Thursday, December 21, 2017

Star Wars Date Night

So Breaky and I saw Star Wars: The Last Jedi last night. Personally, both Breaky and I enjoyed it, but that is for later.

This past year, we lost a great theater in Kalamazoo: The Alamo. You could order your food and drinks in the theater, have a place to eat, drink and watch the movie Great date night material. Located downtown, it wasn't always super convenient to park or attend, but we enjoyed it all the same.

We heard that the Alamo was closing and were understandably upset. I don't know the politics, but no amount of petitioning online seemed to have helped. Super bummed. We heard later that year we would be getting a new theater at that location, AMC. Ok, I guess another movie theater wouldn't be the worst thing ever. So many theaters are offering better food and drink selections now to keep up with competition, maybe we could still make it a decent date night.

The AMC Theater had been open for a little while by the time we decided to actually go see a movie. Between me not feeling great during my first trimester, to Breaky being abroad for work to me just not feeling up to, it had been awhile since we really went out just the two of us. With the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi, we decided it was perfect timing to get out of the house and go on a true date. We chose a dinner-time showing so we could grab food for dinner and not have a completely packed house. It was a Wednesday after all.

At the theater for DATE NIGHT!

We get there and getting our tickets was not a big deal. Super quick. Walk in and I swear the food line was almost out the door. I have never seen this building this packed with the exception of when we came to see the last Star Wars movie the day after it came out. And this was a Wednesday at 6:30. We decide just to get our seats and eat something after the movie. Get to the theater, and it was closed for cleaning. Mind you, this was maybe 2 minutes before the start time. We finally get in to the theater about 10 minutes after the show was supposed to start, only to have an abnormal amount of trailers. We honestly have never had to sit through so many trailers to watch a movie before. So much so, that Breaky just went to the concession stand in hopes that things had died down enough to get something. A hot dog or chicken tenders, or even popcorn. Something.

He arrives just as the movie starts, and tells me later that when he went to get food, the fryer was broken, so no fried foods, the popcorn machine was down, so no popcorn. We each got one hotdog and Breaky ordered a soda. The total for those three items? $18. Hell, at Costco, that would have cost us like $5.

I think the only thing we enjoyed about that theater was that the seats reclined. Which was nice for pregnant me.

Needless to say, I don't think we'll be going back to that theater if we have a choice.


On to the movie!

This will not contain direct spoilers, but if you want to go watch the movie with completely fresh eyes, you may want to stop reading here.




Both Breaky and I really liked the movie. I heard some rumblings from fans online, but remained unspoiled. I can see how some die-hard fans would be disappointed. A lot of people had hyped up the new movies with conspiracy theories, or things *they* think or wish would happen. Seeing clues where there probably weren't any.

On top of that, the movie didn't really follow the "this is going to happen because the good guys always win" format a lot of the previous movies did. There were many times I was almost panicked that just everyone was going to die. There weren't huge twists or reveals or revelations, but the movie itself kept you on your toes.

If I had one complaint, it would be that there were probably 2 or 3 times that the movie could have ended and I would have been ok with it. It was pretty long. I am glad they ended it when they did, but it may have dragged on a little bit longer than needed to be.


Thursday, November 30, 2017

The reason I cried today

I have been playing a fun game called "Why I cried today." Figured I would keep track of them as they happen and maybe others will get a kick out of it.

  • Today I cried because Breaky was leaving for the Philippines for a week



  • Today I cried because I forgot to add cheese to my eggs for breakfast

  • Today I cried because someone called at work and hates the new database and took it out on me (this is a big deal because I worked at a bank's customer call center for a year, I have been screamed at, yelled at, threatened, called every insult in the world and never, ever took it personally or cried)


  • Today I cried because a meeting was cancelled for work




  • Today I cried because I finally watched the Overwatch Reinhardt animated short "Honor and Glory"

  • Today I cried because my dog looked sad


  • Today I cried (happy tears) because Breaky was talking to my baby bump <3


  • Today I cried thinking about Breaky talking to my baby bump






  • Today I cried because I read a story on Reddit about putting a dog down 



Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Gender Reveal





We had our gender reveal this past weekend! It was an amazing time. A huge thanks to our friends Dylan Jeffery for taking a ton of pictures (below) and for creating  the custom Snapchat feature (above) and Hollicakes who did the cupcakes and helped with the decorations.

