recommended to me a few times and picked it up in the bookstore on occasion, but it never appealed to me... I guess I just thought it'd be like *about* Down syndrome (sorry if that makes me shallow... I'm not big on reading depressing stories just to make myself sad...) and while it WAS a depressing story in a lot of ways, it was really not about Down syndrome but about the way a split second decision can forever change the lives of a bunch of people. Oh, I was also afraid that all the "comments" were by authors I'm not crazy about. I'm glad my book club chose this book though bc I don't know that I would have read it otherwise, and I would have missed out on a great book!

I'm still trying to figure out how I feel about the ending... it's not quite how I thought it would all come together, but I just have to chew it over for a few days...

So yeah, I liked it!

Apparently it's a lifetime movie too... I'll have to try to catch that sometime.

I usually concoct little movies in my head when I'm reading and sometimes book characters will be really vivid to me. In this book (because of a google search I did mid-book) I totally was feeling David Henry as Dermot Mulroney. I was getting a strong Michael Cera (see pic) vibe from Paul as a teenager-adult... because he just seemed awkward and dorky but still a nice boy for the most part. Oh, and there's a pregnant teenager character, and I was getting the strongest Juno McGuff feeling from her, so maybe that's where the whole Michael Cera thing is coming from. IDK. Maybe I should just stop being obsessed w/ Juno... And I got a big Kelly Preston vibe from Norah. I don't know about Caroline...maybe like Charlize Theron or something. That's who I'm casting in MY movie :)

Geek Love (Long Distance)

Me & Scott skyping... he's in Montreal for the week for WORK!!! (Yes, I've waited a long time to say that - they're paying for it all. What a wonderful change!!) And since it's Canada, eh, you can't use your cell there unless you want huge charges. Skype is free, if just a little weird.

Shelby and the Aftermath

Finally we get to visit Amy & Casey's hometown of Shelby, NC! We had a BLAST... second to our own hometown, I think we probably know the most people in Shelby than any other place. Everyone we've met through Casey & Amy originally has come to be friends of ours as well - true Southern hospitality!

So, we got excited when we saw the sign. It was a long carride, ok?
And unforch, that's all the pics of actual SHELBY I have... after all that, we had to hustle to get to the BBQ on time. Afterwards A&C drove us around to both of their homes and past their high school and where they met (on a haunted hayride, if anyone's a trivia buff). Very pretty area of the state, and fun for Scott and I see.

After the official engagement party, Casey's brother Carey and his wife Bobbi hosted the afterparty in their new house in Charlotte. So much fun... here are the highlights.


The Fiances!

The group (minus Scott...)

Scott was a big fan of taking pictures of flames that night. I have more pics of this dang tiki torch than I do of people, I kid you not. I think he was maybe trying to be artsy? Or funny?

The Red Oak Keg... this made Scott's YEAR. And yes, he obtained a phd, spent 10 days in Italy, got a job in that year, this still is the frontrunner to be the highlight. Maybe you don't understand how good Red Oak is...Here he is, being kegmaster w/ Jason.

The ladies - Cara (Amy's co-worker & Raleigh friend, we gave her a ride home and now she's our friend too :) ), Bobbi, Blaire (sans sling), Amy and me.

Casey & Cara

Scott ...still with the keg.

Race for the Cure

So, one week late, here are some pics from the Race for the Cure last weekend! My sister and I decided to do this 5K a few months ago - it was her first race and she did a great job! I also ran with a few of my NC running buddies. And of course we had our all-male cheering and photography squad to support us!!

Sister shot! Me & Ash pre-race. Oh, and the race STARTED at 7 so this was maybe like the earliest picture ever taken of the two of us together.

The crew w/ the runners - Scott, me, Dad, Ash & Rob. It looks like we're at the circus w/ the tents and stuff, but it was a race, I promise.

My runner friends! We did the Jingle Bell run together in December and do some training runs sporadically. Me, Jackie, Melora, Amy & Kathleen.

Me & Ash right at the start on Hillsborough... all energy at this point.

