Laughing in a Beautiful World

Smidgens.

2012-02-06T20:57:00.000-06:00

-We're super short handed at work. I've been working 10 hour days lately, and I'm constantly switching between locations. Hopefully they'll hire a new full timer soon, and I can have a little bit of my life back.

-I'm really frustrated by my taxes this year. I have to pay two state taxes this year, which majorly sucks. Normally I use TurboTax, but the idea of paying $28 for EACH state kinda makes me angry. The money is going to debts anyway, so I'm not overly anxious for it. So I'll wait a bit while I decide what to do.

-Sean's been applying for jobs all over the place. He had an interview for tomorrow, but they called him today saying that they've already filled the position. It's really frustrating that he doesn't even get a chance to interview.

-I've kinda lost motivation for everything lately. I get into funks every once in a while, and this is definitely one. I just want to curl up in bed. I'm hoping to take this weekend to recoup and get stuff done. That should help immensely.

Day 8 - A Song to Match Your Mood.

2012-01-28T17:09:00.000-06:00

Erg. This one is super hard, so I've been avoiding it. I mean, what's my mood right now? Laid back, but excited to see people and wear heels tonight? What's a song for that? I'm not sure. I've got one song though, that pretty much always matches my mood - or at least my thoughts. "Alright" by Darius Rucker.

Lately I've been super frustrated by our stagnant position in life. I mean, we can't really work towards something more, because I'm the only one that's working and my paycheck sustains us pretty well, but doesn't lend to much else. I'm frustrated that Sean doesn't have a job like I hoped he would this year - even a non-paying one. I'm frustrated because I want to move forward - I've been at my job for almost a year now, and I'm ready to start looking for a home, have kids, pay off loans - all that good stuff. I don't want to say that I'm being held back - I knew all of this was happening going in. But sometimes, I just have one of those moments where I can't help but get frustrated and dejected and feel like nothing will ever change.

But I have to remember - it's alright. I've got a loving husband, a place to sleep at night, and a job that pays the bills - and that's more than a lot of people have. I have to be grateful for what we do have now, rather than just lament on what we can't afford.

Death Folder?

2012-01-15T17:54:00.000-06:00

So here's the deal.

Sean and I don't really share passwords. We know several passwords that the other uses for things, but not for the things they use them for. We don't have an issue saying, "hey, what's your password for this?" - and most of our passwords are saved on the sites we use frequently anyway. It's one of those situations where we're so open about it and don't have anything to hide, that we don't share about it.

Well we've been watching HIMYM, and we recently watched the Death Folder episode - each one of them writes a letter to the other with "Instructions for After Death" kinda thing. When Patty died, no one knew anything, or the things to close. Her Facebook is still alive and kicking - but who knows how many messages and game invites she has. I worked for a security company, and too often people would call to cancel an account due to a death, but no one had the password information. I mean, what do people do in that scenario? What would you do? It made me think.

I'm the runner of the household. I don't think bills would get paid if Sean was in charge of them. I have accounts to the internet, the water, the electricity, the bank stuff (plus we each have our own accounts)...he would be at a complete loss as to what to close and when to pay things. Not to mention how to access certain accounts. Just like I would be at a loss on how to close his D&D subscription, his GameFly account, and deal with his student loans.

We've been kind of thinking of a way to get all of our information in one place, but we can't seem to come to terms on an efficient way. Do any of you have "death folders" or something of the like? How do you keep stuff straight? Do you have a plan if your significant other were to die suddenly?

Day 7 – Your dream wedding.

2012-01-11T19:37:00.000-06:00

I've been really hesitate to post this one. Why? Because I think it says something when a woman says that her wedding wasn't her dream wedding.

But I shouldn't worry about that. It wasn't possible to have my dream wedding. My dream wedding would have family and friends that died years ago, friends that I've long since lost a connection with, and divorced exes of family members. It would have had my 3rd cousins, which I couldn't possible afford to invite (it would have easily added 100+ people). It would've had the cost of a January wedding, with a partly cloudy 70 degree sky, and a two hour long sunset for gorgeous shots. It would have had the priest that knew us, but happened to be on a mission trip in Brazil. And the day would have lasted another 24 hours - because it was such a great day.

My wedding was fabulous. It was all that I could have hoped it to be. It wasn't my dream wedding - because a dream wedding is just that - a fantasy that can't be made real. And that is perfectly okay.

Newlywed Map

2012-01-10T12:22:00.000-06:00

I just realized that I never blogged about this totally awesome map Sean and I made.

It's technically called a Newlywed Map (the idea is to mark all of the places you've been together), but it's basically a travel map. We busted it out after we got back from our honeymoon, because we were excited to add tacks to the other side of the ocean! It was super easy to make though. We basically followed this tutorial, with a few mini changes.

I found a sweet, slightly distressed frame at Hobby Lobby for $8, and got it half off that because the glass was broken (which I didn't need anyway!). It was an awkward lightish darkish brown, so I painted with leftovers from the bathroom. I ordered both the map and map tacks from Mapcenter.com. I couldn't find the right size foam board though, so I bought one of those tri-folds that we used to use for science fair projects and cut the two flaps off. I already had spray adhesive too - other glues don't work because the map will wrinkle!

(Our pretty European tacks!)

(fun fact: that Atlanta pin? Happened the winter of 2003...yup, we traveled together with our high school band NINE years ago! We're still counting it though)

I love this map. It makes want to travel more, and it's fun to document where we've been together. We even made Sean's dad one for Christmas!! It's classy too, so we have no qualms about it hanging in our living room. :)

365 Photo Project.

2012-01-09T12:36:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, I started the 365 photo project.

Basically, every day for an entire year, I will take a photo. It can be anything - even if it's just as simple as my breakfast. Our first year of marriage was so crazy and hectic, and I missed a lot of little, simple things. I want to find those again.

I don't want to bombard people on any of my social media networks (someone once did that to me on blogger, and I about killed them!), so I created a Flickr account.

I'm excited for it. My phone uploads directly to Flickr, so I have no excuse to miss days. Hopefully it turns out just as fun as I hope it will!!

I'll have my cake (and eat it too!)

2012-01-08T22:00:00.000-06:00

A year ago, my wedding cake looked like this:

We had a delicious four tier cake, from Wedding Wonderland Cakes. The large, bottom tier was yellow cake with strawberry filling. The next tier was spice cake with Bavarian creme. The next was Lemon cake with fudge filling. And the top tier? It was red velvet and cream cheese. It was seriously the best cake I've ever eaten in my life.

Anyway. We never tried the top tier, because we saved it. We followed this tutorial, wrapping the cake in seran wrap and foil, putting in its box, and wrapping again. We figured that if any cake was going to be decent after a year, ours would be the one!

Surprisingly, it doesn't taste half bad. It actually kinda tasted like store-bought cake, as opposed to delicious bakery cake.

Cake freezing adventure? Success.

A Year of New Beginnings.

2012-01-08T19:36:00.000-06:00

One year ago today, I walked down the aisle and said "I do" to my favorite guy. I became a wife. Sean became a husband. And we started (our official) life together.

First off, I can't believe it's been a year. An entire year. I don't feel like I've been married a year, but other times, I can hardly remember not being married. It's a comfortable state of life - it's like we've always been this way. Or destined for this.

Second, so much has changed this year!! Sean has completed 3 semesters of law school, and still enjoys it. I got a new job - one that pays just enough for us to live a comfortable life (though not lavish) - and it's probably been the single biggest factor in the last year. I'm also only known as a married woman at work, and it's strange how much that changes work relationship dynamics. We moved into a little house - the two bedroom home is perfectly sized for us, and we really feel like it's our home.

Another thing that's changed? We live life slower now. Not in the we-don't-go-out-and-party way (we actually do this more than the first year we lived together!), but in the planning way. Before, we were making plans about when we'd have kids and buy a house and do this and do that. Now? We live life as it comes. We know we don't want kids yet, but we don't know when we're going to have them. And that's perfect for us right now. There's no stress for us to meet life goals at certain times. We're living in a moment, and when Sean is done with school/gets a job, we'll focus on the next step of life. But not before then.

So what's the plan for us on our anniversary?
-Last night, we went to J Gilbert's - it's a fancy steakhouse. We probably spent waaay more than we should have, but it was the best steak and crab cake that I've ever had in my life. Plus, I got to try an Argentinian wine, which was delicious, but a bit too dry for my tastes.
-Last week, I found a $75 gift card to Macy's that we got for the wedding. We hadn't used any of it! We're probably going to go there, and maybe get a rug for the office, or maybe some pillows.
-There's pulled pork in the crock pot for dinner. I bought some hoagie rolls, so it'll be a delicious bbq night.
-We're actually going to eat the top tier of our wedding cake. Or at least try it. We wrapped and foiled and froze the top right after our wedding, and we're really hoping it turns out pretty well. I've been slowly defrosting it since Thursday...if it doesn't taste good, you can bet I'll be baking a red velvet cake tonight.

You guys, it's been a fabulous year. And here's to many more to come!

Peace Out 2011...and howdy do Twenty Twelve!

2012-01-01T21:04:00.000-06:00

Last night we rang in the new year with some great friends. We all had our glasses of champagne, we counted down the seconds...Okay, we missed the ball drop. Why? Because we were using the atomic clock online, and the computer froze. Yaaaa know. But we counted 12 around 8 times, shouted hooray, raised our glasses, kissed our loved ones, and took tons of pictures. The year 2011 brought a lot of changes into our lives - some bad, but mostly good. It was a crazy busy year, and I'll be honest, I'm excited to welcome in 2012. Keep moving forward in the game of life, right? Anyway, here's the obligatory year-in-review post for the blogger world!

January
-We rang in the new year by...wait for it...GETTING MARRIED!! After 5 1/2 years of being together, we finally tied the knot.
-Sean started his 2nd semester of law school, getting him one step closer to his JD.

February
-I started being a training assistant at my job, which I loved. I discovered that I really like to teach people things, and it's something I'm going to work towards in my career from now on. In other work news, I turned down a promotion at my job, because I wanted two days off in a row (which amazed me in solidifying the fact that family > money in my book)
-We refinanced my car, which gave us enough spare money to buy me a new a Macbook Pro. Love.
-We got hit with Snomageddon, which dumped 16" of snow on us - effectively snowing me into work (but it was the most snow I'd ever seen)

March
-I turned 23.
-My sister in law turned 21, and we celebrated with St. Patty's day parade in St. Louis
-We finally got our wedding photos back - and sent our thank yous out to everyone.

April
-We hosted our first family holiday - Easter for Sean's family. And it was great.
-I joined Pinterest (I was in the Beta)
-I got hired - and had to hand in my first letter of resignation.

May
-I started at my new job, and I still revel in having most weekends off. (also, PEACE OUT call centers!)
-Sean and I celebrated 6 years of fabulousness together
-My apartment flooded, and my quartet got together once again (all in the same week)
-My little brothers graduated!! hooray!

June
-We went to our first (and second) post-our-wedding wedding. And it was awesome.

July
-We finally found a new place to live (which is awesome, because our upstairs neighbors also moved out, and their fleas moved down to our apartment)

August
-We moved into our newfantasticomg rental house. And we still love it.
-We went to EUROPE on our HONEYMOON. It was absolutely perfectly amazing.
-Sean started his second year of law school! He's still rockin it.
-Sean made it to the quarter century mark - aaaand dropped our car insurance.

September
-We celebrated Sean's parents 30th wedding anniversary!
-I went on my first business trip - I'm all grown up!

October
-We went to our THIRD wedding of the year...we are apparently of that age.
-Mizzou celebrated ONE HUNDRED YEARS OF HOMECOMINGS. And it was fabulous.
-The Cardinals won the World Series. It's my kinda year for sports :)

November
-I moved locations for work, from one side of town to another.
-I felt my first earthquake!
-We went to what was quite possibly the last Border War between Mizzou and ku. And we won.

December
-We switched Ella to adult food, and she went on a hunger strike for almost a week.
-We decorated for Christmas, and celebrated a pretty good season.

And that folks, wraps up 2011. Here's to 2012!

The Elusive Nativity Set.

2011-12-04T14:34:00.000-06:00

Ever since I was little, my family has had a nativity set. The same one. It's a ceramic set - one of the old-fashioned, look-like-real-people kind of sets. It's complete - there's the holy family (complete with a baby Jesus that comes out of the manger - because he doesn't get put in until Christmas), shepherds, the wise men, camels, donkeys, and sheep. It's all set in an open faced barn, made out of real wood, with moss on the ground and roof, and an angel that attaches to the roof of the barn. It's beautiful. It was clearly my job to set it up too. My grandparents on my mom's side have a similar set - just a few years older (clearly). My dad's parents? They had a Precious Moments style (though not brand name) ceramic set with everything in pale blues, purples, and yellows, and the figurines look like children, all sans-barn (they always kept it in a winter wonderland, sparkly fleece on top of the piano).

But now it's time for our own set. A set we can't find for the life of us. Maybe I'm being overly hopeful - I want a set that we both like equally and fits us. Is that naive? Should I just buy what I like, and assume that Sean will learn to like it? In any case, we have pretty similar tastes, so it's not that difficult.

We know what we don't want. That's gotta count for something. We don't want child-like figurines. Nor do we want the life-like ones. We also don't want a fixed manger - the best part of the manger is getting to set it up, move it around, and add the pieces as necessary (Jesus at Christmas, and the wise men in January). It's really frustrating that we can't find one. In fact, it's driving me nuts.

I kind of really like the Willow nativity set, but alas, Sean isn't a huge fan. He'd concede to it, but he'd rather something else. Plus, it's expensive, and we'd basically have to add a few pieces each year to be able to afford it (and then of course, we run the risk of it being discontinued before we complete the set).