We even streamed the event on twitch.tv/breakycpk.









Tuesday, November 7, 2017

Pregnancy Update: Over Halfway There

I know I mentioned some of my struggles I had during TI7, mostly the exhaustion and nausea and maybe a little bitchy-ness, but other than that haven't really written about being pregnant.

Part of it may have been the nerves of something going wrong, or jinxing it in some way. I am not normally a superstitious person, and I know by talking about it, I'm not jinxing anything, but I honestly didn't feel 100% comfortable writing about it. Talking about it on the other hand, is something else. I had a hard time keeping it a secret from people I talk to regularly, so my parents, sister and best friend, so they all found out pretty much immediately. This was probably better for Breaky, as I wasn't chatting about every little thing every single second of the day.

I was still nervous though. Especially when I wasn't feeling symptoms anymore, or they were super infrequent. Almost like I didn't actually feel pregnant.  Even when the kicks started, I was convinced it was gas and that they were telling me I was only getting bigger because of all the chicken wings I ate that day. 




I think my full breath was taken maybe after the ultrasound, where I could see with my own two eyes that the baby was moving, as well as, yes, actually in there. After 20 weeks, I could see where those little kicks and jabs came from and that yes, everything was fine. I am, however, well aware that things can and do go wrong, which does keep me up at night, but it hit me as more real than before.

Now, since I didn't actually prepare due to nerves, I may or may not be panicking. I am over halfway done, and I feel like we are just not ready to bring home a baby in the next 4 months. Nursery isn't painted, gender reveal hasn't happened yet (although it is scheduled), classes haven't been taken, I can't find a winter coat that fits....


We have had some very generous friends and family gift us hand-me-down items, which are pretty huge, like the crib, bottle system, clothes (gender neutral for now) etc... and a bunch of friends and family have been there to answer questions about what kind of carrier system we should put on our registry and things of that nature. The only thing Breaky and I actually bought ourselves is the travel system (carrier, stroller, car-seat). 

As for how I am feeling, I pretty much hurt everywhere, especially my hips. I would kill for a massage right now. I have a persistent twitch in my right eye, which is half work stress and half pregnancy related and get pretty bad headaches frequently. I cried over breakfast talking about a friend of the family who has a bad knee, so I guess you could say that my hormones are doing something a little different. I also have become a little forgetful. Totally forgot what the work for my ankle was, so when yelling at Breaky that he kicked me, I proclaimed "Hey! You kicked my....foot elbow.

I have had many other times in which I made up words for things I couldn't remember, but gosh darn it, I can't remember what I said. 




Side note: I do recommend highly the Ovia Pregnancy App. It helps track just about everything and has been extremely helpful with tips and insights as to what is going on with my baby and me.




Tune in to Breaky's Twitch channel: twitch.tv/breakycpktwitch.tv/breakycpk on November 11th for our gender reveal stream! It should be a blast. 

Tuesday, October 31, 2017

CPKreepy 2017

This year, unfortunately, Breaky was in the Philippines during one of our most favorite holidays.  

Being of an independent mind however, I decided to continue with hosting our annual Halloween party. To be fair though, I started hosting an annual Halloween party in college my sophomore year. I am not, however, going to tell you how long ago that was, because I feel old enough as it is, thank you very much. 


Some highlights from the party (huge shout out to Dylan Jeffery for the photos!):


Wonderful cupcakes as always from Hollicakes








Breaky was in the Philippines, but he was still represented at the party! 






The one and only, Dr. Disrespect



Rick and Morty! 



Winners of the costume contest! The Blue Barracudas from Legend of the Hidden Temple



The characters from iZombie



ME! With my Winnie the Pooh tummy 





Of course, this is my pumpkin, in honor of little babycpk on their way!

Wednesday, October 11, 2017

Out of the Blue

If you follow Breaky, you may know that he has been casting pretty much 2 weeks straight. I know it may not seem like a lot, but when you consider how much energy it takes to cast, and how unpredictable games can be, it really can be draining.

He had been working so hard, and you could just tell afterward he was just exhausted, especially on days in which there were three matches with three games each, starting at 8:00 am.