Here we come... nearing the home stretch and looking a little less energetic, and a little more sweaty.

I kinda like this one... I was veering off for water. I think I said something like "Uhh - need...wa...ter...uhhh" Sisters understand disjointed syllables like this, you see.

Then we headed to my parents' house where my mom prepared a delicious breakfast for the champions :). Even though it was really early (wake up time was 5:00am), the race was really good!

Smooth Criminal

So, this morning Smarty was a smooth criminal and outfoxed me and Scott. I woke up early and headed to the gym, making coffee first. Well, obvs she won't let me be in the vicinity of the kitchen w/ out a meowfest and chewing up paper to tick me off until I feed her. And I only have so much energy to ignore her at 5:30am. So I feed her. She pulls the same stunt with Scott when he woke up and he fell for it!!

Note to Smarty:
If you don't want to be a fat cat, don't eat two breakfasts. Just sayin'.

She *really* sits like this on the couch sometimes...where did we find this weird girl?

Cutting and Running

Ok, I'm confessing that I'm ditching a book that I've read 335 pages of. I'm just not that into it. So, I am quitting Outlander for the following reasons:

1. I don't really care about the characters and how the story will end.
2. Even Scott noted that I'm in a foul mood, and he said it seemed to be related to me not enjoying my hobby. I agree.
3. The "Scottish accented" dialouge is so annoying to read.
4. It's not easy writing to read in general...whereas even though I didn't *love* Emily Giffiin books and other chick lit, at least that's easy reading that keeps the story moving and at some points feels like it reads itself. This writing is very different.
5. I just got 3 new Paperbackswap books in the mail and they all seem so exciting, and I have book club looming over my head in a few weeks.

So yeah, I'm cutting my losses bc as my buddy Mark Twain said...(look over in the side toolbar.) I'm moving on to a great book. I'm thinking either Memory Keeper's Daughter or David Sedaris.

Good Luck Scott!

Today, friends, Scott joins the ranks of working adults. Gainful employment! Should be fun!!

We returned yesterday from a fantastic and short trip to Shelby for the engagement party and after party for our good friends Casey & Amy. I have pics, though I can't vouch how good they are... (there was a lot of Red Oak involved in the after party). I have to get them on the computer tonight, stay tuned. The traveling and lack of good night's sleep on Friday night (bc of airline delays for Scott and the 5k being ridiculously early for me...) we managed to sleep for 10 hours last night. If you're interested, yes, the sun happened to be up when we fell asleep AND when we woke up. Wow...sometimes you just need the sleep I guess!

Off to start another week! I'm so excited for the day to be over to go home and catch up on stuff! What a fabulous and tiring weekend.

For our Dad - Early Father's Day Present

(This post was co-authored by me and my sister Ashley.)

So, in honor of Father’s Day, my sister and I have jointly composed this post to make light of the corporate “Bid-ness” world – something my father loves and well… pretty much eat, sleeps and breathes. Don't worry Dad, we're still getting you presents :: Jam & Ash roll eyes::

See, he's even on YouTube. Watch this after you read the post, just in case you fall asleep. Haha, jk.

My sister is another relative neophyte (pun!) to the corporate world (therefore still having enough memory of how normal people talk to have an outsider’s read on the situation) we came up with the following list. I don’t know why – I think there are plenty of actual words in the English language and why Corporate America feels the need to make new ones is kind of beyond me. This is kinda like an urban dictionary but for uncool corporate types.

On-boarding – as in , here’s your welcome packet, have fun creating 23 passwords and don’t write them down or else you’ll get a passive aggressive write up. And lunch is at noon .

Workflow – Can anyone really define this? But say it in a crowd of business ppl and everyone nods. I think no one knows and everyone is afraid to ask what it *really* means. It’s like “integrity.”

Impact – Makes it sound important and vital. I always conjure up Deep Impact, a movie about a meteor destroying Earth. It’s just like that, but with a TPS report coversheet issue. These typically have downstream affects as well.

