June 18, 2011 -- My Wedding Day

I've been trying to sit down and give you a run-down of one of the best nights of my life, but I've been so busy! I'm going to take time here and there to write bits and pieces because I'm just not sure if I'll finish in one sitting.

Here goes...

I want to begin with Wednesday of that week. My grandma and uncle, after their twelve hour drive, arrived at my parents' house! That in itself was surreal--so wonderful. They gave us gifts (help for the honeymoon and a beautiful painting by my uncle), and they gave us the good news that the rest of the family would arrive the next day! J and I headed home that night to rest up because the week was flying by.

Thursday was a big day because my aunt, uncle, and cousin arrived midday, and my other aunt and uncle arrived soon after. We all met at the ceremony site. The tent was already up, and the building was looking great! (We rented a neighborhood clubhouse with a great view for our wedding--a place we've looked at for years.) They all loved the location and noticed how large it was. We all hung out that evening catching up and eating dinner--it felt like we had never been apart (per usual). I think they loved the clean, open air and the good view. They also loved my dog :)

Friday was huge as it was a day for getting nails done with the girls and getting last-minute things done for the wedding. We decorated a lot, but we waited for the tablecloths and main table settings until Saturday. Looking back, I'm very glad I did that, because our wedding wasn't until seven, and if I didn't have things to do, I would have been nervous all day! The girls (including my wonderful grandma) went to get a mani and pedi! It was so fun. At this point, I was really beginning to feel like a bride.

During the mani-pedi, I got a call that my flowers were in, so the girls and I went to pick them out. Whole Foods is awesome, by the way, and that have amazing flowers to work with. After getting home, we put together all of the bouquets and boutineers. They turned out incredibly! I spent around $125 and ended up with florist-worthy bouquets. Dana took the lead on that one, and without her, I don't know what I would have done. My aunt Rebecca had a nice hand it in as well - thank God!

That night, I was so exhausted. J had gone to stay at his parents' house, and I had Ginny, Dana, and Jen spend the night -- Laurie came over that morning. If I get any of these details wrong, though, I wouldn't be surprised. Looking back, I was almost in this out-of-body experience... which continued through the next day as well. Anyway, Dana stayed with me in my room (she had to! It was our last sleepover ever, probably -- or at least, for a long time). We got up early to continue our crafts, and we soon headed over to the clubhouse to get things ready. We through together the tablecloths and table settings with my family. I wasn't really nervous, and I was excited. With my NY family around, it felt like an amazing family vacation, along with my wedding - which made it extra special. As I looked around, my uncle Jaime was setting up all the candles, while my aunts and other uncles were helping set out the chairs. Once I saw the tent with everything around it and under it,

I realized it was really happening.

Fast-forward to the afternoon. This is when I started to get nervous. Thankfully, I had my family and friends around me, everywhere. Justin was in another room with the guys, so I didn't see him at all. The photographer showed up, along with my hair and make-up artist (a friend), and the DJ.

It was really happening!!

Soon, it was time to walk out. The guys were standing in a line, off in the distance, ready to support J and I. The girls were smiling on the other side, and Dana was trying not to cry. I was in awe of all of the work that had been done around me. The candles were lit, my aunt was preparing to sing at her microphone, the men were standing in their line, and all the food was put out and ready (thanks to J's aunt Vicki - without her, my wedding would have been lacking food and presentation - thank you Vicki!). All I had to do, as the Bride, was walk toward the person I loved, and make sure my dad didn't fall over. He was nervous, but I also sniffed a hint of alcohol, so I knew the nerves wouldn't overwhelm him too much -- love you, Dad.

The music began. My aunt Dianne began singing "The Way I am" by Ingrid Michaelson. Dad and I walked, probably too fast, to the alter. As soon as I turned to Justin, the "I'd buy you Rogaine" lyrics sounded in the background, and everyone had a good laugh.

If you were falling, then I would catch you.
You need a light, I'd find a match.

Cause I love the way you say good morning.
And you take me the way I am.

If you are chilly, here take my sweater.
Your head is aching, I'll make it better.

Cause I love the way you call me baby.
And you take me the way I am.

I'd buy you Rogaine when you start losing all your hair.
Sew on patches to all you tear.

Cause I love you more than I could ever promise.
And you take me the way I am.
You take me the way I am.
You take me the way I am. 