I can't seem to find the right one. It's important to me - it's always been part of my Christmas tradition, and I want to continue it. Hopefully I'll find it. Preferably in the next 20 years... :p

Day 6 – A photo of an animal you’d love to keep as a pet.

2011-11-29T21:51:00.000-06:00

You know, I'm really not sure on this one. I've never seen myself as an exotic pet person (though I desperately wanted a lizard as a kid!). We have our cat, Ella. One day we'll get a dog. Maybe we'll get a guinea pig or fish or something one day when we have kids.

I think I'd really really really love to have a bird. A parrot or a cocktoo - ya know, something I could teach to talk and be cute. But, at the same time, I'd want it to be quiet when I wanted to be.

Which is why I'll never have a bird.

Thankful.

2011-11-27T08:55:00.000-06:00

Okay, this is 3 days late. But everything I have to be thankful for, well, it kept me busy this weekend!

I'm thankful for our wonderful families. For my family, with their traditional, pass the bowl around the table and traditionally baked turkey, to Sean's family's buffet line with a deep fried turkey (for the record, I'm on Team Baked). I love our black Friday traditions - shopping with Sean's mom and sister, then meeting up with my mom for breakfast (my sister started shopping this year, but only lasted until 4 am - pretty good for a 10 year old!).

I'm thankful for Sean. He keeps me balanced. He loves me, unconditionally. I love that we don't have a fighting relationship - and we rarely bicker. It's just not our style. I love that he's working hard in school, even if it means that we might be going long distance for the summer, so he can get a good internship. I just love...us.

I'm thankful that we have a house that we feel safe in, and I can't wait to decorate it today.

I'm thankful that we have two working cars, and that we can afford to keep both of them well maintained and running.

I'm thankful I have a job that I love. The only time I don't want to go to work is when I don't want to get out of bed (and during those times, I wouldn't want to get out of bed for chocolate). But frankly, I love being there.

And I'm thankful for my friends. I'm thankful that just hanging out a few minutes is fabulous, whether it be in a steak n shake or at a football game. They're fabulous.

Life is good guys. Life is good.

Day 5 – A photo of yourself two years ago.

2011-11-21T21:46:00.000-06:00

Two years ago, huh? Wow. Two years ago, I was celebrating (and mourning) my last year at Mizzou. I was graduating. I was in full-fledged wedding planning mode. I was having a blast. I was partying, I was studying, I was rocking everything, I was in love. I kinda miss those times. But at the same time, I love who I've become and where I'm at now. Weird how that is.

(Marching Mizzou graduates received a rock from the Big M at their last home game, and get to beat Big Mo!)

Day 4 – Your favorite photograph of your best friend.

2011-11-20T21:40:00.000-06:00

Okay, I've totally been failing at this. But here I go again!

I don't believe in one best friend. I think it's entirely necessary to have multiples. And I do. I have my main best friend, Sean. Yeah, cliche. But he's not my only one, because let's face it, there are some things that I prefer to talk to other people about. So I've got my best friend from grade school - we sometimes don't talk for weeks or months, but when we get together, it's like we never stopped talking. It doesn't matter what we miss in between, it only matters what's in the now - we're very much alike (as long as you look past the fact that I live in a world of country and rock and roll, and she lives with ranchero and reggaton). I've got my best friend from high school - we're a support staff for each other. Like high school, we'll always feed on pedis, coffee, and drama. Call it superficial, but we're close and that's what we love. I've got my college best friends. We're crazy and we're different - we don't always see eye to eye and we definitely don't agree on things, but we stay close with our ridiculous memories and jokes, and together we're whole.

(It was 19 degrees on our wedding day - this is us, outside, laughing at how incredibly crazy we are)

(Moni, Jess, me, and Tori - Moni and I have been friends since 4th grade, this is us senior year of high school in Mexico)

(Bonus shot! Moni, Me, Allie, and Rachel on the night of my bachelorette)

(This pretty much sums up who we are. Mizzou-obsessed, crazy, klutzy, and special. And awesome)

Meal Planning.

2011-11-06T16:15:00.000-06:00

I never technically meal planned. It seemed like too much work, and I've always come from a family where we had pretty much everything in the fridge, and if we didn't, we lived less than a mile from the grocery store. Even now, Sean and I live .6 miles (a 5 minute, round trip drive) from Hyvee. It's not a big deal if we don't have something, because we can just hop out and get it - faster than the beef can thaw in the microwave.

And then my schedule changed at work.

Now, I don't get home until 7 (on a good night). I don't want to swing by the grocery store on my way home, and if I don't have something in mind for dinner, we usually just have sandwiches. Which is kinda unfulfilling and, well, boring. Plus, it doesn't leave me left overs to take for lunch the next day. And so I will start to meal plan - in my own way. Basically, I'm going to have set options for meals. 4 or 5 options a week, and we'll just make them as we go. That way, if I don't get a crock pot meal on before I leave for work, I can whip something quicker up when I get home that evening. I think it'll work for us.

Today, I spent $108.00 at the grocery store. Keep in mind, there was a meat sale, so I bought over 5 lbs of ground beef to freeze, plus I stocked up on chicken broth, pasta, bacon, and coffee. But, in addition to that, I have food for the following meals:

-Stuffed shells and meat sauce
-turkey and cheese sliders with honey-dijion glaze
-tacos
-hawaiian bbq chicken
-spaghetti
-empanadas

Plus, a few hot pockets for those "I don't wanna cook" days. Aaaand because I spent over $100, I get 10 cents off my next 20 gallons of gas! I love PriceChopper.

It's the first major grocery trip I've taken in over a month, and hopefully I'll only need to pick up a few perishables for the next couple of weeks (I certainly won't have to buy meat or sides though!). We shall see - hopefully I can keep going and save myself some money!

Day 3 – Your idea of the perfect first date.

2011-11-05T20:26:00.000-05:00

Perfect first date huh? To be honest, it's really hard to answer this question. Sean and I never had an official first date - we kinda fell into dating one might say. We were just friends, and then...well, then we weren't.

But, my perfect first date would definitely be a combination of fun and romance. I think an amusement park, or a beach, or a lake we be awesome (or even a mini ski trip!), followed by a packed dinner and ice cream. Ice cream is essential for any date for me - even now.

Maybe it's not so much the date activities themselves, but who they're with?

Day 2 – A photo of something you ate today.

2011-11-03T22:54:00.000-05:00

So I came home, made dinner, and ate it. Then, looking at the empty bowl, remembered I was supposed to take a picture. Whoops. I had grilled cheese and soup though - it was delicious!

It looked something like this...but not as perfect lol

Day 1 – A photo of yourself and a description of how your day was.

2011-11-02T21:50:00.000-05:00

Today has been...a day. Lol. It started out being 65 degrees, and ended rainy and in the 40s. It's supposed to snow tonight. Have I mentioned that I work about 50/50 outside? Yea, sucks. I also have a huge work project that I need to finish. It's due tomorrow, but I was required to go over certain numbers with my district manager (mind you, I can't even access the numbers without him), and he wouldn't sit down with me until today. So tomorrow morning, I have serious work to do. It's 8:15, and I just put dinner in the oven - and it's not a meal I've made before, so it may have been all for nothing. Sean went grocery shopping, but he got all the wrong foods (seriously, anyone have any idea of what to do with an entire bag of frozen shredded carrots, other than an icepack?). He defrosted meat, but put it in the microwave for so long that it turned in to one big piece of rubber - and completely unusable. *sigh*

Things that are good? I have a job, and it supports us well. One of my BFFs is moving back to the midwest in roughly a week, and I have the entire week of Thanksgiving off. Another BFF is visiting right before T-day, and hopefully my SIL is visiting somewhere in there too. It may be gross and rainy, but the area desperately needed it. My house is a mess, but it's lovely at the same time. I've got a pretty darn good life.

And to be true to the nature of this challenge, here's a pic of me right now - at 8:30 pm, after a 9 1/2 hour work day, half of it in the rain. On a webcam. Rock on.

30 Day Blog Challenge.

2011-11-01T08:03:00.001-05:00

So clearly I can't seem to keep this blog updated lately. I'm not really sure why. Part of it is that I'm just plain busy, but a lot of it is that it life hasn't been the best the last couple of weeks. And nothing interesting has really happened. BUT! I'm changing that. Hopefully. I'm doing that 30 day blog challenge thing (and hopefully finishing it). So I'm starting it tonight. Let's get this done!! lol

Day 1 – A photo of yourself and a description of how your day was.
Day 2 – A photo of something you ate today.
Day 3 – Your idea of the perfect first date.
Day 4 – Your favorite photograph of your best friend.
Day 5 – A photo of yourself two years ago.
Day 6 – A photo of an animal you’d love to keep as a pet.
Day 7 – Your dream wedding.
Day 8 – A song to match your mood.
Day 9 – A photo of the item you last purchased.
Day 10 – A photo of your favorite place to eat.
Day 11 – What’s in your makeup bag?
Day 12 – A photograph of the town you live in.
Day 13 – Your favorite musician and why?
Day 14 – A TV show you’re currently addicted to.
Day 15 – Something you don’t leave the house without.
Day 16 – Your celebrity crush.
Day 17 – A photo of you and your family.
Day 18 – Something you crave a lot.
Day 19 – Another picture of yourself.
Day 20 – The meaning behind your blog name.
Day 21 – A photo of something that makes you happy.
Day 22 – A letter to someone who has hurt you recently.
Day 23 – 15 facts about you.
Day 24 – A photo of something that means a lot to you.
Day 25 – What’s in your purse?
Day 26 – A photo of somewhere you’ve been to.
Day 27 – A picture of you last year and now and how have you changed since then?
Day 28 – Your favorite movie.
Day 29 – Something you could never get tired of doing.
Day 30 – A photograph of yourself today + three good things that have happened in the past.

So here we go!!!

#58. Register to Becoming a Bone Marrow Donor

2011-10-19T18:38:00.000-05:00

This one has been on my goals list for a while, and it's actually pretty silly that it's taken me this long to do it.

Today, I joined the Be The Match national bone marrow registry.

Here's the deal. Thousands of people need bone marrow transplants - people with leukemia, lymphoma, auto-immune diseases, and blood disorders. These are people where this might be their only chance of survival. Usually, family members have the best match - but not always. Maybe they're adopted, or only have half-siblings. Or maybe, they're like the weird ginger in a family of brunettes - it's a genetic thing, but sometimes strange things happen (disclaimer: there's nothing wrong with gingers!). There can be millions of people on a registry, and not one match for someone who desperately needs it. Maybe I'm that match.

Both my family and Sean's have been affected by cancers - and his cousin did have a bone marrow transplant when she was 9. And she's a beautiful, wonderful, cancer free, college student now. If no one in her family had matched, where would she be now?

So after a particularly touching episode of Extreme Home Makeover, I got on their website, and I sent away for my free kit. I got it in the mail on Friday - it's just a cheek swab kit.

I followed the super simple diagram, swabbed 4 times, and bingo-bango I was done. That easy.

I popped it in the business reply envelope...and I'm registered. My genetic make-up is officially on record.

There's a 1 in 540 chance that one day in the next 37 years (you're only eligible until you're 60), I'll be called to donate marrow or PBSC. If so, it'll be a multi-step process that's completely paid for by the registry - I won't need to pay for anything. Ya know, cause I'm helping someone live and all.

I want to be able to know that I'm doing something. If someone needs something that only I can give, I want to be able to do that. If I'm a match, I'll know that I've done everything possible to save that person's life. And if I'm never called on? Then I know that I've done everything I can to make myself available.

Sssaaaayyyy What?!

2011-10-12T05:48:00.000-05:00

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/abc-blogs/10-000-free-round-trip-tickets-japan-134142507.html

Sign me up please.

Free plane tickets to Japan (which probably cost upwards of $1000 each), just for writing about it on my blog/facebook? As in, what I would already do? Hot damn.

Back on the Wagon. Maybe.

2011-10-09T12:53:00.000-05:00

I've seriously fallen off the blogging wagon. Like, horribly. It's been 3 weeks since my last post! What happened to blogging addict me who loved to share tiny details, lofty hopes, and big dreams with anyone who would listen? Erg. I'm really not sure.

I think a lot of it has to do with my unwillingness to blog about our honeymoon. I don't like blogging about vacations in general, to be honest. It seals the deal that it's over (even though it happened 2 months ago!), and I feel like it ruins it a bit for other people. I think everyone should have their own take on vacations - and discover everything on their own. So I'm saying goodbye to hopes of blogging about the most fantastic trip I've ever taken - you'll just have to take one on your own!

In other news...

-I'm being moved locations at work. I work at our branch, and I'm being moved up to the district location. I know that it'll be a completely new experience, but I'm really going to miss my branch. I do a lot of stuff at my branch, because there's only 2 of us (me and my manager) working there. At the district, there's 4 MTs (my position), a assistant district manager, a district rental manager, and an overall district manager. I feel like I'm going to be useless and bored. Hopefully it doesn't turn out that way, but I'm already secretly hoping this is a temporary move.
-Sean applied for a job! He interviewed for a research position with a professor. I hope he gets it, but I also know that it's kind of a long shot. There were a LOT of people up for the position.
-I'm finding it hard to have motivation to do anything lately. I'm not really sure why, but lately all I want to do is veg on the couch. I think it has something to do with the horrid allergies that are out.
-I've been super Halloween crafty though. Hopefully I'll get my latest project done this afternoon, and then I'll blog about them. I'm still looking to carve a pumpkin and maybe another thing or two, but Sean will want to be around for those.
-I think I can officially say that I don't have babies on the brain anymore. Weird? Totally. But with the amazing vacation we were able to take, and the way we've been living - I'm actually excited to not have kids for a while. Yes, I can't wait for the day when kids will come. But I know that right now isn't that time. I'm in love with being a married, young adult couple. (though, I'll admit I have flashes of babies every time I see a Mizzou onesie - baby tigers!!!)