Reaching out – as in “Jack should be reaching out to you in the coming week.” A form of passive aggressive behavior, esp when paired with a CC to the person who is to be doing the “reaching out” (The email might as well be “He hasn’t called you yet? Just what, would you say, you do here, Jack?”)

CC – Carbon Copy, a throwback to when they used PAPER as a method of communication (wow… tell us another story about oldentimes, Dad). As in “copy me on that email”. Copy=CC, same # of syllables IDK why it’s more fun to say the letters. Oh wait, I so do get it. Whoa - it's like a bridge btwn the old and the new...deep.

Process [insert verb] – good ones include mapping, improvement… it essentially means tinkering around in Microsoft Visio and not doing any real work. But everyone still gets paid and there will be many meetings.

Ping – aka – instant message me. We think we’re cute when we say this.

End-of-business: You mean... 5:00? Maybe it's like Army time, just making it waaay more complicated than it needs to be and making yourself sound totally lame in the process.

Action plan/item: i.e. What No One Else Wants To Do But You Must. Because you don't have wrinkles and you know how to use a computer.

Business model: Is that like America's Next Top Model? Does it take good pictures? Know how to smile with its eyes? B/c if not, Tyra is *totally* going to send it home. Also I think the original Greek word model means misshapen ball of clay. IDK how that translates to a “Business”.

Strategic initiative: Flavor of the week

Value-add: Make yourself useful already!

Breakout sessions: Does this involve a teenybopper actress and Noxzema? Or breaking out into songs about strategy, Broadway musical-style with jazz hands and costumes? No? Alright, I give up then. Probably something much more boring.

...And my personal all-time favorite:

"Please advise": Passive-aggressive way of saying tell me WTH you're talking about. I've seen a gloves-on e-mail fight using please advise; it's not pretty (I was CC-ed –see note above- on the conversation). The translated version was:

"I think you're a dumbass. Please advise."

"Oh yeah? Well your cat told me to tell you you're ugly. Please advise."

Catcher in the Rye

I finished Catcher in the Rye this weekend, my third reading of the book. I have to say, I totally understand why some people might not appreciate or like this book, but I love it. I absolutely love Holden Caufield even though he's kinda a jerk and really immature. His sense of humor and voice is just so classic and adorable. Love it!

"What really knocks me out is a book that when you're all done reading it you wish the author that wrote it was a terrific friend of yours and you could call him up on the phone whenever you felt like it." - p 18 Yes, Holden, I agree. That would knock me out too :)

One of the great ironies of the book is that Holden is fighting against his inevitable fate. He doesn't want to grow up because he sees all grown ups as "phony" and ...well, jerks. Newsflash Holden - you're a jerk too!! The meaning of the title (it's very complicated) is that he wants to catch children to save them from growing up. He fights so hard against what he's becoming but he can't turn back. It's heartbreaking, but his voice and his sense of humor is so poignant and so different that it's kind of interesting to follow him around in his journey.

I really loved his little sister Phoebe - I think she was like 10 or something but she seemed older in the way she talked. She was one of the only characters who shot Holden straight and kind of held him accountable. And one of the only characters he respected.

One of the best things about re-re-reading this book is I was big into underlining and writing in books when I read this book last. I remember I finished it my first week in Ireland... and reading it again with all the annotations and connotations to where I was last time I read it was kind of nostalgic. It was like finding little notes from myself in the past. Very cool.

On to Outlander by Diana Gabaldon... some girls at my book club were raving about it and as weird as it sounded, I realized my most favorite books, if boiled down to a synopsis sound a little weird too so where there's excitement and enthusiasm about a book, that's where I go.

Goodbye Crappy Gym - Hello Cheap Corporate Gym!

Well, Scott and I have made the tough decision to leave Peak Fitness. We locked in to $10/month (each) rate back when we moved down here 4 years ago and until now it hasn't been worth it to break that ridiculously cheap contract. And I mean, we've stuck with them through transitioning names and ownership, closing our most convenient location and just generally shoddy service and facilities. Let's not beat around the bush, they suck and if they're no longer worth $10/month, that's saying something, you know? This is me telling the internet that Peak Fitness sucks and discouraging ppl from going there.