We tied the knot on a hill surrounded by trees, under an arbor Justin put together in the two days before the wedding. We tied the knot across the lake from my parents' house, in a place we had pictured and pretended about before. We tied the knot with my entire family (all thirteen or so of us!), who came from CA, NY, and D.C., along with extended from other states. We tied the knot with our college roommates, never forgetting the awesome few years spent with them. 

We tied the knot our own way, and we were so happy.

And now it was time for portraits. The guys were so handsome - Phil, Justin, Matt, and Josh. It was so fun to have both of our brothers as part of the wedding party. That meant so much to us. The ladies were beautiful in their teal dresses - Jen, Ginny, me, Dana, and Laurie. Jen became truly my sister that day!

And now it was time to party.

That is just what we did. We socialized, we ate great food, and we danced until midnight. The dancing was the best. We did not permit the chicken dance, or anything of the sort! (Only one "typical" song was played, by popular demand, and I was okay with it.) It was hilarious; by the end of the party, it had kind of turned into a bluegrass festival. In no means did I oppose this happening, but it was hilarious!! We started with Old Crow Medicine Show and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, and it escalated from there. It was fantastic! People seemed to really have a great time.

We then stopped to cut the beautiful, amazingly tasty cake, made by a local elementary school art teacher.

What an amazing celebration. 

Here's to 2011, especially June, and all of the love and happiness it had to offer.
Enjoy listening to songs from our wedding CD below.
 

Thank You

The Way I Am by Ingrid Michaelson

Home by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

You and I by Ingrid Michaelson

Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not by Thompson Square

I Gotta Feeling by The Black Eyed Peas

I’m Yours by Jason Mraz

Why Don’t We Just Dance by Josh Turner

Everything by Michael Buble

Rhythm of Love by Plain White Ts

Wagon Wheel by Old Crow Medicine Show

If I Ain’t Got You by Alicia Keys

Making Memories of Us by Keith Urban

I Will Be Here by Stephen Curtis Chapman

I Wanna Make You Close Your Eyes by Dierks Bentley

Forever by Chris Brown

Bonus Track: Hot For Teacher by Van Halen

2011 to 2012

2011 has been quite. a. year. It has been filled with an amazing amount of happiness and change. Of course, it has also had it's downs.

Goodbye, 2011...

- Justin graduated grad school
- we got hitched!! <3
- moved to our first town house
- we both got our first true year-long teaching careers
- bought our first "new" car
- I became an aunt again, this time to Parker
- bought a house
- Justin broke his ankle - boo!
- RIP Allie cat, I'll miss you.
- Dad got laid off ... again

Welcome, 2012. Here are my goals:

- move into new house
- decorate and fix up our new home
- continue next year at the same schools we're working in now
- finish our first full year of teaching
- finish setting up photographer website, as well as purchase a few lenses
- go on a couple different trips this summer (currently planning those...)
- maybe get a kitten?
- pay off some debt
- increase energy and positivity through exercise and healthy living

Happy New Year, Everyone!! What are your goals?

Friday before back-to-work

It has been such an enjoyable break. (Sadie has loved us being home all day.)

On Wednesday, we went to mom and dad's for dinner, which was really nice. We had these amazing, incredible tacos. Really -- they were exotic -- and amazing. I'm already thinking of the day I can have them again. Basically, mom bought everything Chipotle has and much more. MMmm.

Today, Dana and I headed to a magnificent inn to enjoy a ritzy, well-earned meal. We both had medium-rare, extremely tender steak. It was sitting on a cheese fondue spread, topped with broccoli. It was a small amount of food, but just right, and the tenderness was worth every bite. I will be bringing Justin there as soon as possible.. not to mention, the inside of the building was absolutely stunning. Large ornaments hanging from modern strip lighting across the tall ceiling. It was the perfect mix of rustic and modern, rich and traditional.

Now, Phil is here!! I'm so psyched about it. Although I don't really hang out with the guys while they're playing their game sand talking their nerd-talk, it's just nice to hear the voices conversing again from the days when we were just a few miles away. We used to spend hours and hours and Phil's house before going to college. Once we went to college, he kind of followed close behind to live with a friend in our new neighboring county. Although we didn't see him AS often, we could still see him in just thirty minutes. Now, we're 3.5 hours away -- not good. It's always nice to be with him again. We hope (and pray) he'll be back in the area sooner rather than later.