Oh, and if you rrreeeeaaaallllyyyy want to see some honeymoon photos, here's the public links to them on my facebook! (and sorry, but the trip kiiiinda turned into the Catholic Tour of Europe - but the churches were absolutely beautiful)
Getting there and the ship
Day 1: Monaco
Day 2: Florence
Day 3: Rome and Vatican City
Day 4: Naples and Herculaneum
(day 5 was at sea!)
Day 6: Barcelona

And the tale unfolds - Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust!!

2011-09-18T13:15:00.000-05:00

So I know I haven't been bloggity lately, which is probably driving those of you who are waiting for honeymoon details crazy. But it stops now. I'm finally catching up! After all, I'm just chilling in the airport waiting for my flight (for my first business trip!)

As you've already read, we took a Disney Mediterranean cruise for our honeymoon. We got engaged in Disney World, and we thought it only fitting to continue in the Disney tradition. Yes, it was a kid heavy cruise. But, for the most part, we didn't even notice them (and even if we did, we wouldn't have minded - you kind of HAVE to expect kids on Disney anything). There was a ton of on-board activities that ran from 7 am - 1 am on the ship, and it seemed like every soul under the age of 18 was either there or at the family pool. There was a separate pool, lounge area, and even a separate cafe for the adults of the ship - and it was much appreciated. We saw a Disney show every night (which were amazing), and went to a couple of other shows (a comedian, magician, and piano player) on other nights. We had late seating for dinner (which was kind of hard to get used to), so a lot of the kiddos were in bed. Even as it was, most of the kids weren't American (and let's face it, British accents are toddlers are ADORABLE). The only remotely annoying children were the Spaniards (and really, they were), but the adults were too.

At our table, we sat with 3 other adult couples. One was on the honeymoon like us, and the other two were celebrating their anniversaries (28 and 15 years). It was a really good mix of people, and we interacted really well together. I wish I could find them on facebook, but alas, it's not going so well.

We started our journey at the St. Louis airport. Why? Because we had to drop our cat off with Sean's parents (and I worried just a bit that Sean's not-so-cat-loving dad would throw her against the wall). We left at noon, and landed shortly after in Atlanta. We had a quick layover (and can I say how awesome the Atlanta airport is? Seriously. We got a meal at T.G.I. Fridays in TEN minutes). And then.

On the plane!

Huge Airbus 330 planes

Then we got on the plane for the transatlantic flight. 10 hours in a plane? Suuuuccccckkkkksssss. We had thankfully upgraded to Economy Comfort. The seat leaned back more, and we had a TON more leg room. The funny headrests were awesome for me, but Sean didn't like them. And we got free drinks :) It was a pretty uneventful flight, but we did see a wicked sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean.

Gorgeous

10ish hours after we landed, we were bussed off the tarmac (yup, bussed), and whisked away on a bus by a crew with giant white Mickey hands...the adventure was about to begin!

Snippets.

2011-09-12T19:48:00.000-05:00

-I finally have an SDHC card reader. I'm uploading my photos to facebook, and then you can expect some blogs!! Get excited folks!

-We really need to work on the office this week. It looks like a disaster zone still, and Sean's parents are giving us an old desk in two weeks. We currently can't fit it in there.

-I'm dying to make Roman shades for the kitchen, and to bust out the sewing machine and make stockings for us this year. I also want to make a Mizzou wreath for the door (my purple wreath is there currently), and a Christmas wreath for this winter.

-We need to finish hanging pictures also. I'm contemplating above the TV...but I feel like that will be overbearing.

- We have a TON of left over food from Sean's parents' anniversary party - we're eating a ton of sliced meat and cheese now.

That's it for now. I know, it's not much, but work with me here.

Contemplating Donation.

2011-09-06T18:32:00.000-05:00

Lately, I've noticed that my hair is super long. I vaguely started growing it out about 8 months before the wedding (or at least, that's the last time I cut it), and now it's well past my shoulders. To be honest, it's been a long time since it's been this long. I've been considering donating it (and even put it on my 101 in 1001 list), but I never looked into it before. So, I wandered over to the website for Locks of Love.

According to their website, they take colored hair (which is awesome, cause I've been dying since I was 18...). And hair only needs to be 10 inches long. Check it out:

That's NINE inches, and it's practically chin-length still (don't mind the goofy face and the glasses - I scratched my eye last week). I've had my hair that short before, so that doesn't scare me too much. I'm probably going to keep growing it until next spring or summer, but then I fully intend to whack it all off. (Oh, and how cute is the new bathroom paint?! love it.) In any case, it's something useful to do. And it makes me motivate to NOT chop my hair off - quite yet.

I'm actually really excited to do this. It's gonna be awesome.

Guilty.

2011-08-28T15:32:00.001-05:00

We've been back from Europe for 2 weeks now, and I've yet to post a photo. Not to facebook, not to my blog, nowhere.

I feel so freaking guilty about it.

Why haven't I posted?

I can't figure out how to get photos from my new camera to my computer. (before I sound like a complete idiot, I bought a new SD card, and it's different from my old one, and now not compatible with my old reader).

Technology fail.

I promise I will figure it out this week people. Really. I do. I need to blog about our lovely new home also. I have so many posts, ready to go, but they need pictures. I'm getting on it now. My curtains are hung, my house is moved, the internet is switched over - I have the time now.

I just need to get on it.

I'm baaaackkk!!

2011-08-16T08:17:00.000-05:00

I'm back after a fabulous honeymoon in the Mediterranean. Here's some other things:

-I'm seriously irritated with how long it's taking to move our apartment to our house. Yes, it's just Sean moving, but we don't even have FOOD yet. Or plates to eat food on. Or curtains, or shelves. I have like 5 outfits, and that's it. Yesterday, he made one trip, for video games. And that's all he moved. It's driving me crazy.

-I'm also still jet-legged, which makes me cranky (as is obvious by the tone of this post)

-I can't upload honeymoon photos, cause we don't have internet yet. But clearly, the one who works during business hours (me) is the one who has to set that up. To write this I'm janking from a neighbor. I'm kind of avoiding getting internet, hoping Sean will do more work without it... >:)

-I can't eat another effing fast food meal. That's also killing me. Literally. I want to cook in my house, but I can't do that. Tonight, the kitchen will be moved, come hell or high water.

-I have the 24 hour on call phone at work. I only had one phone call last night at 11:00 pm, so hopefully the rest of the week goes as smoothly. But I'm not betting on it.

-I'm way behind on EVERYTHING. Reading posts, websites, everything.

Sorry for the betch post guys. But it had to be done :)

Here we go!!

2011-08-05T08:28:00.000-05:00

Guys. It's that time. We've been waiting for EIGHT months, and now we're ready.

It's our honeymoon!!!

So. We'll be back in a week. Until then, we're be galavanting across Europe, with our Mediterranean cruise.

Ciao!

Making Changes.

2011-07-30T16:10:00.000-05:00

I work in the trucking business. While I don't drive trucks for a living, I do have to drive them around our parking lot. Because of this, I have to be DOT certified - I need a medical license that's annually renewed.

When I got my job in April, the first thing I needed was a medical license. My necessary physical was minimal, but it still came up abnormal. I was referred to a standard practitioner. I figured it was no big deal, and treated it as an annoyance. But it turns out, I'm at a huge risk for heart disease.

I always have known it's something I'm going to have to worry about in the future. My grandma's heart stopped beating when she was 60, and my mom has already had blood clot issues at 44. But I didn't know it was going to be an issue now. I'm freaking 23 (or maybe I'm just ignoring my adulthood?). In any case, it's a wake up call for me.

Nothing is currently wrong with me. I was given the all-clear health-wise, but I now know that I need to change things. According to my doctor, I don't need to make any life-altering, hell-bent changes. I just need to change little things. I'm cutting out little things and switching them for healthier choices (eating wheat bread and getting rid of my daily bagels). I'm using sodium-free and low-sodium items whenever I can, and I'm trying to add veggies and more fruits into my cooking. I'm making more things from scratch - it makes me see how much is going into it, and keeps it healthier. I don't drink pop as it is, but now I'm watching the juices and other things I drink.

It's a really scary thing.

But at least now I know that I have the power to stop it. I can start changing my life now, and help prevent this from becoming a serious problem in the future. I want to have a longer future than my family has a history for.

But don't worry - for now, I'm perfectly fine :) This is just a kick in the pants.

We're not gonna be homeless!!

2011-07-22T17:11:00.000-05:00

We have a house people! (to rent, not buy, sadly). We get the keys the night of July 31st, and I can't be more excited. It's a little tiny (in house terms, it's still bigger than our apartment) two bed, one bath bungalow, but it has a basement, a back yard, and a patio. And a driveway! And hardwoods.

The only added expenses (aside from an additional $200/month on our rent) that we're going to have to pay is trash, and we'll need to buy a lawnmower. We already have things like a snow shovel, so that's not a problem. I'm not posting a picture just yet though, because the owners are putting siding on it sometime in the next month. It'll be bothersome that we'll already be living there, but we're at work and school all day anyway, so no issue there. Plus, it'll mean the house is more efficient! Not to mention, we'll be above ground, so we'll have windows and won't need to use lights as much.

I'm really excited. I'll have a yard to do more outdoorsy crafts (like spray painting), and a ton more storage to buy in bulk more and do things like make my own laundry detergent (so I don't have to keep buying hundreds of little bottles of allergy free ALL - ugh). They're even leaving a spare table there, so I'll have a craft space! Plus, Sean's dad is getting a new desk, so we're acquiring the old, gorgeous, huge corner desk (Sean's sibs aren't big on hand-me-downs). I'll probably move down to the basement space while Sean takes over the office space. He's going to have an office at school, but 2L is supposed to be the most intense year - I'm glad we won't have to worry about our living space. It'll be great to really make this place our home for the next two years.

Tiddly Bits.

2011-07-12T21:26:00.000-05:00

To be honest, not much is going on lately. Really, it feels like the calm before the storm. But, I feel like it's my blogger duty to let you all in the minor things that are happening.

-It's finals week for Sean. Thankfully he's only in 2 classes for the summer term, but considering they're two 16-week courses crammed into 8 weeks, I'm not sure how much better it is. In any case, he's currently printing off a 44 page outline for his intellectual property final. I should buy stock in paper.

-We think we've found a place to live next year. I really really don't want to jinx it, because it's the perfect place if all goes according to plan. Please, T&Ps. And fingers crossed.

-It's miserably hot here. Like, 105 degrees today (not including humidity). I'd much rather it be hot than raining, but it's still incredibly taxing when you're in and out all day at your job (hence why I don't like the rain!). It makes it so much more exhausting going from hot to cold constantly, and I'm tired all.the.time. It sounds like a storm is brewing outside though, so hopefully it'll cool down a bit. Just out of the excessive heat warning range.

-I finally bought some wine glasses! I snagged 6 at Gordman's for only $8, and I couldn't pass it up. I love wine, and it's nice to not have to drink it out of tumblers ;) Plus, it's much more classy for the holidays.

-I've discovered Pinterest. It's actually quite handy. Instead of bookmarking all of my crafty inspiration, I can pin it to the site. I like being able to have the visual image of my ideas, as well as being able to directly link up to the original page. Love it. If you need an invite, just let me know!

-I'm trying to establish a network within Google+. I'm not sure if I'm a fan of it yet though. I majored business communications, with an emphasis in social media uses, so I feel compelled to learn the advantages of it. I'm really digging the conference video chat feature, especially for business meetings, family communications, and even online courses. The circle feature has advantages that other users can't see the circles you've put them in, and that you can share things with only certain circles. A friend of mine has likened it to a 3rd sock (you don't quite know what to do with it). We'll see how it develops.

All and all, things are going decently well. I'm really starting to fit in at my new job and take a roll (I ran the office for the past 2 weeks on my own!). Our little packing nightmare will being soon, but we'll tackle it like everything else. Life, it goes well.

30 Days.

2011-07-06T19:22:00.000-05:00

30 days from now, I will be stepping on to a boat off the coast of Spain.

Spain, people! Eeeek! (can you SEE my excitement?)

It's got me totally freaked out though. I've never traveled overseas, so I'm worried about getting everything in order. I work the day before we leave, and the day after we get back - it's gonna be a crazy, exhausting time. We're leaving from St. Louis, so we have to worry about getting all of our stuff (and our cat, whom mama is watching) out there. I need to find a way to pack both nice dresses for cruise dinner, and cool, lightweight (but concealing) clothes for when we go ashore. Nice heels and casual shoes.

But there's more that I need to do. Like....

1. Find an apartment (this is a big one!). As of September first, we're homeless. We've had a terrible time finding a place to live. It feels like no one is renting. It's really frustrating and disappointing, but we'll get through it. We've got a couple more places to look at this week, and we're really hoping one of them works out. We'll need to move right after we get back from our trip, which makes the whole thing even more stressful.

2. Buy a new camera. I'm leaning towards the Fuji, because it's everything I actually want. The only thing that seems to hold anyone back is the brand name. And since I'm not really a believer in brand name loyalty, I keep leaning farther, mostly due to this post.

3. Pack. I'm not sure how that's gonna happen, but it's got to happen. It'll probably involve lots of googling.

Okay, really it's just the apartment fiasco that's got me stressed. No one will show places until 30 days before, and then they mysteriously get gobbled up before the opening of day 30. UMKC homes, I'm talking about you. We had a perfect place picked out, but we waited 12 hours after we were shown the place, and someone had already rented it out. Erg.