With a little inspiration from Pinterest, I wanted to let him know I was thinking about him and how proud I am for how hard he was working.


























So "Out of the BLUE" (hehe) I got him a little gift basket with all things blue.

Tuesday, September 26, 2017

New Car

So, with the little BabyCPK on the way, Breaky and I decided I should be driving something other than a 10 year old Saturn Ion. Nothing wrong with a Saturn Ion, except it is small and old and has had a few problems (fixable, but we're poor).

So, despite many years of being a "small car" advocate, I broke down and got an "adult/parent" car. A small SUV, but an SUV non-the-less. Hey, at least I didn't break down and get a mini-van. Not quite to that point yet. We really just needed a little bit more reliable and safe of a car, as well as a bit more space for all the baby stuff, including but not limited to, well.....the baby.

This Mom-to-be got hooked up by the wonderful people over at Brown Motors in Petosky.


My sister made note it was a very similar blue to the car used in the awesome show Psych, which they nicknamed The Blueberry. 

So there you have it folks. Introducing the newest member of the CPKs: The Blueberry. 



Friday, September 8, 2017

Pregnant at TI

So, if you haven't heard, click here.

That's right. We are expecting.

One of the many reasons why I have not been updating my blog is because, outside of being pregnant, there really wasn't much to write about. This is big news, and for 3 months, outside of immediate family, we really didn't announce it to anyone.

Another reason I haven't been updating my blog is because I've just been exhausted.

Exhaustion during pregnancy is real my friends. I have been blessed in the fact that my morning sickness has just been occasional nausea, but the exhaustion is real. There are many other pregnancy symptoms, but we do not have all week to rant about all of them. Yet.


Now, many of you may not yet have put two-and-two together to figure out: Yes, I was just about 3 months pregnant at TI7.


Now let me tell you..... uff. The only person there (that I know of) that knew I was pregnant was my dear husband, Breaky. Now, pregnancy in and of itself normally has some challenges. I was super surprised at the amount of things that were "off my plate" so to speak, when it comes to what I can eat. I never was a picky eater, but now I have to be careful. Not to mention the no drinking, the exhaustion, lack of caffeine, occasional nausea etc... Traveling to an event like this just makes all of those things so much worse.

There was a meet and great scheduled for after the matches pretty late one night and this one gentleman, who I'm sure meant well, commented on how "bored" I looked. I was on my phone, waiting for Breaky to wrap up, but I was also completely exhausted, to the point where if it wasn't for my phone, I would have taken a nap in the booth right then and there. My hormones wanted to lash out at the guy and say "well that's because I'm 12 weeks pregnant, exhausted, watching other people drink, been up for over 16 hours, waiting for my husband to finish up doing his podcast so we can go home and I can sleep on my left side so my heartburn I am experiencing doesn't burn a hole through my throat." I instead decided on "oh, it's been a long day, I'm tired, and my husband is doing the live podcast up there."

So if you saw me at TI and I was either tired, cranky, confused, or exhausted, now you know why. Hope you didn't take it personally. Lord knows my husband has learned not to.




Tuesday, August 15, 2017

TI7 Recap

Just got back from Seattle where Breaky and I attended The International Dota 2 Championships. And by "just got back" I guess I mean I've been back for like, three days, but only now have the energy to actually write anything.

While this wasn't my first video game tournament I have attended. I went to the Heroes of Newerth Grand Finals in Las Vegas, but let's be honest, I spent quite a lot of time by the pool during that time. I also attended Blizzcon, but that whole convention was a little different.

Full disclaimer, I have never actually played Dota 2 (or HoN or Heroes of the Storm or any other MOBA) but obviously the game and the scene is super important to Breaky, my husband. Therefore, it is a huge part of our family. So when it came about that we would have the opportunity to go to The International (or TI) in Seattle in August, I decided it would be good for both of us to go.


Because I work full-time, we decided I should just come to Seattle for the second half of the week, and Breaky would fly in Monday morning and I would fly in Wednesday and just take off 3 days of work.