In other news, I have a post about how much I miss and yearn for college every now and then, but I haven't really finished it. I've been wanting to write it for a while -- or make a list, I guess -- of the top and bottom aspects about getting into the "real world." Luckily, I don't think about college enough to get depressed or anything (some people do have after-college depression -- or I've spoken to someone who had it, at least), but when I do get nostalgic about it, it is painful!! To think of the freedom I once had.... oh man. Anyway, more on that later! :D

Happy New Year, everyone.

I'll have to do a New Years post like I did last year. What goals have I completed for this year??

xo

Merry Christmas 2011

Allllllll Baby.

Photo by Tigergoose

Beatiful Baby Parker

Photo by tigergoose

How is it that I haven't posted about a huge happening -- my best friend's baby coming into the world! So much has been going on; I guess it just slipped my mind. She went into labor early morning, I went to work (took a half-day), rushed to the hospital, and she had Parker after 9 pm. It was such a wonderful experience to be with her the entire time - it didn't scare me at all, really - it just made me aware of what goes on, and I feel pretty prepared -- of course, in a couple years or something -- I'm not ready for a child yet! :)

Here are some of the photos I took of Parker throughout the first few weeks of his life. What a beautiful baby boy!

 

Soon enough...

First of all, I hope you are all having a wonderful, relaxing holiday. For all you teachers out there, happy break! We are enjoying it more than you can imagine.

At this time, we thought we would be in our new house, but as circumstances have commanded, we are still in our town home, waiting as patiently as we can. Turns out the government laid off twenty workers (out of twenty-three) in the state department, so there are very few people working on the many house loans. Not to mention, it's the holidays, so I'm sure they're working a little slower than usual.

The good news is that no matter what, we'll be in our house in the next month -- or at least, that what we've been told. Also, we had our lease through January 8th here at our place, so we're not homeless (and we can extend it if needed). Also, because we had time, we set up our Christmas tree! :)

Justin is feeling better. His ankle has been re-wrapped with another type of splint. He still won't be able to walk for at least a month, but he can move around more without as much pain. We've been having fun together, going out to shop every few days.

For Christmas, we've been planning on spending the Eve with my family (per usual), and eating Christmas lunch at J's grandparents' house. For our break so far, we've been shopping, wrapping presents, having stay-in movie days together (today), and spending time with family. It has been more than wonderful, and I'm not even thinking about how quickly it will be over. I'm enjoying each day!!

Merry Christmas to everyone. I hope you have a wonderful holiday!

This is Parker. This picture reminds me of Bethlehem. Photo by me.

Sometimes...

You have to make light of a situation out of your control. :)

It's Tuesday, and Justin is scheduled for surgery on Friday.

I have a lot to do to prepare for a surgery in this household, so wish me luck.

Keep him in your thoughts and prayers!! I hope for a speedy and healthy recovery.

Man...

Being a caregiver is tough. And to think, Justin has helped me through three major surgeries so far, and he hasn't even had surgery yet.

I'm exhausted! He can't get up at all, so I'm doing everything, which I'm happy to do, but man am I tired. I'm trying to plan for school and failing. I know what I should do or what I want to do, but it's just hard to complete the task of putting it all together.

We slept in the living room last night to make it easier on him (no stairs!), and we woke every two hours for medicine.

Today, he continued the medicine until he started getting sick. We switched him to Advil, so let's hope that's enough for his pain.

I guess it's just bringing me back to the days of my surgeries..it really is miserable, especially when you can't even walk on your own. It's also exhausting. The worst part is having to see J like this -- miserable, weak, tired, and sick. The second worst part is the fact that we are both brand new teachers, and I just don't want this to look bad for us. He will have to miss over a week of work likely, so that would be all of his sick days, and then what?

Such a process...

Please keep J in your thoughts and prayers for a quick recovery.

Quite a Day - Ankle

Hello all!

Today was anything but ordinary. J went to his morning wrestling practice at school and I slept in. It was very peaceful. Mom called to see if I wanted to go to morning coffee with her before J got out, and I was all for it. However, I didn't feel like I had to dress up or even... shower... I know, right? Gross. But sometimes you just don't shower because you expect to go and come straight back -- plus, showering would have taken longer than mom probably wanted to wait.

We headed to coffee, ordered, and tasted it's wonderful qualities.