Sean's finals are also next week, which are stressful also. I think he's done with summer term classes. He's reading 250+ pages for each subject a week, because they're trying to teach him all of the material covered in a regular term, but in eight weeks instead of sixteen. He's really stressed trying to get everything down for his finals next week, so I'm just trying to let him stress and accomplish things. I'm trying my hardest to not stress about him stressing, but it's also hard keeping everything up without his help. Ah well.

Here's to not stressing, and St. James Red Velvet wine being on sale :)

It's here! Our wedding album!!

2011-06-27T19:14:00.001-05:00

Part of our wedding photography package was that we got an album - the promise was a 20 page, hard-back, image-wrapped photobook.We got 30 pages (for the same price!), and couldn't be more in love with it.

But let me tell you, picking photos for that book was hard. We parred our fabulous, rockin', 18 hour wedding day into 72 photos. Seventy Two. That's it. Our photographers gave us over 1,200 photos - not all of them were fantastic of course, but most of them were. That means we could choose only 6% of our total photo quota. Yikes. And then of course, we wrestled with the ideal of what we wanted our photo book to be. Did we want an elegant book? Did we want fun images of our loved ones? We ended up with a combination of both - fun, artsy photos, and pictures of our families having a great time.

So what did we get? Here's a look at our oh so fabulous wedding album!

Our front cover

First page - detail of my dress, shoes, and rings

Gorgeous shots during our ceremony

Beautiful solo shots on historic Main Street (and yes, the cars stopped for us)

Reception shots!

And it came in a gorgeous, hard case to protect it

Many many thanks to Adler Photography for the gorgeous shots!

(source, because the logo is fantastic)

On The Other Side.

2011-06-21T20:34:00.000-05:00

The past two weekends, Sean and I have had the pleasure of going to not one, but two weddings. They were gorgeous, outdoor ceremonies, and fantastic receptions (one more so than the other). There were completely different from each other and from ours, but wonderful nonetheless. One wedding was to the tunes of bagpipes - the other, to Autobots and Star Wars. They were great.

But it was so weird.

To not be part of the planning. To not be the one with butterflies. To not be reveling in all of my own hard work.

They're the first weddings we've been to as a married couple, and it was so much sweeter than any wedding I was at before my own. To have my husband sit next to me, squeezing my hand as certain parts of the ceremony occurred, and smiling at each other, knowing exactly how they feel up at that altar. It's beautiful people. Just beautiful.

I can't wait for the 2+ others we have this year!

And because we're terrible at taking photos of ourselves, here's one from our first wedding we went to!

Homemade Chocolate Frosting.

2011-06-13T20:44:00.000-05:00

Ever get in one of those moods for some rich, smooth chocolate?

This icing will solve that.

It's smooth, chocolatey, and super super rich. It's fantastic. Not a frosting fan? You'll like this one.

I discovered this lovely frosting in college, because I didn't have any on hand, and, well, too lazy to go to the store. I did, however, have powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and evaporated milk (what can I say? My best procrastination was spent baking with Lyndsey).

Make it. And love it.

Homemade Chocolate Frosting
2 3/4 cups powdered sugar
6 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
6 Tbsp butter, softened
5 Tbsp evaporated milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

In a medium bowl, sift together powdered sugar and cocoa - set aside

In a large bowl cream butter until smooth. Then gradually beat in sugar mixture, alternating with evaporated milk.

Blend in vanilla, and beat until fluffy.

Adjust consistency with evaporated milk or sugar, if needed.

Blog Funk

2011-06-12T16:41:00.000-05:00

I've been in a bit of a blogging funk lately.

I'm not really sure why, but I'm sure that there's a multitude of reasons that are contributing. I love my new job, but it's physically and mentally taxing, and while I'm still getting used to it, I'm just exhausted when I get home. My energy goes towards dinner, cleaning, and crafting - though I'm not blogging about it :p. I have however been doing some crafts. I have a huge project on my hands, and I'm really excited about it. I seriously can't wait to blog about it, but it's going to be a little while. I also have another project I'm looking to do, but that's another post.

We're moving in August. We don't know where we're moving to yet, but it's a definite. We're looking through the school's housing program, but it's still a very iffy situation since we're 3 months out.

It's wedding season! We went to a wedding yesterday, and we have another one next week. Yesterday was Chris and Aubrey's - the ceremony was wonderful. It was outdoors, she was bagpiped in, and the weather was perfect. There weren't enough chairs, but it was only about 20 minutes. The reception was a little rougher though. Cold food, only beer and water (not even soda!) were served, and one of the speakers blew. Oh, and the DJ racially insulted one of the law school kids. Not cool. I'm just hoping the bride doesn't find out - I would have been mortified!! I'm really excited for next weekend's though :) (JLINNNNNNN)

I'm also looking into a new camera for Europe. I don't want to take the plunge for a DSLR, but I'd still like a camera that I can take quality photos with. I know I definitely want a camera with optical zoom, and I'd like adjustable shutter speed also. I know I don't want an ultra-compact one - I rather have something a bit heftier. Probably in the $200-300 range. I really need to just look at reviews and such, but anyone have any suggestions for a DSLR/compact hybrid? I'd appreciate it!

Anyway. I'm off to work on my little project. I'll have pictures about it in a while!!

Anticipation.

2011-06-07T17:37:00.000-05:00

Guys.

59 days.

That's less than two months.

And we will be on one of these

(source)

To our honeymoon!!!

We're flying out of Atlanta, on a Delta Airbus. We took the plunge and ponied up $60 extra bucks a person for "Economy Comfort"- basically, free booze and more leg room. It's basically half-way in between first class and coach, but as Delta doesn't have first class on international flights (only Business Elite), it's our best option.

But, in any case, we're super excited that we're under the two month mark for our trip! I'm looking into buying a new camera, and we're also looking into prepaid international cell phones as a just in case scenario. And of course, we're scouring the internet for any previous Disney cruisers - we know that it's different than any other experience out there!!

We're planning on doing all of the areas except for Florence by ourselves - and that's only because Florence is TWO HOURS from the port. We don't want to risk getting "left behind". The rest of the excursions are far too expensive for us, and we know that we can get by just fine. We'll of course get a guide book, but for the most part, we're just winging it!

TGIF. 5 Questions!

2011-06-05T10:37:00.000-05:00

Okay, I've totally failed lately at blogging. Apologies. It was a busy, hectic week. This weekend my best friends were in town, we had a blast, and dealt with the chaos of my apartment. Our apartment is finally put back together, though this weekend they're coming in and making sure there aren't any other water problems (we're pretty sure there IS a leak in the wall). Luckily we're going home to celebrate my brothers' graduation, and we're taking Ella with us to avoid any problems with her. I've been opening at work, and therefore my days start around 5 am (except for today, clearly).

Enough of my rambling. Let's get on with those questions!

1. Do you apologize to your kids?
I clearly don't have babies yet, so I really can't answer this one. I don't know what my parenting style is going to be, so who knows?

2. What color are your nails right now?
Their natural color. I work with trucks people. I don't paint my nails. And to be honest, I haven't really painted my nails since I started color guard (wasn't allowed) my sophomore year of high school.

3. When you were growing up, how difficult was it for you to stay home from school sick?
For the first 3-4 years, really hard. I went to school no matter what. And then, every time my parents sent me to school with an upset stomach, I puked. And I NEVER made it to the bathroom. From then on, it was easy :P

4. When is the last time you bought a new comforter for your bed?
Two years ago. Sean and I got our alternative down, microsuede comforter on sale at black Friday. Best 3 am ever.

5. Favorite website?
TBH, I don't know. Probably Facebook, because I can keep in touch with everyone. Love it!

Pride.

2011-05-31T19:45:00.000-05:00

This weekend, my brothers graduated high school.

(James, me, Kevin)

Did you know me before a year ago? If so, you know that I used to only have one brother.

My biological brother, Kevin, is 5 years younger than me. He's a pita most of the time, and a smart ass all of the time. To be honest, we've never been really close (that happens when there's 5 years in between you). He was diagnosed with severe ADHD a few months ago, and we've become closer in those few months of him having meds than in 17 years. Crazy how that can change a person.

James is my new brother. He's a friend of Kevin's, and was kicked out of his house when he found out his mom stole his identity (great lady, huh?). He had been couch hopping his entire senior year, and consequently, failed. As he prepared to start senior year for the second time, Kevin asked my mom if he could stay at our place for a few weeks while he saved for an apartment of his own. The situation when great, and he ended up staying. I think he goes to more family events than Kevin does now, but I completely see him as a sibling. He's a great kid.

(The whole family)

The two of them are part of the first class to graduate from FZE after 4 full years. They represent Lion Pride. They've both struggled through school, but they've made it through. They've beaten the odds, and proven that hard work will get you through, as long as you fight for what you want. Next year, Kevin will be headed towards UCM, and James will go on to Le Cordon Bleu.

And I wish both of my brothers the best of luck in their futures.

Congratulations to the Class of 2011!!

5 Question Friday.

2011-05-20T17:57:00.000-05:00

So I'm posting this from the floor of my bedroom. Why? Because it's the only place in the apartment not covered by stuff or wet. That's right, our apartment flooded AGAIN. This time, the culprit was a rusted pipe from the wall to the toilet (and of course the emergency shut off wouldn't work). So my place is yet again a heaping mess, and since I have 3 fabulous friends coming into town, it looks like we'll be renting a hotel room. Because clearly, they can't stay here. At least I don't have to clean before they get here? Still. Erg.

1. Do you and your spouse go to bed at the same time?
Yes. It's actually a "rule" at our house - we always get into bed at the same time at night. Clearly, that's if we're both home - we don't wait up on each other. But, if one of us isn't tired, the other reads, plays on the computer, whatevs for a awhile.

2. What kind of facial hair do you like on men?
None. Except in the case of Sean. I hate Sean without facial hair (he looks like he's 12) - he sports a goatee that I love. Generally, I prefer clean shaven though, or just soul-patch. Except with Sean.

3. What's the worst vacation you've ever taken?
The last vacation with my parents. Sean and I went to Tan-Tar-A with my family one spring break. Now my siblings are all really far apart (we're 23, 18, and 9), so it's really hard to cater to all of our tastes at once. But we were expecting to be able to do something that we enjoyed... However, we spent the entire trip at the indoor water park. Four FULL days in a steamy, kid-riddled, sauna room. With pirate ships. It was cool the first day, but after that, we were done (but my sister was not). Yet we stayed, and continued. And the moral is? We will never go on a trip with my family again.

4. What's the first-ever blog you followed?
Road to the Aisle (and now I follow the after-married blog, Heather Drive). I found it when I was just in the beginning stages of wedding planning, and this blog was seriously my wedding model. I looked up to it SO much, even though Heather was married 2 years before me. It was SO incredibly helpful. And I love her new blog, and new baby!

5. Do you enjoy amusement parks?
Yep. I LOVE roller coasters, and the greatest thing in the world to me is ballpark monstrous hot dogs and ice cream in waffle cones. I'm not a full day at the park person though (my mom would go from open to close!) - I'm done after about 6-8 hours.

Homemade Cinnamon Sugar Donuts.

2011-05-16T18:47:00.000-05:00

I love cake donuts. Love them. I would eat a cake donuts every day if I could. While I can appreciate fresh baked, warm glazed donuts, nothing is as good as a fresh cake donut.

One of things we registered for was a deep fryer. Sean was really skeptical about it, but my ~~nagging~~ persistence paid off. We actually got two, but in any case, it's one of my favorite appliances. We make french fries, potato chips, and now, donuts.

People. These donuts are heavenly. Especially still warm. They've got a cinnamon spice thing going on, and the sugar coating on the outside makes them one of the best things ever. They take time though. Since my deep fryer is uber tiny (space saving in an apartment y'all!), I could only fry one at a time. Next time, I'll probably break out my 5 qt pan and just fry them on the stove. As a prewarning - this recipe makes 20-24 donuts, plus holes (!!!). I had no idea when I started making them, and now I'll probably be sending half with Sean to school tomorrow.

Donuts
3 1/2 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cloves
1/8 tsp nutmeg
3 Tbsp shortening
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk

Cinnamon Sugar topping
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon

Combine flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg in a bowl. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar together until fluffy.
Add in eggs, one at a time. Blend throughly.
Alternating adding in flour mix and milk, until a sticky dough forms.
Roll out dough to 3/8" thick. Using biscuit cutters (I used a glass and a shot glass ^_^) cut out donuts and holes. Place on a baking sheet and freeze for 10 minutes.
While dough is cooling, heat up oil in deep fryer or pan to 350 degrees (if you put a drop of water in it, it should pop and sizzle). Line a baking sheet with paper towels.
Take dough, and drop into oil. The dough rings/holes will sink to the bottom, then rise to the surface. When bottom is golden brown, flip over and cook the other side. Using tongs or a heat-proof spoon, remove from oil and set on paper towels to absorb the oil.
While still warm, toss in cinnamon sugar.

Of course, cinnamon sugar could be replaced with any sort of preferred spice, jelly, or even chocolate frosting. Sounds fabulous, right?! Enjoy!

Five. Five Question. Five Question Fridaaaay

2011-05-13T18:16:00.002-05:00

As a conclusion to a fantastic week (I did, after all, start a new amazing job), I will yet again do 5QF! I'm so proud of myself! Also, as a special note, in one week some of my best friends ever will be coming to visit. I'm super excited to have them here (and plan on sending Sean back to StL, or out with the boys often at least). I'm in a very good mood, to say the least.