The set up around the Key Arena where the event was actually held was really nifty. There was the Beer Garden, which was open to the public, as long as you were over 21. They had a bunch of screens showing the games, and they had beer, water and cider for sale also. Within viewing distance of the Beer Garden was an huge screen and a huge field area for people to sit and watch. Note: we were extremely lucky with the weather. No rain and hardly and clouds that I knew of.


Big screen showing the game


Breaky and I split a lot of our time between going in the Key Arena to watch the matches (shout out to those who helped Breaky and I get passes, you know who you are!) to going outside to the Beer Garden and around the park in general.



We met up with a lot of people whose names I recognized from what Breaky tells me about how his stuff is going. Speaking of which, huge shout out to the BTS, Pvgna, and DotP guys and gals! Lots of fun meeting you all.

DotP meet up

Proud spouse time: On top of meeting up with people he knew, Breaky would be approached about, on average, 6-8 times a day by a fan. I played the ever-proud spouse with a huge grin on my face as many talked about how Breaky was the reason they got into the MOBA scene in the first place and how they have followed him since Honcast. Breaky was always so very gracious, always asking for their names, taking pictures (I helped with a few of those!) all the while being super humble as always.


Breaky is the best teacher a wife could ask for. I knew very, very little about Dota 2.

Let me put into words what I knew about Dota 2 before TI7.

  • I knew towers had to be destroyed. I figured this was the goal of the game. Little more complicated than that I guess
  • There were creeps. No context to what they were. For all I knew they were equivalent to trolls. 
  • When a caster like Breaky would get loud and shout fast and a bunch of colorful sh*t was happening on screen, a big fight was happening, although this rarely means the game is over. 
  • Because I am the household keeper of all things appointments and calendars, I knew that a game could last as long as 5 minutes (someone cancelled or postponed a game) to as long as an hour and 15 minutes, but on average was about 45 minutes. 
  • I knew where the kill count was, which usually gave me a good idea if someone was really winning and the game could be over soon (again, mostly so I could plan our lives around when the games started/ended)
After learning more of the basics, I do have to say, I have mad respect for anyone who plays and enjoys Dota. It is a grind, but I can see now why people enjoy it so much. 


Without prompt, Breaky would explain things that went on with the game, from why a pick in the beginning of the game was good or bad or even different, to what creeps actually are, to the whole net worth thing and touched briefly on some items. If I tried to list everything Breaky taught me about Dota 2 during TI I would still be typing this into next month. Let's just say, I now understand the basics, but definitely couldn't pick up the game and play.

By the end of TI, I do have to say, I really enjoyed watching the games now that I knew more than just "loud noises and bright colors=fight". I was able to cheer along with everyone else because I recognized that things were happening. Super cool to be able to appreciate the game so much more.


As a wife, I found this experience to be absolutely helpful in understanding what my husband does everyday for a living and the environment he deals with. I think this brought us together as a couple and I hope to continue to learn about the game and interact with the wonderful community (most of them at least) that I experienced this past week.


What did I do when I got back from TI? Bubble bath of course. We did a lot of walking and talking and all that, and I was sore and exhausted. This geek wife needed her R&R.



Thanks again to everyone we hung out with, and thanks to those who helped hook us up with passes and swag and stuff! I look forward to attending more events, and tuning in and understanding more and more Dota matches! 

Friday, August 4, 2017

Hendy's Pancakes-Guest Blog

What the Hendy’s?

Hello Bloggers! I have the privilege to be the Good Geek Wife’s younger yet taller sister. She has asked me to be a guest recipe blogger for your enjoyment.

This recipe has now reached a new generation. Every Sunday growing up, my mom and her family (her Mom, Dad, and brothers Jim and Rick) would have a big Sunday breakfast. This breakfast would put many breakfasts to shame. It consisted of eggs, toast, fruit, bacon, hash-browns, sausage, and the Hendy’s. Now Hendy’s is a name of which my family does not know the origin. Those who would know it, are sadly no longer with us. Glad to get that question out of the way. Now the moment you all are waiting for…what are Hendy’s?

Hendy’s are defined (Family dictionary) as silver dollar pancakes. So these pancakes are supposed to be small and bite sized. That small quirk is not the only quirk about these amazing treats. The Hendy’s mix has to be mixed and made the night before your breakfast.