So Scott and I are going corporate this summer - I've just joined IBM's gym and Scott will join at his work as well... I did my first morning spinning class and it was awesome! I did my whole getting ready at work thing and overall, I really liked it and feel great here at work. It does take a lot of planning since I have to pack lunch, clothes, shower stuff, towel and the list goes on and on... but it's worth it! And traffic at 6:15am is way better than at 7:45, you know!? Oh, and I figure one less shower at home = less water bill. Wow, I'm a cheapskate.

Scott's up in PA for a few days to spend some time with his family before he starts his new job on Monday.

For those Jame & Scott trivia buffs out there, today is in fact our 10 year dating anniversary. Yeah, I know. When we started dating, we were 16 and 17. Need I go on or will I just make everyone (including me) feel very old? Ahh, those are good memories. We watched Scream 2 on video (remember those?) at my old house.

STAYING in North Carolina!!!!!!

We're STAYING in NC! OMG, the offer was just finalized with the NC company (I'm not posting the name so it's less searchable ;) ) yesterday and we are both ecstatic and relieved with the situation! Such a huge weight lifted off us, we feel amazing.

Since a lot of it happened without us telling everyone everything, let me give you a rundown of the last few days...

Last Friday, Scott negotiated the offer he got in Maryland to the point where it was doable for us. Having not heard a word from the NC company in a month or so , we pretty much filed that opportunity in the "Dream On" column. And with the Boston job off the table (rejection, sniff sniff) we were being realistic and optimistic about starting over in DC. All weekend we discussed Maryland like it was gonna happen, got excited about it, looked at apartments and houses and metro maps online, etc. It was okay too...

So Monday who calls? Ah yes, the NC company, once again proving that all you need to get an offer is another offer. And it's a new vice president who wants to "meet" with Scott. Well, that's fine and dandy, but we're thinking, he's already "met" with them like 3 times, worked there for 4 years and ... They must have heard our pleas because the "meeting" ended up being the two of them basically writing up Scott's dream job. He received a verbal offer then, and a firm, hard copy offer Thursday. It's gonna happen folks... we're staying in NC. And Scott's gonna be a working in an educational software group.

::Sigh of relief:: While I was excited and in some ways truly looking forward to moving to the DC area, I'm wholeheartedly thrilled to be staying. With the cost of living, it was really a no brainier just purely based on numbers, and other factors definitely made it a clear choice once it was all laid out. I am so happy to be able to "stay the course" on my internship, masters degree and life in NC. And of course, Scott is also really excited and happy to be working for an amazing company with totally ridiculous benefits. He'll have a SALARY... did I mention that? :)

What we're the most excited about is that it's OVER! We no longer have to live in this limbo and discuss possibilities and probabilities and if this happens, then we should do this, blah blah blah. We're living in NC and it's gonna continue to rock.

Broad Street Run Pics!

I finally got my official time for the Broad Street Run (a few weeks ago, actually, but I never really posted about it)...1:41.03! Go me! I'm really proud of my time, it's right around where I wanted to come in, in the 10 min/mile pace neighborhood.

So, here are some pics of the run and the runners... it ended up being a gorgeous day after all was said and done, though it was cloudy and muggy for the start. I keep thinking back to what a fabulous time I had and hope I can do it again in years to come! Luckily Nikki's parents came out to support us and to photograph us :)

Nik running with City Hall in the background. If you look *really* hard you can see the outline of me, in the blue shirt and orange hat behind the girl in the white sleeveless shirt. IDK what I'm doing w/ my hands.


The race, at about the 9 mile marker. I remember bc this is where they were playing the Rocky music and where I wanted to die.


Me, post race, feeling like I pretty much own the world!

Sarah & Eric - they really kicked butt in the race! Those Millers are good runners!

The whole crew of runners!

Morgan and Nikki!