1. Tube socks, calf socks, crew, ankle, none?
Ideally, non. I hate socks. Hate them. But if I have to wear them, I will only wear ankle socks or knee highs. I blame years of uniform wearing that only let us wear high-than-our-ankles socks. Gross.

2. Was your childs (children's) name a mutual decision or was it a debate? If you don't have children, do you plan on giving your spouse a say, or do you have a name you MUST have, regardless if your other half likes it or not?!
We don't have kids yet, but we have come to an agreement on this one. I won't name a kid without Sean's approval (and not begrudging make-the-wife-happy approval, real liking of the name). It's half his, right? Luckily, there's only one girl name that I have my heart set on, and he whole-heartedly likes it. After all, there's no sense fighting over that stuff before babies are even thought of.

3. What is your favorite type of weather?
Sunny, breezy, and hot. Honestly, 85-90 degrees is my favorite temperature. It's warm enough for shorts and capris, but also cool enough that I can wear pants if I'm not going to be outside all day. Breezy to keep the humidity down. And sun because I love it so much. I'm always happier when it's sunny out.

4. If left to your own devices, what time would you wake up every day?
Around 8 am. Maybe 9 at the latest. I'm definitely an early bird. With work though, I wake up between 5:30 and 6:15 each day, depending on when I need to be in.

5. Have you bought your cemetery plots yet?
Nope. And frankly, I'm kinda weirded out by the thought. I know we're gonna need them eventually, but we don't know where we're going to end up yet. We'll probably be more likely to buy them in our 40s or 50s.

My New Job!

2011-05-11T17:43:00.000-05:00

So if you couldn't tell from my last post, I got a new job.

I'm so excited. It's a management trainee position, which will open sooo many doors for me (both within the company and outside of it). I've only been there 3 days, but so far, I'm loving every second. It pays so much better (like $6 an hour better - which translates to FIFTEEN THOUSAND DOLLARS A YEAR), and it's much more rewarding.

As always, I won't share my company name, but I'm working with trucks (big trucks - semis and rentals), so it's way out of my area of expertise, but I'm loving learning about it all. I love that I'm moving around, checking them in, and figuring out what's going on with each one. I'm one of very few females, and I love that I get to joke around with the guys and there's no drama (or very little). Most of the people I work with are in their 20-30s, so it's a young crowd. And everyone has their degree! One of the things that really frustrated me with my old job was that I was working with people who never went to school (and it showed in professionalism, learning style, and communication style) yet getting paid that same thing. At my new job, a Bach is required, so everyone is on the same level as me. It's so refreshing! Everyone is upbeat and positive, and it's clearly not a dead-end job. And I still get to work with people. I love it. Seriously.

Though, I do need to go buy better shoes. We have to dress business casual, but the only suitable shoes I have are heels. I need either wedges or better fitting heels, as climbing in and out of semi cabs all day is not easy with heels. I feel like I'm making a mockery of myself! Thankfully Famous Footwear is having a sale, so I think we're gonna head over there tonight. My feet will love me so much after I get new kicks!

Doing the Debt Shuffle.

2011-05-10T07:50:00.001-05:00

Rich people shuffle money to make more of it. Poor people shuffle money to pay less.

With my new job, we'll have a lot more money coming into our lives. Enough money to actually start paying down our debts - not just paying the minimums. It's really exciting for us, because we're both determined to have most of my debt paid off before we start a family, and if my debt is gone, my credit will be good enough to purchase a house (which is also a personal requirement before kiddos).

Sean gets plenty of extra money to shuffle debt around - we're paying off his student loan and my loans with it. The idea is to get all of the student loans compounded together. His law loans don't accrue interest while he's in school, so we're actually saving money. By paying off my loans, we're eliminating all of our interest until he's out of school. My new income will go towards my car payment. Sean's car is paid off (and only has 70,000 miles on it - it will definitely last a good 6+ years longer), and we'll be able to pay my car off hopefully by the end of next summer (and it'll only be 3 years old!). Plus, of course, we'll be able to eat better and I'll be able to join a gym.

We're staying in our crappy apartment for now though. We're going to save all the money we can here, so we'll be able to buy a house right away in 2 years (um, have I mentioned that I'm married to a 2L now?!).

Guys, my paychecks are almost going to double. Double.

Five Question Friday.

2011-05-06T10:37:00.000-05:00

What's this? I'm doing something two weeks in a row?! Crazy talk. It's been a busy few days, and I'm so glad it's Friday, but here's my 5QF!

1. Have you ever had a roommate?
Oh yes. In my life, I've lived with Tanya, Lyndsey, Maddi, Jayme, and Allie (in that order). And now Sean, but since he's a husband, I guess he's not a roommate. Tanya was my dorm roommate freshman year of college. We were randomly assigned together, and actually worked perfectly. We both had boyfriends (who were long distance in the second semester), we were slightly messy but mostly clean, and we had our own lives outside of our room - there was no drama. It was easy for one of us to say "Hey boy is coming in this weekend, can you make yourself scarce?", and there was no offense taken. Lyndsey, Jayme, and Allie are my best friends. We lived together off and on (though I lived with L for three straight years) all through college, and I can say they were the best years of my life. I really miss living with my best friends. Seriously. (Oh, and Maddi was just a nut job)

2. How many names do you/your children have?
We don't have kids yet, but Sean and I both have 4 names. As Catholics, we're given a self-chosen name at our Confirmation - we were both 14 and in 8th grade. Mine is Anne, after Mary's mother and my own grandmother (the one whose ring I wear today). It's also the name of my aunt, who was my sponsor. Sean's is Michael, after the archangel. We have pretty traditional names, but there were people in our class who chose things like Gemma and Ada. My brother has Gregory. The only rule was that it had to be after a saint.

3. Did you watch the Royal Wedding?
Nope. I didn't care to be awake earlier than I needed to be. I did picture stalk though ;)

4. What is the messiest room in your house?
Our office. It's the catch-all room, which houses the things that a basement would (if we had one). It has boxes, wedding stuff, books we can't fit on shelves - SO much. Hopefully I'll get through it one day.

5. What is your ideal Mother's Day?
I'm not a mother, so I can't really answer that from that perspective. But from a child's - one that was without guilt. I feel like I'm always being guilted by our mother's because we don't see them enough, or that we spend too much time with one and not the other. I feel like I need to keep a time card with them.

Religious Intolerance

2011-05-01T21:00:00.000-05:00

Ah good old religion. It's something that's affected our world for thousands of years, and it is religious intolerance that brought along many the world's greatest events - both bad and good. Slavery in Egypt, destruction of paganism, crucifixion of Jesus (though, depending on your tolerance, it can be debated), burning nations due to the plaque, the Crusades, witch hunts, WWII - the list goes on. It happens at every level of society, in every religion, and it's something that seems to be unavoidable.

It's not surprising though. The very premise of religion insists that one must believe that their religion is the best. After all, if it's not the best, why would practice it? Why would you believe in the rituals, which to an outsider look absurd? The world order is based on becoming moderate - if you stick out too much, you can expect to be eaten (um, or persecuted, jailed, etc). Religion is a method for an outsider to feel included, and to be protected within his or her realm. Don't feel comfortable with something? Join a group of others like you. Then try to convince others to join.

I'm Catholic. I can nail you to any point as to "why my religion is better than yours" - but so can you. My religion, for all honesty, is no better than yours. It's simply different. I can also name a million different ways as to how our religions are parallel, and how they contrast. And that's okay. It's why I practice mine, and why you practice yours (or don't practice any at all). To me, religion is not so much about the belief system - it's about the community that surrounds it. Every religion has different people, and different communities - Catholics act differently than Wiccans, Baptists, and Mormons. We're all raised differently, we find different things acceptable, and we entertain ourselves in different ways. It's a culture.

My family went to a wedding this weekend. The B family is incredibly involved in our church. They sing in the choirs, they head up at least 2 of our annual volunteer committees, they're liaisons with the archdiocese, and all of the kids went to Catholic school. Their oldest daughter, A, went away to college, met, and got engaged to a man. But not a Catholic. A practicing member of the Mormon church. She converted, and they were married in the temple in St. Louis. In my opinion, it's a lovely way to incorporate two cultures. Maybe it's partially the fault of the bride and groom - they made no effort to let Mr. and Mrs. B know that they were welcome to come to the temple for pictures, and that they could wait outside or in a vestibule. Mr. and Mrs. B felt unwelcome, and as so, didn't go to their own daughter's wedding. There are no photos with them and the couple. My parents did nothing but talk terribly about the reception - but considering that the Bs came to my (big Catholic) reception, they felt like they had been shorted. It was mess - and no one was happy in the end. There was absolutely no compromise on either end - even though the guests were split half and half.

Weddings are supposed to be happy. If someone's belief is different from yours, suck it up and at least pretend to be happy. And if you're converting or marrying someone from a different faith, be respectful of ALL of the cultures and religions involved. Don't just stick your nose in the air.

::Steps off soapbox::

Five Question Friday.

2011-04-29T20:27:00.000-05:00

It's been forever since I did this. I've only actually done one. But I keep meaning to do more! Let's try and do this again - regularly!

1. If you could buy any car, money not an option, what would it be?

A refurbished 1965 Ford Galaxie 500 in burnt orange, with a white canvas convertible top. Specific enough for you? I can't help it. The angles. The color combo. The one-of-a-kind year model. The song. It's an absolutely beautiful car. Can you blame me?

(source)

2. What was your worst first date ever?

Oi. It was a blind date. My friend Dawn set me up with her boyfriend's cousin. We were...from different parts of town is a good way to describe him. I don't think he showered, he was overweight, and his teeth were six different shades of yellow and crooked. He was a hick, which would be fine, but we had nothing in common. It. was. awful.

3. How old were you when you fell in love for the first time?

I thought I was in love my freshman year of high school. Chris. It was my punk phase, and he was definitely part of it. He wore Vans and big baggy pants, always dressed in black. He could paint (yes paint) his nails better than I could, and (if it could get any crazier) he was a cutter. We met at a battle of the bands concert - but he lived in Saint Charles. As two freshmen, we couldn't see each other often. We broke up. It was a calm, cool one - it was quick. Until 3 months later (and 3 months after that, a few months after that, and finally again my junior year) when he would call me day and night for a week. Threatening harm to himself. *sigh* It was rough couple of years, which is why I never had a serious boyfriend after him until Sean.

Sean though. This is real love. I knew it before we even started dating. I knew it when he knelt down in front of my 3 year old sister and had a 15 minute conversation about The Land Before Time. I knew it when my grandpa died the day before a band competition. I was sitting by a tree while everyone else hung out - everyone kept coming up, asking if I was okay (of course I'm not okay, but I'm not going to tell you that). Sean came up, sat down, and let me cry on his shoulder. Never said a word. He didn't need to. Perfection.

4. When was the last time you reconciled your checkbook?

Honestly, I've never balanced a checkbook. Ever. That's what online banking is for.

And let's face it - I only write checks for rent anyway. :p

5. If you were going to fashion a "Wanted" Ad for a best friend, how would you word it?

No idea. You can't request best friends.

But, the person would have to have a marching background. It's a brain thing - it's how mine works. I need someone who has kids or desperately wants them in the future. One who believes in the goodness of love somewhere. And one who is willing to make standing dates (because I won't call you "out of the blue" to "catch up").

Truthfully.

2011-04-27T22:00:00.001-05:00

So I've spent the evening perusing Facebook. Stalking, if you will.

Checking out old grade school classmates, people I haven't spoken to in years.

And you know what? I don't care.

I love the people I've met, the friends I have, the husband I wed.

And truthfully, I'll never look back.

[but I kind of want to brag about how awesome I think my life is]

Latest Project (brought to you by wedding day left-overs)

2011-04-20T20:49:00.000-05:00

Check it out!!

We had quite a few bits and pieces of wedding lying around, so I decided to use some of it to fill an empty poster frame. The ribbon on the top and bottom edges are actually the wraps from my bridesmaids' bouquets, and the paper is stuff I had lying around. That brings the total cost to this project to absolutely ZERO! Love it!

I'm still to this day in complete love with my invitation suite. I designed it myself, and Sean's cousin printed it up. I can't put together enough words to say how glad I am that I did this. It. was. worth. it. And now, these gorgeous invitations and programs will be proudly displayed in our home.

Easter!!

2011-04-15T15:53:00.001-05:00

One of the worst parts about living away from our families is that we miss the holidays. I work on holidays too, so often times we celebrate them weird. We have so many holidays crammed into one day, trying to see everyone, and we have to drive 7 hours roundtrip for it. That leaves us cranky, annoyed, and probably not the best company.

This Easter, family is coming to us.

Sean's dad will be in South Korea (he's working on a new project there), so Sean's mom, grandma, brother, and sister-in-law will all be coming to see us here in KC!! We're super excited to host family. Sean's mom is the only one who's been to our new place, and Sean's grandma and sister-in-law haven't even been out here. We're really excited to host too. We can't wait to see everyone, and I'm having a blast prepping for it.

Today, I spent most of the day cleaning. I know this week is going to be really busy, so I want to get as much as I can done this weekend. I've done seven (!!!) loads of laundry, and cleaned the crap out of our bedroom, the kitchen, and the bathrooms. All that's left is the living room (which is mostly folded laundry), the office, and the floors.

I've also made a grocery list for our spectacular (and first) Easter dinner! We have to celebrate on Saturday, since I work Sunday (boo), but oh well. Since everyone will be in town, we're figuring we won't want to be in the kitchen all day. I've picked out super simple things we can make the day before!