My family is known for these pancakes. There is no judgement on how many you can eat, because they are so small, having 25 to 30 pancakes isn’t much at all! (Although I would not suggest it.)
My Uncle Jim is the Maestro of Hendy’s and has taught me well. So I hope you enjoy using the recipe for your next breakfast.

To prevent the use of many dishes, I suggest mixing the Hendy’s mix in the container you use to pour them on the skillet in the morning. We often use an old juice container. This offers a more precise way of pouring since your pancakes have to be so small.


Here are the ingredients you will need to make Hendy’s: (4 servings)
1 cup of sour cream
1 cup of half and half
3 eggs
1 small teaspoon of salt
1 cup of baking mix (Bisquick/Jiffy mix)
1 teaspoon of baking soda


The night before:

Mix the baking mix, salt, and baking soda. Stir in eggs and add sour cream and half and half. Mix all ingredients with a whisk. Make sure that you get the baking mix that inevitably is sitting at the bottom of the container. Make sure there are no “clumps” of baking mix at the bottom or floating around in the container. Place the container in the refrigerator overnight.

The morning of:
Warm up a griddle. I would suggest the griddle to be on medium heat. Remember that these pancakes should be small, so if medium heat is not hot enough and your pancakes begin to look like Pangea, please adjust accordingly. My Grandmother suggests the griddle to be at 380 degrees if yours has a temperature gauge. Take the container out of the refrigerator and grab something with which to stir. You will realize that the batter is much thinner than your normal pancake batter, and that is very normal.

Pour the batter on the griddle into circles only about 2 inches in diameter. I gauge when to flip them based on the bubbles that are created when poured. I would suggest you not flip them too early, because, well…they won’t flip especially due to the very thin texture of the batter. If you flip them too late, meaning all the bubbles have popped, then they are silver dollar hockey pucks and serve no use for your tummy. Since these take a longer time to make and flip, my family often has the oven on the keep warm setting, and I put the pancakes on an oven safe plate in there. So while I make 12 to 15 on the griddle at a time, I will put those 12-15 right onto the plate in the oven. If they are left out, they will stick together and won’t be as tasty!

It is suggested from the recipe to serve these with melted butter and warm maple syrup.
Every person has their own way of eating these. I am a melted butter and syrup girl, but many of my family members mix them with their eggs or cover them in peanut butter. Don’t even get me started on those in my family who turn the Hendy’s into tacos with the sausage or bacon in between the Hendy’s.

I hope that these little pancakes will be a staple at your next breakfast!

Thanks for having me on your blog sis! Hope you all enjoyed!

The photo below is the recipe we use. This recipe is on the last page of the Gourmet Gab: Presented by the Junior League of Saginaw.




Mrs. Richard Wendland is my Gaga…my Grandma who without her this blog post wouldn’t be possible. For You Gugs!




Thursday, July 20, 2017

Numb



Today, when I found out that Chester Bennington, the lead singer of Linkin Park, passed away, I said "I have no words. I really don't."

Well, I have found words.

If you follow my blog, you know music has always been a big part of my life. My Dad was a choir teacher for 35 years. College is where I really start to find great new music. I even did a blog post about Billy Talent, who helped shape my early adulthood. In that blog post, I allude to my roommate and my ex-boyfriend introducing me into the type of music I have embraced as the kind of music I now enjoy the most. A big part of that, was obviously Billy Talent but the other big pieces were Evanescence and Linkin Park.




Many adults today can attest that Linkin Park was the soundtrack of their teen and early adult life. I had to stop reading the comments on the Reddit post made, not because of the trolls, but because of how many people were able to verbalize how important his music was a part of their growing up.

Breaky and I went to Blizzcon where they performed and it was something special to share as we both loved the band. It was Breaky's first concert, and he had a blast. The band's music was one thing of many that we connected over while first dating. That concert was special then, and means even more now.






I admired the band for creating the music they wanted to. They changed, shifted, and molded their "style" of music, and lately had caught some flack for it. I honestly enjoyed the new music for reasons different than why I enjoyed their original music. 

I rarely cry when I find out celebrities have passed. Many times I will be sad, and feel bad for friends and family, but I rarely cry. I was an absolute mess at work when I found out that Chester not only passed away, but took his own life. I had to close my door as my eyes got puffy and my snot was creating problems for my appearance.