The Etown runners - pretty funny, huh? I'm still waiting to hear back from the Chronicle for getting a Smile of the Week placement. LOL...no really. Nikki, me, Eric, Sarah, Morgan and Heather - Go Bears!

And in related running news - I got new shoes yesterday and a new lease on my running life :) I am so excited to give them a try this afternoon and hopefully my knees won't hate me like they have been the past few weeks. Stupid Nikes!

Pancakes!

This weekend, I got the urge to try new stuff - I was in the kitchen for the majority of the day yesterday making new recipes and it was fun! :) After reading this recipe online I had this craving for pancakes... so I gave it a try. They taste like restaurant pancakes - soooo good! And since you have to mix up your own little instant pancake mix, I still have a few batches to make in the coming months! Get excited!

I'm not gonna win any photography awards...this I know :) I deliberately cut out Scott's head, so he's just a flannel bathrobe here... but don't those pancakes look delicious??

Buttermilk Pancakes

"Wannabe Bisquick mix"/Instant Pancake Mix

6 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar

Combine all of the ingredients in a lidded container. Shake to mix.

Use the mix within 3 months.

“INSTANT” PANCAKES:
2 eggs, separated
2 cups buttermilk
4 tablespoons melted butter
2 cups “Instant” Pancake Mix, recipe above
1 stick butter, for greasing the pan
2 cups fresh fruit such as blueberries, if desired

Directions:

Heat an electric griddle or frying pan to 350 degrees F.

Whisk together the egg whites and the buttermilk in a small bowl. In another bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the melted butter.

Combine the buttermilk mixture with the egg yolk mixture in a large mixing bowl and whisk together until thoroughly combined. Pour the liquid ingredients on top of the pancake mix. Using a whisk, mix the batter just enough to bring it together. Don’t try to work all the lumps out.

Check to see that the griddle is hot by placing a few drops of water onto to the griddle. The griddle is ready if the water dances across the surface.

Lightly butter the griddle. Wipe off thoroughly with a paper towel. (No butter should be visible.)

Gently ladle the pancake batter onto the griddle and sprinkle on fruit if desired. When bubbles begin to set around the edges of the pancake and the griddle-side of the cake is golden, gently flip the pancakes. Continue to cook 2 to 3 minutes or until the pancake is set.

Serve immediately or remove to a towel-lined baking sheet and cover with a towel. Hold in a warm place for 20 to 30 minutes.

Yield: 12 pancakes (I got 15 :) )

Crunchy Garlic Chicken

Thanks to Ash for this fabulous recipe! It was not only delicious, but made a lot so we had it practically all week! Both Scott and I gave it two enthusiastic thumbs up.


Crunchy Garlic Chicken

1.75 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 c butter, melted (I subbed 3 egg whites here)
2 tbsp milk
1 tbsp chives
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder (I think I upped this!)
2 c Total, crushed (I used Special K bc it was on sale.)
3 tbsp parsley
1/2 tsp paprika
2 tbsp Parm cheese (my addition...)

Directions:
Pray a 9x13 in pan. In a shallow dish, mix butter, milk, chives, salt and garlic powder. In another shallow dish, mix crushed cereal, parsley, paprika and Parm cheese. Dip chicken into milk mixture, then coat lightly and evenly w/ cereal mixture. Place in pan. Drizzle with remaining cereal breading once you've breaded all the breasts. Bake 20-25 min at 425.

Here are some reflections and tips:

• It would be a great recipe to make when having company over.
  
• Warming it up in the microwave wasn't the most wonderful thing in the world (the breading got kinda mushy) - but in the oven on the pizza stone it was awesome!
• I used big 'ole chicken breasts but Scott and I actually thought either cutting up the breasts or using chicken tenders would be a better utilization of the breading and achieve a better ratio of crunch to chicken (Yes, we actually talk like that...)
• Ash also suggested using breadcrumbs to supplement the cereal chunks for more thorough coverage.
• It's a really versatile taste - the first night I made potatoes and last night we ate it as a chicken Parmesan type of thing, with some spaghetti. A total chameleon.