Then I got the phone call. J had twisted his ankle at practice during training, and he was headed to the hospital with the head coach. Luckily, I was only about four miles from the hospital, so mom and I headed over there to meet them.

At first, I didn't think much of it. Justin wasn't acting that bad, and I didn't see the ankle. Then I got a good look, and oh man, was it swollen. You could tell he was in a lot of pain, but he was hiding most of it. Then he told me what was involved in the injury. He said his foot completely turned to the right while it was flat (45 degree angle), but when he saw it, he took his own foot and forced it back. This is when he said he heard lots of horrible noises and cracks. What a beast. 

After x-rays, we were told he would likely need surgery. The ankle was broken in two spots.

J still feels his foot kind of...moving and cracking around. Until he gets surgery, it's going to feel this way. We don't even know when he'll be able to get the surgery done, or when he'll see the doctor, but let's hope it's Monday.

The difficult thing in all this is that he broke his right ankle.... this means, no driving. It's also very difficult as teachers to have any injury like this when your job is basically standing all day. It's also difficult for me because I want to help him and stay home, but I have to go to work. I will have to use my days off when he has surgery, though, to help him through.

Lastly, we're closing on a house in about three weeks. We're moving in three weeks.

I'm just thankful that it happened on the weekend, and I'm thankful mom was there to help get J's car home and bring us dinner. I'm thankful it's Saturday and not Sunday, so we have time to plan for school and see what the heck we're doing. I'm also thankful that I have such a sweet and joyful husband among all other pains and frustrations.

He's a champ.

ps: I forgot to mention that I saw one of my students -- a senior -- in the room across from him. It was really funny to see each other out of the classroom setting. I was regretting not taking a shower at that point.

Justin and I went to my old church today for the first time in almost four years. I had attended the church since it began wayyyy back as a new church, but during college and afterward, I didn't go anywhere really. I tried a few different places at college, but nothing seemed to work for me.

It was like I was trying not go to back to this church because it was my childhood church. Everyone at this church knows me as a child, too, so to be an adult and go back -- at least I thought -- would feel weird. Turns out, it felt great! (Just like working as a teacher at MY old high school). It was fine. The music was just as great as it used to be, and the people were very welcoming. I was surprised at who remembered me when I couldn't even remember some of their names. Like I said, last time I was there, it was like I was still a teenager...now, I feel much more grown-up, so it was a completely different experience.

I used to sing on the worship band there, and without asking, I've already been recruited again, which was really sweet. I would love to sing again -- I've missed it so much -- so I'm ready to take it on again.

Can't wait to see what it has in store for us and our children in the future. It seems like the right fit for us, so we'll see what happens. :)

The place I call home...

We have moved a lot in the past four years.

2008 Summer Apartment #1 Nice, updated, modern apartment. 2 bedrooms, 2 baths. Open floor-plan. Huge windows. No pool, no grass, but a nice road to walk on. Near the bike trail. No neighbor acquaintances.

2009 Summer Apartment #2 Older apartment, closed floor plan. 2 bedrooms, 2 baths. Smaller windows. Great trees, pond, pool, etc. On the bike trail. No neighbor acquaintances.

2010 Summer Apartment #3 First floor apartment, awesome yard, closed floor plan. 1 bedroom, 1 bedroom, with den. Smaller windows. Pool, trees, etc. Not on a bike trail. Great neighbors.

2011 Summer Townhouse #1 Larger townhouse with little tiny yard. Fairly open floor plan. Two floors. 2 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. Huge windows. Amazing pool. No trail, not a lot of grass. Nice neighbors.

2011 Fall House #1 2 story home in a beautiful neighborhood. 1 acre lot with grass to run and large oak trees to admire. Farm view behind the yard. In between an open and closed floor plan. Smaller windows. 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. Cul-de-sac. No pool. Large deck and front porch. Foyer. Garage. Fireplace. Flat lot. Room for expansion. Large shed.

I'd say we're moving right on up. You know what the best part about the house is? We are hoping to live there for years and years. We'll have our children there. Sadie will run around the house happily. I will sit on the porch and sip coffee with my mom. It's all going to rock. Pray that it all goes as planned with the home inspection and the finances. Can't wait to show you more!

RIP Allie cat

She waited until I got to see her yesterday, and she left us today. 

It's like she knew I wanted to say goodbye.

You were my first cat, Allie, and you will be missed.