Knowing that Chester committed suicide, the song "Heavy" really hits home.





We may never know why Chester took his own life.

It breaks my heart every time I hear that someone was so lost in their own mind that they think the only way to stop it is to end their life. I've seen reactions of suicides bordering on anger and blame, and I get it. Suicide is a very personal thing, and friends and family are left behind. You have to understand, many people who are that desperate truly believe their loved ones will be better off without them.

Depression messes with your head and logic is warped severely. Depression lies to you.

If you are struggling, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE seek help. Call 1-800-273-8255 or go to https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ to chat with someone online.



Wednesday, June 28, 2017

My Harry Potter


If you haven't been on Facebook or Twitter in the past week, you  may have missed that it has been 20 years since the first Harry Potter book came out.

20....frickin....years.



It was my aunt and uncle who suggested I read the first Harry Potter book pretty much right after it came out. Their kids, my cousins, liked it and thought I should give it a try. Now, the first book, I am not sure where I got it from. I still have it, but no dust cover.



I was 11 when I read the first Harry Potter book. The same age as the main characters. Every book that came out, I became just a little bit more obsessed. It was almost like I was growing up with Harry, Ron and Hermione. You know the angst-y parts, especially in like, the 5th and 6th books? Pretty much corresponded with angst-y parts of my teenage existence. I believe I was the same age as the main characters up until the 5th,  6th and 7th books, when JK Rowling couldn't quite keep up with the once-a-year pace. I don't blame her, as the later books were YHUGE!

Then came the movies. I love the movies, I do. I was a little disappointed in the 3rd movie, as the 3rd book was my favorite. I just feel they tried to be too artistic, leaving out so much "good stuff. Other than that, I thought the movies were great! Casting was pretty spot-on.



Now, a lot of people say that the whole series taught them things. For some younger generations, it instilled a love of reading they never knew they had. For others it was about friendship. Others it was political. Me? It taught me how to not give a damn about what people thought, and to be unabashedly nerdy.

For quite a long time, I'd say some time when the movies were coming out, I "got over" the Harry Potter "sensation" as so many people my age thought it was super nerdy and uncool to like kiddy Harry Potter.






I think it must have been sometime in college or even after I graduated that I honestly just stopped caring about  what other people thought. If I remember correctly, I reread the books, rekindled my obsession, and the rest, they say, is history.

From there, JK Rowling launched the Pottermore site, continuing the magic for us muggles years after the last movie came out.

Now, many quizzes I took me in Hufflepuff. At first I was disappointed, but then very proud. I took the "Pottermore" house quiz and ended up in, you guessed it, HUFFLEPUFF. For those of you that are curious, Breaky ended up in Gryffindor, and we even took a "dog sorting quiz" and DogCPK ended up in Slytherin.




I do have to say, trying to find Hufflepuff merchandise has been hard. They will always make Slytherin and Gryffindor things, but unless they purposefully did all four houses, usually my house is skipped over (I'm lookin at you ThinkGeek!)

However, one of my favorite pairs of sweatpants are my Hufflepuff pants. No joke, the most comfortable pair of pants I have ever owned.


Ok, got a little side-tracked.


What the point of the post is, Happy Birthday Harry, and thank you for inspiring a young generation in a multitude of ways.



Friday, June 23, 2017

Skeleton Key Cosplay Feature

College is a great place to find friends.

I established a ton of fantastic, long-lasting friendships, both personal and professional at the Student Ambassador Office at the university I attended. If we are being honest, it was because of this job that I ended up in higher education in the first place.

One of the wonderful people I became friends with was Denise. She was super into fashion design, and being an all-around super person. She rocked those campus tours with me, and was always nice to everyone she met. It was an honor to not only work beside her, but consider her a friend.

This year, she started "Skeleton Key Cosplay" with an Etsy page as well. I kept noticing the completely awesome cosplay and outfits she was sharing, and I just had to share! All pictures come from Skeleton Key Cosplay and are being shared with permission,



Chun Li: 








Nightcrawler:





Frozen/Jack Frost: 




Just look at that detail. 


Check out the Facebook Page and the Etsy Page 

Can't wait to see what she can accomplish next!