Our main course will be a Parmesan-Sage pork loin, which is all crock pot, and has potatoes, carrots, and pears. We'll also have green bean casserole, which we prep the day before and just pop in the oven. Of course I'm going to make cheesy garlic rolls, but I'll just make them on Friday and pop them in the oven before dinner to warm them up! Hopefully we won't all be too full to drag ourselves to Easter Vigil mass at 8:30...we'll see though ;)

I still need to decide on a dessert though ;) I'm thinking of a pretty cake that can sit in my cake stand! Teehee.

Man. I'm such a nerd.

Dining "Area" Glory

2011-04-08T20:44:00.000-05:00

Sean and I have one of those apartments with the "open" concept - we have a kitchen/living room/dining room area. A breakfast bar (and tiled floor) separates the kitchen, but our living room/dining area is all together. We usually just push our couch back to nearly where the table is, but Sean's mom is planning to come in for Easter, and we needed to do some sprucing.

I've been looking for a fun craft, and I came across the Etsy page of ItzFitz, and her gorgeous yarn wreaths.

Um, hello craftspiration! I've been looking for you lately :p

I found the perfect tutorial over at DanielleBurkleo, and with some left over yarn, I made a gorgeous wreath. For $6. Fan-freaking-tastic.

First, you'll need a foam wreath. I bought this one for $5 at Hobby Lobby. It doesn't matter if it has nicks or anything, because you'll be covering them. I wanted a multi-colored wreath, so I divided my circle into 10 parts - don't worry about measuring. In this, perfection isn't necessary.

I hot glued the first piece of yarn to the wreath. To prevent it from slipping around, I thumbtacked the first piece of yarn down. And then, you wrap. Here's what it looks like two sections in:

Pretty soon, you have a gorgeous wreath. I added a few felt flowers from the tutorial for good measure.

And then I hung it up on our wall using some ribbon that was hanging around

I love our little set up (please disregard the laundry). Thanks to our new table runner (which don't hang off the table like any other runner, because ours is so massive), it's really coming together! Now I just need to find something to go in that cake stand when there's not a cake. I'm also planning on adding a bit of lace or something to the votives. And maybe, you know, actually hang those pictures.

Recipe Book Progress

2011-04-06T16:35:00.000-05:00

Remember how I said one of my goals was to make a recipe book?

Well I've been working on it a lot here lately, and I have to say, it's made some pretty awesome progress.

A lot of the book itself is based off of TasteBook, which is essentially a recipe binder maker site. It does exactly what I'm doing - professionally. The reason I didn't go with them? I wanted to be able to print off copies of these recipes at any time. I have this fear of companies like this going out of business...yes, I can order 5 now, but in 20 years when my kids want one, will I be able to get it?

I'll always be able to open a Word Document.

So I opened up my handy Photoshop, made several banners (I color coordinated the sections of the book), imported them into a word document, and then turned that into a Word Template. That way, I could ensure every one of them is the same - and I can give each person a disk with the templates, and they can create their own additional pages.

I've created 10 categories for my recipe book (some of which are drastically empty, because I don't cook things out of them often):
Brunch and Breads
Appetizers and Drinks
Soups and Salads
Sides
Pasta, Rice, and Beans
Fish and Seafood (this would be an empty one, because Sean doesn't like them)
Meat and Poultry
Desserts
Crock Pot
Everything Else

My Everything Else section has measure conversions, ingredient substitutions, and recipes for things like chili sauce. I'm trying to find a catchier name, mostly because I want it at the front of the book, but I can't figure one out :\

I've imported all of my standard, go-to recipes, and now I'm cruising the web for a few additional ones. Every time I see a good one - into the book it goes! Now if only I could get my sisters-in-law and mother-in-law to send me theirs...

Anyway. Want to see a page?

It's a bit shortened, cause the rest of the page is blank space. But that's the banner I'm using (ahem, and created myself). It's simple but adorable at the same time. It adds interest to the page too. Each section is color coded and desserts just happen to be bright purple :)

We plan on getting personalized recipe binders from Zazzle - that way we can each have our own personal ones! I love that you can change the type, and so first names, last names, and clever recipe book titles are all possibilities. I haven't decided on which one I want - I like WAY too many of them. They're 1.5" binders too, so there's plenty of room for all the pages we could ever need.

I'm super excited about how it's coming along...I can't wait until it's finished!

Wanting to be Kitsch.

2011-04-05T20:49:00.000-05:00

Have you noticed that "kitsch" is the new thing? The fabric scraps, the yarn, the animal ceramics painted strange colors...it's all "in". Vintagy with a modern twist. Funky, but fresh.

I love it.

And I hate it.

It sounds bizarre doesn't it? I love things like:

(source, source, source)

The problem? It's really not me. I'd feel like I was trying to hard or something if I decorated my house like this...because it's not who I am. Sean defines it as "single me" - the way I would have decorated if I wasn't concerned about others.

It's partially true. Maybe my style would have evolved to this if I didn't consider Sean's tastes (we do, after all, share a home). Maybe I just don't like the idea of spending money on things that will be out of style in a few years. Maybe I just can't help but think of the clutter in my grandma's home when I see photos like this.

I think what it comes down to is that I like the idea of kitsch. I like that it's homemade. I like that it can be changed. I like that most of it is "upcycling".

But it doesn't belong in my life. It doesn't belong in my home. I'm much more of a "classy" and "modern" person.

But that doesn't mean I can't swoon every time I see a felt-covered, ribbon-wrapped, thrift-store saved pretty thing.

Baked Mac n Cheese

2011-04-03T20:55:00.000-05:00

Last week, in the effort of finding a home-cooked, Lenten meal that wasn't grilled cheese and tomato soup, I ventured into an unknown world. The world of baked mac n cheese. And, if I do say so myself, I came out on top.

I grew up in a world without baked mac n cheese. So did Sean. To be honest, it didn't even occur to me that mac n cheese even existed before Kraft until, oh, maybe a year ago. Here I was, a grown adult, wandering through life thinking Kraft invented the cheesy goodness.

Right. Sheltered. Check.

Anyway. On a forum I follow, there was thread of people practically begging for good mac n cheese recipes. I mentally filed it away, vowing that I would make this homemade goodness someday.

Today.

While I'm biased (because this is the only baked mac n cheese I've ever had), this is the most amazing recipe ever. I started out with an Alton Brown recipe, and seeing as he holds the rank of god in the cooking world, one can't go wrong. I modified it slightly - half out of laziness, half because we didn't have some ingredients. The biggest problem with this recipe? Not eating the entire batch at once.

Baked Mac N Cheese

Ingredients:
1/2 lb elbow macaroni noodles
3 tbsp of butter
3 tbsp of flour
3 cups of milk
3 tsp onion powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp Lowery salt
1/2 tsp cumin
1 bay leaf
12 oz of shredded cheese (I used Colby-Jack, but Sharp Cheddar would be awesome too!)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
Topping:
3 tbsp butter
1 cup crushed Ritz crackers (I added 2 tbsps of Italian breadcrumbs too)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 2 qt casserole dish (or an 8 x 8 baking dish).

In a pot of boiling water, cook the pasta to al dente - about 7 minutes. Drain and set aside.

In a separate pot (no smaller than 1 1/2 qts!), melt the butter. Whisk in flour, continuously stirring for about 5 minutes. It'll be dry and crumbly, like this:

Stir in the milk, bay leaf, and seasonings. Let simmer for 10 minutes, then remove bay leaf.

Stir in 2/3 of the cheese, then fold in the macaroni. Pour into casserole pan and top with remaining cheese. In this step, it looks super goopy - but that leads it to be amazingly cheesy after baking!

Melt the topping butter in another saucepan. Stir in the cracker crumbs or bread crumbs until coated. Spread on top of macaroni mixture.

Bake in over for about 30 minutes, then let sit 5-10 minutes before serving.

Delicious!!

Eye on the Prize.

2011-04-02T14:03:00.000-05:00

This morning (oh wait, it's already afternoon), I'm sitting on my couch enjoying my coffee, and watching 30 Rock on Netflix with my husband.

My couch from college. My couch that was bought for $30 from our youth group garage sale at my parents' church. The couch that had been in the old convent for who knows how long - and has had generations of yg kids, quilting ladies, and other various church groups sit on it. It's had a great life. But it's also been a long one. This couch is easily from the 70s, if not before. It's bright blue. The stuffing is falling out, and now that it no longer sits against a wall, the back is bowed.

It's kind of frightening to sit in.

And so we're looking at a new couch. It really makes me sad, cause I looove my blue couch. I want to keep it. I'm gonna try my hardest to keep it in the office (so that one day it can make it into a basement). As much as I love it though, one thing is for certain - it is no longer fit to be our primary, living room, company-seeing couch. It is nearing retirement.

But being the poor college grads that we are, we don't really have the money. Scratch that actually. We have the money in a saving account, but we're saving that in case something comes up (like Sean's loan situation. Ugh.). However, I'm on the job hunt. If I can get something that covers our bills, we'll be buying a new couch the day I sign that contract! lol.

Anyway. Now that we live in KC, we're privy to one of the most awesome furniture stores ever - Nebraska Furniture Mart. Our friends Beth and Dan get major discounts there (maybe cause they bought nearly their entire house from there :p), and offered to let us use one if we choose - and getting a credit card there would knock the price further. We're considering a sectional, but we'd be okay with a regular couch too - it depends on what we end up liking best I suppose. So what are we leaning towards?

In sectional world, we like this:

This sectional is a little pricey at $669, but we love the look of leather on bottom and microfiber on top. It's classy AND comfy, in our opinions. It's what we'll be looking for in most of our options. A lot of people don't like the separate pillows from the back, but it's what we have now, and we really enjoy it. It's a couch that can be instantly widened for afternoon naps by tossing a pillow over the back. And it's easily cleaned and changed up. Love all around.

On the less pricey, sofa side of the spectrum, we have options like this:

This sofa is only $349, and much more affordable. And essentially the mini me of the above sectional.

There's also this baby.

And contrary to the picture above, it's actually more of a light tan, cream colored couch. Here's a photo of the entire set, which clearly would never fit into our tiny living room. This one's $389.

Of course, there are plenty of options other than NFM, so it's possible we'll be looking elsewhere too. But we have a great idea of what we want. Provided of course, that I get a new job.

::sigh:: Oh contingencies.

Frustrated.

2011-03-26T16:39:00.000-05:00

Today, I'm frustrated.

I'm frustrated that I don't make enough money to do the things I want, and that I don't get paid for my degree.

I'm frustrated that I can't be in Georgia with my best friends.

I'm frustrated that I can't be in StP for my sister in law on her shot night.

I'm frustrated that I can't find my Costco card.

I'm frustrated that there's mold growing on our bedroom wall, who knows from what. (We just found it - calling maintenance on Monday!)

I'm frustrated that no matter how much I clean, our apartment still feels dirty.

I'm frustrated because I feel like I really don't have any friends anymore. And it kills me so. freaking. much.

I'm just frustrated with life.

Ugh.

New Passport!

2011-03-23T19:20:00.000-05:00

I just got my passport in the mail!

I'm super excited about it, mostly because it means thundercats are go for our honeymoon in August! It's also one of the new, fancy ones with a microchip (hence the little flag looking thing). It cost $110 for the book (if you only plan on going to Mexico and/or Canada, opt for the Passport Card, which is a much cheaper alternative), but since our travels will be in Europe, it was required. And since I was getting the book, I didn't bother with the card. Hah!

It was actually a really simple process. I already had a passport, so technically all I was doing was renewing mine with a name change. Because of that I could A) mail it in, and B) identification parts weren't needed - I didn't need to gather up my birth certificate or anything like that. All I had to do was send away my previous passport, my marriage license (ie, proof of name change), two photos, the DS-82 form, and a nice, hefty personal check. I also had my photos taken at CVS - the $10 made my life simpler, and I didn't need to worry about them being returned for not being properly sized and whatnot.

It took less than a month for me to get my passport back (though, for the record, I still haven't gotten back my marriage license. It should come back in a separate envelope in a few days).

It's nifty, and it has my new name! I love all of the holographics on the US passports...even if they make me look like an oompa loompa with nearly blonde hair (wtf?!). The coloring is a little off, clearly.

So now, I'm only 1 step away from changing my name on everything - all I have left is my car title. Which, coincidently, is being changed on Friday. I wouldn't bother, but when we refinanced my car, they offered to pay for the change - done!

The Greatest Shower Gift Ever.

2011-03-21T17:36:00.000-05:00

Yep, this post was written in March, when my shower was in November. Get over it, I was planning a wedding.

So, my bridesmaid Allie gave me what is quite possibly the best shower gift ever. And if any of you ever need to come up with an easy shower gift for a bride, I highly highly highly highly recommend this one.

I received a shiny box.

But the shiny box wasn't the cool part. The cool part was what was inside the shiny box (duh).

It was a thank you note kit!!

Inside, the box held thank you notes, addressed envelopes, and forever stamps. I had to add a few envelopes (a few older cousins bought their own gifts, so I wrote them their own notes). But seriously. It saved me a ton of time having to address envelopes, and I didn't need to go buy cards or stamps so I was able to start writing them right away.

It wasn't very expensive. It wasn't very complicated. But it was very very helpful, and to me, meaningful. It was useful.

Get this gift. No bride will ever complain.

P.S. Will someone get me this as a shower gift when I have babies? That'd be great. Thanks.

The Thank You notes are GONE.

2011-03-21T17:15:00.001-05:00

Thank. God.