Moving forward...

Things have been wild around here lately. We've been so busy!

First of all, I'd like to wish the best and her hubby a wonderful anniversary - they've had four nice years together!

Because it's an important occasion in Dana's life, it calls for another step in ours (ha - not really, but these things tend to happen more than intended). Justin proposed to me on D's birthday (almost midnight) last year, and now we're....

putting an offer in on a house, signed and dated 11/3/11. I should mention that it is also my half-birthday, and this is a lovely half-birthday present for me.

However, who knows what will happen. We are putting in a nice low offer on this special house of choice, but they probably won't take it right away. Without getting into detail, it's definitely a buyers' contract - everything is kind of helping us out. They would have to pay a significant amount to help with things, so we'll see what they decide.

It's a lovely farmhouse/colonial style with a one-car garage. 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. .95 acres (it feels so huge and it's beautiful with big trees!), front porch, some hardwood, the rest brand new carpet, big back deck, big storage shed, mud foyer area, dining room, kitchen, living room. It's around 1700 square feet -- no basement -- and it feels like the perfect size for us. It's not too big and not too small. It's also in a great neighborhood, so that's really exciting.

I decided the no basement thing was okay in the end. I have always had one, so I always just assume I need one, but the only real reason is for my phobia of (really, really) bad weather -- hey, it's somewhere to run to -- and since we don't get super bad weather very often, I really don't feel the need to have one. Also, my parents have one, and at no time in the past ten years have we gone downstairs during a bad storm. It's just very rare. Anyhow...

Wish us luck!

Happy Wednesday!

Christmas??

I just saw my first Christmas commercial of the year. What?? Let's get through Halloween first, please. Christmas makes me think of nearing the end of the semester, and that is just not true, so I hate getting my hopes up.

Soon, we have Halloween, then Thanksgiving, then Christmas.

Speaking of Halloween, I'm really excited to hang with my sister-in-law this week and carve pumpkins. I'm also excited because this time of year always reminds me of being little and walking around the neighborhood asking for candy. It's really nostalgic.

Justin loves Halloween, so he really helps me get into the spirit.

Enjoy the week!

Only For Cat Lovers: Allie

 It's an understatement to say that I love cats.

This love was born when I was in third grade; I got my first cat named Allie. I don't remember the details, but I know that my family discussed getting a cat. We decided to go for it, and we ended up adopted a beautiful black runt from a new litter of kittens. I still drive by the apartment complex where we got her. It's hard to imagine that I was living in a different county then, and now that I live and work in the county, it's hard to picture me as a child timidly walking through the door to find her. She was the smallest one of the bunch, but she was also quiet, and we fell in love with her. She was the softest black cat, and later we decided that black cats were definitely the softest, no questions asked.

When we took her home, we kept her in our large basement bathroom until she got used to the place. I remember, vividly, trying to wake up first, so that I could run to the basement and pet her. Luckily, mom kept us under control, and we usually had to go down together.

We named her Allie. She was perfect, she was soft, and she was my first cat ever.

Today I was told that she is now suddenly blind, and it basically happened overnight. We noticed she had been losing weight for a long time now, but sudden blindness just adds to the mix. Mom said she had trouble finding things, and she was, at first, afraid to jump onto anything. She's getting used to the situation, but it still hurts me to think of her in that condition.

It's not that I see this cat everyday, but I've "kept in touch" with her, for lack of a better way of putting it, and she has always been my cat. She was the first family cat, so she is important to all of us. She was the cat that first softened dad's heart for the feline bunch. She has been a part of our family for over sixteen years, and now she is seemingly nearing the end of her life. She used to have a tummy that would sway left and right as she walked -- we called it her pouch -- but now she is bone-thin and always hungry.

She's not gone yet, and I hope she sticks around with us for a long time. This is just me, writing down her little tiny legacy of a cat life, hoping that she'll be around forever. The house just won't feel the same without her. My other cat, Bud, has always been by her side, and I would hate to see him living life without her.

Here's to cats and their ability to soothe the soul and make us all laugh -- and cry. Here's to the hope of this cat living the fullest life she can. Here's to cat lovers and pet lovers alike, and the amazing bond we all have with our animals.

The Civil Wars

This band is magical. The two singers are talented beyond measure, and they control their voices without trouble. I long to be a singer like each of them, and I can't stop listening. Not only that, but their lyrics are beautifully made.