Okay. Let me preface this post by saying this: I think thank you notes are incredibly important. I don't expect them for annual events (like birthdays, Christmas, or Halloween - which my family sends cards for), but I do expect them for unusual circumstances. When I graduated, I sent thank you cards. When I had my bridal shower, I sent thank you cards (which was made SUPER easy by my bridesmaid's awesome gift - which I never posted about. sad. I'll do a back post!), and now that I've gotten married - you guessed it - thank you cards. It makes me livid when people don't send thank yous for the big events. Someone took the time to A) schedule time to attend your event, B) travel to your event, and (most likely) C) pick out and purchase a gift, for you. And you can't bother to write one lousy note? I'll even take a typed generic note!

/rant.

Okay. So. I've spent the last 2 1/2 months writing thank you notes. I bought a big box of standard, pretty cards from Michaels, punched a circle out of cardstock, stamped (and embossed) a Thank You on the front, added a touch of ribbon, and voila! Thank you cards.

83 cards.

That's a helluva lot of thank yous!! But I'm so grateful to be able to thank so many people...it means we're that loved. Which makes me feel awesome.

Adios!!

Seasoning a Wood Chopping Block

2011-03-19T14:20:00.000-05:00

For our wedding, we received a gorgeous wood chopping block. It's an end grain chopping block, which means that, unlike plastic or edge grain, it won't dull the knives we use. It absorbs the impact of the knife, which is really cool. I think it kind of looks like a parquet floor, and it's very classy. It looks a lot like this:

There is, however, a downfall to having a nice, wood chopping block. Like all nice things, it needs a little more TLC. In this case, it needs to be seasoned.

A wood chopping block doesn't have to be seasoned. But, an unseasoned board is more likely to crack and warp, and a cracked board can harbor bacteria and other nasty stuff. If a board is cracked, it can still be seasoned, but it needs to be sanded down first.

And so I broke out the google, and figured out what I needed to do. I was hoping for an Alton Brown tutorial (which is how we seasoned our cast iron skillet), but no such luck. So after scouring the interwebs, I've figured out the best way.

1. Get your hands on some mineral oil. Don't know what mineral oil is? Neither did I. It's actually - wait for it - a laxative. Yep. I freaked. But I scoured google a bit more, and seriously, that's what you use. But it makes sense - it's food safe, it's odorless, and it's tasteless. So buy yourself a bottle awkwardly at CVS or your local drugstore.

2. Heat a bit of oil in a bowl for about 20 seconds. It should be slightly warm, but not boiling. Find a clean cloth (I used a cheapo washcloth from the dollar store), and rub the oil onto the wood. Every inch of the wood. It'll soak right in most likely, but if there's a bit left on the surface, wipe it off with a paper towel.

3. Now. Wait six hours, and do it again. Repeat. And repeat again. It needs to be done 4-6 times the first time you season a chopping block (with six hours in between), and then once a month afterward. Or if your wood ever starts to feel dry.

The wood on the block will darker once it's seasoned, but that's okay. Also, you can't submerge the wood (wood soaks up water, which causes it to crack), so if when it needs to be cleaned, just used a damp cloth or a spray bottle with vinegar.

Once it's done the first time, it's really easy to take care of. It just needs a bit of TLC to be awesome. Love my new chopping block!

Student Loan Blues.

2011-03-18T09:41:00.001-05:00

Sean and I learned this week that we have to start paying back some of his loans.

*screech* what? Isn't he still in school?

Yea, yea he is. And he's still a full time student. Which, by federal loan standards, means that he's eligible for deferment. Except. Oh except my wonderful husband doesn't have just federal loans. Oh no. He had to go and get private loans for school. Which, ladies and gents, only have to defer for a mere five years. This would be fine at all, if he had gone into the workforce after a bachelor's degree. But it doesn't account, or help, those students like him going for graduate degrees.

Big. Fat. UGH.

Sean ran into the problem during undergrad that his parents made too much to qualify him for standard federal loans, but they were only willing to help him part of the way through school. Which means he had to find a way to make ends meet for tuition purposes. Because he was still classified as a dependent, his parents' earnings affected him 100%. Though we're grateful that they did help quite a bit (they paid for about 1/2 his education), that still left the other half...funded by private loans.

The loan is about $25k, which is chump change is student loan world, but it's still another $169 a month we have to figure out. And because it's a private loan (once again, I HATE the word private), it's not eligible for income-based repayment plans (like my awesome federal loan). Thankfully, it has a ridiculously low interest rate, but it's still painful. (oh, and did I mention that if we pay extra, it doesn't go to principle? EFF!)

Basically, at this point, we have a few options. We have enough with savings and loan extra to make it. But we don't want to rely on that. I'm looking for a new job. I've come to actually enjoy my current job, but it just doesn't cut it bill-wise. I need a job that actually, you know, requires a degree, and maybe a touch of critical thinking. If I can't find a new full time job by the end of April, I'll be applying for second jobs (preferably at a place that gives employee discounts too!). Over the summer, Sean will have both class and hopefully a job/internship at a local law firm. He'll be really busy, so us not having as much time won't be as much of an issue, because we already won't be having time together.

In order to live comfortably, we need to bring another ~$500 a month. It can easily be done with his student loans, but we'd rather avoid that. I know that next year we'll get better loans and all (though not grants, because it's graduate school), but we have to make it through this year too. If he takes two classes this summer, he's full time, and gets loans at that point too.

It'll work. I mean, clearly, we have to make it work. There are thousands of people that are far more in debt than we are. But neither of us ever want to get behind on bills, and we want to have decent credit to buy a home in a few years. So work our tails off we will. We're getting rid of this debt dammit!!

St. Patty's Day - The STL Way!!

2011-03-12T22:22:00.001-06:00

Today is Sean's sister's 21st birthday. Katie is an Irish girl. Her first tattoo was a four leaf clover. She's proud of all of her heritage (not just the drinking part), and loves anything and everything to do with her Irish family. Today is also the beginning of the St. Patty's day celebrations in StL.

One of the best parts about StL (in my opinion) is the rich heritage we have. We celebrate Mardi Gras and St. Patrick's day, both with the 2nd largest festivals in the nation (and Thanksgiving too). We're a huge Irish and French city, both with deep ties to Catholicism, and it's such a large part of the city. Everyone comes together, not just the people of one religion or one descent. And yes, alcohol may be a large part of it - but anything that brings that wide of variety of people together has to be good.

Today was the day of the downtown parade. Dogtown (our little Ireland) will have their own parade on the 17th, but downtown celebrates theirs the Saturday before. We met up with Sean's aunt and cousins, and Katie's boyfriend's family, and Katie's friend's family - all under one tent (complete with their own port-a-potty!). It was a great time. We had a blast seeing everyone, and it was really awesome to have such awesome family around.

Family <3

To Stay or Go

2011-03-04T10:37:00.000-06:00

Sean and I, like most young people, live in an apartment. We moved here in September - we have a 1,000 sq foot, two bed-two bath basement apartment. It's not in the nicest part of town (read: there are nearly always cops patroling), but it's not the worst place I've lived in (there's no parties, and I've yet to hear gunshots). Right now, the biggest discussion on our minds is moving. Sean hates it here. He wants to buy (or at least rent) a house, and wants a yard for his own. He wants to live somewhere nicer. I've moved 4 times in the last 4 years, and frankly, I'd like to stay put. I'm tired of moving. I mean, we're not even completely unpacked here yet.

I've lived in an apartment for the past 4 years, and while I don't want to be in one for the rest of my life, apartment living doesn't bother me. It's easy, low-maintence, inexpensive. There's only two of us and a kitty, so we're not hurting for room. We want to move back to StP in a few years too, and an apartment doesn't have any responsibility. It's more liquid (which is ironic, because our apartment actually flooded last weekend). Like I said before, I'm tired of moving. I want to be more permanent.

Sean, on the other hand, has lived in a duplex for 6 months. He claims to have lived in an apartment for another 6 months while they were building their home, but to be honest, that was the summer he got sick (so he was what, 8?) - he was in the hospital/practically unconscious for at least 3 of those months. He complains about the apartment ALL the time. About the kids running around, about hearing the neighbors vacuum, about hearing people outside. His duplex living was with his brother and friend, and they lived in a sh*thole - but mostly it was the fact that 3 college age guys were living together.

I know that Sean isn't a fan of where we live now, but I think it's more that he hates apartment living all together, rather than the place we're at. We were at a much nicer place first (paying $300 a month more), and he complained there too. We have a downpayment saved up, but we put it in a CD - it's untouchable until August of 2012. At that point, we'll only have a year of left of school. I don't want to buy a house and move 2 years later - we won't be able to afford that.

I just don't know how to get it through to him. I don't know what ways I can explain to him that we can't afford a house, that it's not the right choice for us yet, and that, however crappy it is, I'd rather stay here for a while. He's stubborn, and his eyes are too big for his (my?) wallet sometimes.

Erg.

# 3. Buy a New Mac.

2011-02-26T20:32:00.001-06:00

I've officially been a Mac user since the summer before my freshman year of college. For those of you that are counting, that's 5 years ago. Five years, is, in laptop land, practically ancient. My laptop was my primary (as in only) computer all throughout college - I took it to class every single day, and wrote nearly all of my notes in every class on it. That's seven semesters of school, with 5 classes each (approximately - I had a few semesters with 4 classes, but I also took a few summer courses). In any case, that's roughly 240 classes a semester that my baby went to. I designed all of my wedding on the computer - the stationary, the organization, and the correspondence. It was the start of my blog, of my emails, and of my facebook. It held more photos than one can count.

My laptop has had a great life, and it's been very good to me. But it's also had a rough life. I've carried and lugged it everywhere. Throughout school, my laptop was nearly always with me - 12-14 hour days. It's been bent, scratched, and dented. The USB ports are at angles, it's second battery only has about a 45 minute life span, and it's on it's 3rd power cord. all 80 gigs of it are full, and it's made a clicking sound as the fan dies for the last year or so. It's running Tiger OS. Last week, the airport died - meaning my laptop has to be plugged into an ethernet port in order to connect to the internet world.

And so I took a trip to the Apple store.

With Sean being in school, we still get the discount for Apple products. There was a really small price difference between the old one and the new one, so we just opted for the newer one. I downgraded to a nice little 13" MacBook Pro, and I absolutely love it. I'm still keeping my old one for now, and slowly moving things from one computer to the other.

I hate spending such a large amount of money, but I know that we have it available. I just need to tell myself that it's okay to do it sometimes. I love my new lappy though. It's a great birthday gift to myself :)

Turning it down

2011-02-19T22:50:00.000-06:00

I did end up getting the promotion. I turned it down.

Many of you probably think I'm nuts, but it just wasn't right for me. It would require me to work Thursday - Monday, and I'm already annoyed with having to work on Sunday. But no weekend days off? I would rarely see Sean, and I would almost never be able to come home without taking vacation. Plus, it was only a 10% raise - which on my salary, isn't much. I'd lose most of my bonuses too, which add nearly $300 to my monthly income.

Basically, money isn't everything. I had to weigh my pros and cons, and I just wouldn't have been happy. I almost cried (and not tears of joy) when they offered it - I didn't want to make the decision. But I did. I did it for my sanity, for our relationship, for my family.

And now, while I love my job as a training mentor, I will most likely start to look for another job. I think I'll call up UMKC career center too. I need something that pays more, and preferably with weekends off. My job has been great breaking into the world, but I'm realizing that I'm getting nowhere fast - and it's frustrating to work somewhere that doesn't have require a degree when I have one.

Here's to the best - we shall see what happens!

A Full Weekend Off

2011-02-13T14:23:00.000-06:00

My normal schedule is Sunday - Thursday. My weekend is generally Friday and Saturday, which has both is good and bad points. It's awesome, because I get Friday to myself. I can craft, shop, do laundry, and clean in peace, without Sean. It's great to have the time to wind down from a hectic week, and I love it so. It also leaves Sean free on Sunday, which means that he can save his weekend homework, and we actually spend time together. Plus, Sundays at work are usually pretty slow, which is nice to ease into the workweek with.

It also means, however, that we go to mass on Saturday nights. And for some reason, our Saturday night masses is like the geriatrics league - there's so many old people! Sean doesn't mind the traditional, slower paced masses, but I much prefer upbeat. It's also really really hard to see everyone talking about lazy Sundays when I'm stuck at work - I'd much rather be home with my husband and kitten. Knowing I'm not the only person that has a sucky shift definitely helps, but still. I want my Sunday mornings back.

This week I have them. One of the trainers at my work is out of town (training people in Jacksonville), and with the snow storm, one of the training classes was delayed. This means there's currently two classes...and one trainer. They asked if I would be willing to change my schedule to help out, and I jumped at the chance. I would love to get into training in the future, and this is a great opportunity to get the experience and boost my reputation at work. The people I'm training are on a great track, and with a little practice, will be fantastic reps. It also gives me the chance to brush up on my knowledge and learn the new tricks that have come out - because they don't always get forwarded to the floor.

Ideally, I'll be helping this week and next - but I also applied for a promotion to another work group. If I get that, my training stint will likely end on Wednesday. I almost don't want it to. In fact, while I would be excited to get the promotion, I'm not 100% sure it would be the best move for me. We shall see, I suppose. It's not like I can worry about it right now anyway.

Anyway, I have a lot to do today. Yesterday we enjoyed the weather, but that means I'm so far behind today. I'm going to make a pot of chili for a coworker who is going through a rough time, prep dinner for tomorrow, and go to Michaels for some thank you note supplies, as well as supplies for Katie's 21st birthday shot book. Crafty times!!

Honeymoon Excitement

2011-02-06T20:38:00.001-06:00

Generally, one honeymoons right after the wedding. Due to work, law school, and getting married in the middle of the freaking winter, we're (obviously) not following that course of action. Our 'mooning plans have been postponed until August, in order to give us A) time to save and B) a better schedule to work around. Now, plans have just been finalized, and I'm here to reveal our honeymoon destination!!