Enjoy.

House-Hunting

Never did I think I would get to this point: house-hunting. It just seemed a distant thought of the far future. It was something I never thought would be possible at this point of my life. As a child, I would draw house plans -- on my bedroom door, no less -- and my mother would be very disappointed. The pictures stayed on that door for years and years. I grew to appreciate Lowes for its huge house plan books and guides for my study. Now, I spend my time scoping the local area for good deals on homes and land for possible future settlement. Like I said, it's hard to believe I'm to this point!

I won't say that we're completely ready, though. It will take a lot of work.

We started out looking into a very large, quick-building company. Once we noticed how poorly-built the homes were (the more we drove by them, the more flaws we noticed), we decided to back out quickly. They were making home-buying far too easy, and I didn't trust them at all. Thank goodness we backed out; all I hear is bad things about them now.

We then took a break. Now, we begin again, but now we look at already-built homes, modular floor plans, and land.

Let me say this: it is a tough, confusing process filled with conflicting ideas, different opinions, and hard decisions.

Here are some examples:

great home, great price -- far commute for J
great home, great price -- far commute for D
old house, lots of land, good location -- lots of work
brand new house, no land, good location -- overpriced for what you get, poorly built
great neighborhood -- overpriced homes
great neighborhood, great house -- no basement

Here are some questions that spring from the above:

Do we really need a basement?
Do we want a basement if it is really, really old?
Is a house built in the 70s worth buying?
Do the costs of fixing up a house make it worth the cheap price?
Are we really ready for all this?
What if one of us loses our job?
How far is too far of a commute?
What locations suit us best as a young married couple?
Would we rather have the house or the yard?

As you can see, it's a complicated process. It's fun -- don't get me wrong -- but it's already tiring. We've taken the next step and found a real estate agent to help us on the search. We are also going to get pre-approved soon. It's still, though, the idea that we could make a bad decision, rush into something, or wish we hadn't decided to buy, that concerns me. On the other hand, it's the excitement of possibly owning our own place, our own yard, that keeps me going.

Here are a few of the items on our wish list:

master suite with big tub

at least 1 acre yard

at least 1400 + sq ft

safe community/area

30-40 minute commutes

basement

nice kitchen 

hardwood in at least some of the rooms

porch/deck

I want a neighborhood because I've always lived in one. Justin doesn't care because he grew up on a huge farm.

I want a big tub and so does Justin. We both want the master suite.

I want to feel safe wherever I live. Justin's not really afraid of anything, so he doesn't ever get "scared."

I find hardwood purposeful for the family with a pattern of allergies. Carpets have such short life spans.

The only reason for a basement is for storage and for my paranoia of tornadoes. Yup, you heard me correctly. If I could get away with it, I would skip on the basement and just have a garage or something. They are kind of fun, though, if you use them for a movie room or something.

We say 1400 sq ft because our town home is around 1100, so we figure it should be at least a room larger for it to be worth it. It would be great to get more than 1400.

The kitchen is self-explanatory.

A porch or deck is such a cheap way to enjoy time together.

Commutes shouldn't be long enough to emotionally or physically break you down.

Unfortunately, these things are difficult to find in the location we're looking. Sure, a lot of the houses have most of these things, but then they don't have a basement, which is kind of a big deal. I'm still trying to decide if I'm okay without one.

If we could have it our way, we would buy land and either get a local builder to work with or a modular house. However, land is so expensive in this area, it seems like we'll get more for our money with a house already built. We have one spot of land we're watching, but it's very expensive, and we're not sure if they have minimum square footage limits.

So, any ideas or tips on house hunting? What kind of things would you say we may not necessarily need?

Hope you had a great weekend! It's beautiful...

Beautifully Pregnant

Dana has been my best friend since grade six. She and I get our names mixed up by people all the time. We both have brothers named Matt, and they are both two years younger than us. We both wear size 10 shoe, and we can wear each others' clothes. Basically, we're soul-friends. We are so differently, yet our differences collide so smoothly. I understand her; she understands me. We just work. 

Our major difference as of now is that she is pregnant, and I am most certainly not. However, I love thinking about babies and little socks and what cribs are the best because of my future nephew, Parker, whom I keep in mind often. I also have been thinking about taking pregnant pictures, and I finally got around to it. Here are a few of the beautifully pregnant pictures of Dana. Aren't they just gorgeous?

New Couch (and new chair I want to go with it..)

We have finally bought a new couch. No, not a second-hand, new couch, but a new couch. Hard to believe, eh? Yup, we spent our hard-earned money on it, and it's great! We got it at World Market (aka one of my favorite stores). Here's a picture...

 

And here's a picture of the chair I want to go with it....

Oh, heavenly!

Reminder

Write about:

-house-hunting and what we want in a house
-hair mishaps
-missing college/first students
-atmosphere changes from then to now
-old house/neighborhood and what it gave me as a child

Ah, Monday

It sure does make my Monday when I come home to chewed up feminine products all over my dining  room floor. Sadie found them while anxiously awaiting J and I's return from work. Oh boy, Monday :)

Ah, the season changes...

Ack! I have so many things to write about (ridiculous articles I've been reading about marriage, ditto about teaching), but I'm just going to say a couple of things, since I really should be getting ready for the dreaded Monday.

Starting this week, J will be gone every Tuesday and Thursday because he is starting a job as an assistant coach. This is super cool for him, but as a somewhat needy newlywed, it's going to make for some quiet evenings. I only say this because after the month of October, he will be gone every night through about February until at least 7:45 p.m. On game/match nights, he will be gone who knows how long.

So, I will take the positives out of this situation. First of all, he gets paid, and it will pay off most of our loan from one of the banks that we had to take out. Also, it will allow me to have quiet me-time every evening. I can hang out with puppy, take walks, have coffee with mom, hang out at the 'rents, etc. Once the end of November hits, I can spend much time with the new niece and her momma (the best friend).

I am also going to work out starting Tuesday on Tuesday and Thursday evenings while he's gone. We have a gym at our community, so why not use it? I have been very lazy...especially with the chillier days we have had. I think it's my disease; seasonal weight gain and lazy onset. I'm active and alive in the summer...then winter comes along. I get that warm, fuzzy feeling (at least when I'm not freezing my arse off) that makes me want to curl up with my animals in front of a fire (hey, even the fireplace app sounds work) with a pumpkin spice latte or hot chocolate. Therefore, I am happy just adding on the calories with my delusional state. I just assume nothing changes because of how I've changed, but it's oh, such the opposite.

I must stay active. I must stay warm. I must layer, and I must purchase appropriate winter wear.

I would also like to get into snowboarding, but that's another matter in itself...

Have a wonderful week!

It's almost Wednesday?

It's like I'm just watching my world from some other little world because I'm just not feeling the pressure this week! I went to bed at 8:40 p.m. last night, and I was asleep by 8:50 p.m. Seriously?? No, but really, it's probably because of library and tests and projects all happening in the same few days. I haven't had to do much lecturing or planning! It's going to kick me soon, though, because with tests means starting new unites. Off to get some schoolwork done! :)

Back and Forth

This weekend has been a little bit of everything so far. It hasn't felt like much, yet I'm really enjoying it.

On Friday after school, mom and I grabbed some Chinese and headed to my place to wait for Justin to get home. We enjoyed some silly t.v. shows and chatting. Unfortunately, though, my mood was just getting worse. I don't really know why. I'm guessing it was just the antsy feeling I had because we had just been sitting. Usually I don't mind just sitting -- it's a great feeling. However, there was something different about last night, so we got out and grabbed some coffee. Later that night, Justin decided he needed to grade, so I went to bed around 10:30, and he got in bed around 1:00 a.m. Sometimes it's good to just sleep on a night like that.

And that's what I did!

This morning was nice; we woke up and walked the dog, which I really enjoy doing on the weekend. We then went to his family reunion. It was a good time with nice, crisp weather (can't say I'm excited about it getting colder, though). I enjoyed a nice chat with my sister-in-law, and I got to see my niece. She was so silly, and I couldn't help but take tons of pictures of her.

Tonight, J and I have been grading for a few hours. It's so nice to have a husband with the same career as me. We understand the realities of teaching and grading, and we choose to make it fun. Tonight, we turned on some great tunes, sat at the dinner table, and graded side-by-side. It's nice to know someone else is right there with you. I actually enjoyed grading tonight!

Tomorrow is my niece's birthday, so we'll be heading back to have her party. We are also going to be doing school work. Maybe we'll do more, but I won't know until tomorrow.

Have a great weekend!