Where might we be going? Here's a hint:

(source)

Oh, and this isn't just any cruise folks. Oh no.

This is a cruise aboard this ship:

(source)

That's right. We're going on a Disney cruise.

Sean and I will be adventuring to the Mediterranean, on a 7-night Disney cruise.

I was very leery about doing a cruise for the honeymoon (and, at first, adamant that we would not do one), but this one is different I feel. We'll be docked by 8 am every morning, so we'll spend a majority of our day at the ports of call. If I do get seasick, it will only be at night (and the ocean will be calmer). Because we'll be flying on Disney Air, if the flight is delayed, the ship waits for us. Plus, it's the only way we'd be able to see all of these places in just one week.

And it's Disney. Sean proposed in Disney World (the first time). I love Disney. We're planning on buying the Disney vacation plan, so we can go there much more often.

So where will we be going?

(source)

We'll be flying into (and out of) Barcelona, Spain. We're really hoping that we'll have time to explore a bit, but we're not entirely sure.

Our first stop will be Villefranche, France (not Cannes, like the map says). It's the port for Monoco and Nice.

Next, we'll head over to La Spezia, Italy, which is home to Pisa and Florence.

Our next stop will be Civitavecchia, Italy, which is port of call for Rome (and, more important to us, Vatican City!!)

Following that, we'll be off to Naples, Italy, with hopes of going to Pompeii.

We'll get a day at sea (our only one!), followed by a stop in Palma, which is a Spanish island.

The back to Barcelona, where we'll catch our flight home!

The Disney cruise won't be cheap (that's for sure), but we've got the ability to do it. Sean's parents were amazingly generous, and gifted us almost the entire amount (actually, it covers everything except one of our flights to Europe). By saving up and waiting to take our honeymoon in August, it really helps too. It's going to be fantastic and I can't wait!

#80. Refinance My Car

2011-02-05T11:16:00.000-06:00

When Sean and I were looking for new insurance after we got married, we were looking for a lot of different things. Yes, we wanted low rates, but we wanted other things too. We wanted a real person - and preferably a young person. We both want to support our generation breaking into careers, and we know that it's hard with the baby boomers still lingering around in the job field (aren't they supposed to retire or something? ugh). We also wanted renters' insurance, because we don't live in the nicest area, and we can't afford to replace our things in case of a fire or whatnot - and you're responsible for that (not the apartment complex people!). Another thing we wanted was a national company. We know we're probably going to move in the next few years, and we'd rather not switch if we don't need to. We ran our quotes through their websites, and compared each one with what they offer.

We ended up with State Farm. Not only is the agent from StL (woot woot hometown love!), but he's our age. Paul's actually not the agent himself, he's more of an apprentice, but we like him (and Chad, the agent) nonetheless. We've got everything we need for less than $200 a month, which is a great deal.

What we didn't know when we signed up, however, is that State Farm refinances car loans.

Even though my dad is a cosigner on my car loan, I didn't have any credit yet and I didn't put any money down on my car. I had a terrible interest rate too. I needed it though. I'll never buy a used car (we've had major problems in the past, and I love knowing that if anything happens, my warranty will cover it for the next 5 years). I can budget my car payment each month, but I can't budget for what ifs on a car very well. The new car just works better for me, especially peace of mind wise, and I know that we'll be able to drive it for at least another 8 years - on the short end.

Long story short, my dad is no longer a cosigner and my loan interest rate dropped around 2.5%. While the payments don't change much, we also knocked a year off the loan (going from a 6 year to a 5 year). I'll still pay what I'm paying now though (which was already more than the minimum), with hopes of getting it paid off even sooner. I'm also hoping to put at least half of my tax refund towards the car as well. I figure the sooner I can pay it off the better. Theeen I get to start on school loans with full force. Eesh.

Snowmageddon.

2011-02-04T11:15:00.000-06:00

Tuesday, the KC area got hit with roughly 16" of snow. I know some people don't think that's a lot, but for a bustling city that has to continue to work, it's crippling. As most of you know, I work at a security company. It's means I'm DoD cleared, have great benefits, etc. But it also means that I don't get holidays or snow days, because security is 24/7/365. I left for work Tuesday morning without even a snowflake in the air. I really didn't want to go, because I knew that the snow was aiming for us. But, I've already used one sick day for snow this year, and I'm really trying to save it all for the honeymoon. Also, I'm trying to get that promotion, and I knew it would look really good (and I have an interview for it today!). So I went.

(Did I mention that we were already declared a state of emergency? At that the NatGuard was in KC?)

By noon, there was 4" of snow on the ground, and I knew I wasn't getting home. Colleen and I booked a hotel room across the street (only $10 a piece thanks to my work!). We both had to work in the morning anyway, and it worked out for the best. Work gave us free pizza for dinner and a free meal the next day, and I got a few overtime hours in on top of it. Wednesday, all of the managers rounded up shovels and tow ropes and dug everyone out (while on the clock too - yes!). When I opened my car door, snow literally fell in. We had such high winds that there were snow drifts everywhere. Mostly the snow stopped around my knees, but at some points it was up to my hips - my hips people!

Wal-Mart closed.

I was so glad to get home Wednesday night. Sean cooked, and I spent the night with a long, hot shower, snuggled under blankets, and watching movies.

The city is mostly drivable, but there are still a ton of snow piles, and a few buried cars. There's supposed to be more snow next week sometime, but hopefully that fizzles out. I'm done with snow. Can I move south?

How Does It Feel...

2011-01-30T20:08:00.000-06:00

"How does it feel now that you're Mrs. B?"

I cannot emphasize enough how annoyed I am with this question.

Why is it that all of the sudden that my last name has changed that people seem to think I'm a different person? Just because my last name has shortened by 7 letters doesn't mean that I've changed, or that my interests have changed, or that my personality has changed. There's no difference (except jaws don't drop when I say my last name :p). It frustrates me that everyone seems to think that I'm a completely different person, and therefore, I need to be treated as such.

On another note...what if I hadn't changed my last name? Can you imagine how inconsiderate that would be?

I am Amanda.
Me.
Regardless of my last name, I am still the same person.

To anyone who has friends that are going to be getting married soon, do them a favor - quit talking about their last name, and how their last names are affecting who they are.

Snippets

2011-01-25T17:52:00.000-06:00

-My manager is making me apply for a promotion at work...but I don't meet the qualifications and I'm not even sure I want the promotion. Yes, it means better pay (it would be the highest paid hourly position in the company). But it also means I can't have 2 days off in a row. I'm going for it though, and need to do a resume tonight.

-Sometimes, I seriously miss living with my girlfriends. Like now. Sean's out with law buddies tonight though, so I'm soaking in my me time. I didn't think I'd ever say it, but I kinda miss the independence of the LDR.

-Speaking of, I'm starting date nights with myself. Probably Bread Co. or B&N dates, but it shall be lovely. Thursday is my first one (then margaritas with Colleen after!)

-I'm starting knitting again. This is my newest project. It's going to be super challenging - I've never used DPNs, circular needles, OR done colorwork. I'm knitting them in purple and gray.

-I really need to work on thank you cards. Like, seriously. I bought some today though!

-I have house fever. We got enough from the wedding for a down payment on a house, and house prices here are super cheap - we could easily afford it. But we really want to go back to StP after Sean's done with school...and don't want to be stuck trying to sell a house.

That's about it. I'm gonna go scrounge up an amazingly unhealthy dinner and work on my resume with a glass of wine...what a terrible life! :p

#13. Send a future email - for me to get on my wedding day.

2011-01-22T12:06:00.000-06:00

I did this one folks. I sent the email around the 4 month mark, and I'm really glad I did. I ended up getting my future email at around 9 am - right when the day was getting hectic. I knew it was coming - I don't forget things like that. What I had forgotten, however, was what was in the email. The 4 months ago me was smart though - she knew exactly what I needed to hear.

Basically, it was short and sweet, but it told me to relax. And while everyone and their (and my!) mother was telling me to relax, nothing does it as well as my own self. Only I can talk myself through things like that.

If you have a stressful event coming up, I totally recommend this. Seriously.

My Car's Back!!

2011-01-18T17:45:00.000-06:00

Remember when my car got slaughered on Christmas Eve?

It looked like this:

A little over 3 weeks later, I finally got my car back. I needed pretty much everything in the back of the car replaced, including brake hoses. Incredible. There was almost $7,000 worth of damaged, and they were using used parts for the quarter panel and taillights. Thank god for insurance. It's quite wonderful.

We were supposed to pick it up this past weekend, though shop was closed (miscommunication on EVERY possible level). It actually ended up working out though, cause our bridal party bought us a huge tv and it wouldn't fit in my car anyway. We borrowed my dad's truck to take it and the rest of our gifts home (much to his dismay lol), and my dad brought my car to me today. Yea, he'll have driven over 7 hours today. I'm really grateful for it. We had to return the rental on Thursday, when my car was finished, and well, Sean and I have to have 2 cars with our schedules (unless Sean wants to be at school at a quarter to six...).

So we're back to our normal selves, a two car family. It might not be required for everyone, but for us, it is. And I'm so relieved.

Homemade Recipe Book

2011-01-15T16:43:00.001-06:00

For the longest time, I never really understood why people wanted their own recipe books. I mean, it always seemed to be that the red and white checkered book had every possible recipe, and clearly that's what everyone made. I mean, my grandparents still made all of our food back then, and for some reason I thought that it was inherent that my parents knew the recipes too. I mean, clearly, I was only fifteen with these beliefs, but they seemed pretty sane to me.

And then grandma died. And with my grandma, went the McCormick Coleslaw. I do not like coleslaw myself, but every time my mom cooks, she talks about this slaw. It was a recipe that was never written down. My grandma's heart stopped beating in her sleep, and she never intended to go as early as she did. She had thankfully written down her baked beans recipe (which is the best recipe ever), but the slaw recipe has now been lost forever.

Because of this, I'm determined to make a recipe book. Mary's, my grandmothers', my mom's, my mother-in-law's, everyone's recipes. I want it to be a catch-all of our families, a blending of the soul food we all love so dearly. I want it to be an open binder though, not a scrapbook - I want it to be a book that can be added to over time. The start of heirlooms you might say. I think it'll be perfect.

Anyway. If anyone has famous family recipes they'd like to share...I'm all for taking them. This is going to be the world's greatest creation ever.

Coming Back.

2011-01-13T21:15:00.000-06:00

The last couple of ~~weeks~~ months, my life has been a hectic mess. I've been training at work, I've been unpacking, there's been the holidays, and I've been planning the wedding. Now that most of those are done (we still haven't unpacked fully - whoops!), I'm coming back to the blog, in full swing. I have a ton of 101 in 1001 updates, I'd like to start on the 50 questions to free your mind (maybe), and I really want to work on the 30 day blog challenge that several of my blog-friends (and real friends!) did too. Oh, and create a new blog header - though I'd like to wait for our professional wedding photos for that one.

I also have non-internet related things I'm dying to do. I'm making a cookbook for myself and my sisters-in-law with all of our families' recipes (plus things like measurement conversions and ingredient substitutions), I need to unpack things and clean up the random wedding crafts that are covering the apartment, I need to work on changing my name on everything, and I'd like to start reading again. I haven't read hardly at all since my first year at school, and I really miss it. With my new nook, I'm sure I can pick reading back up again, I just need to get into the flow.

I took this week as one of decompression. Nothing is unpacked, but my brain is. I'm much calmer, I can tell. It was definitely hard to go back to work after a 4 day weekend, but I found out I'm getting another bonus at the end of this month, and that's always good. I'm going to try to always put my bonuseo;lppppp;k,s in our savings (along with half of our loan money each semester, and half of our wedding money). Hopefully, by the time we're ready to move back to the StP area, we'll have a hefty down payment saved up. I'm loving how everything is finally working out.

Oh Hey! I iz married!

2011-01-11T18:25:00.000-06:00

As of Saturday, I'm officially a married lady. I'm rockin a brand new shiney, I've got bruises on my ribs from my dress (hehe corset fail!), and 3 food processors (so people aren't the best at registries...).

All of that crafty work I did? It totally paid off. The wedding turned out perfect. Yes, it was freezing - but I had a super awesome coat, and super awesome friends who were willing to smile in 19 degree weather. Everyone was so helpful and supportive with getting everything together, and I had the time of my life. I'm pretty sure Sean did too hehe.

While it'll still be quite a while before we get pro pics, here are some of the awesome photos our friends and family took! (warning: lots of ridiculously happy pictures ahead)

Summary of the weekend?

Like, awesome.

Tomorrow.

2011-01-07T22:55:00.002-06:00

Tomorrow, I'm getting married.

Married.

You know, that event I've been excited about for the past 2 years? The past 750 days? Yea. Happening. In 15 hours.

The rehearsal was tonight, and it went super well. I hope everything falls into place tomorrow, but it seems like it will. I don't want to jinx it though XD I'm surprisingly calm. I know that everything will work out on its own, and everything will fall into place.

Here's to hoping tomorrow is an AMAZING day.

The Ending of an Era

2011-01-01T11:38:00.000-06:00

This New Year's Day doesn't just mark the end of a year for me - it marks the ending of an era. So much has changed in my life this past year.

I've moved out of the party duplex I shared with great friends, and moved to kc. Sean and I moved in together (and then moved again). We got our adorable kitten, Ella. Sean started law school, and while we through a ton of stress getting used to it, we've finally fallen into a pattern that works. I started my new job - the first one I that I was ever hired as full time for. It's been a busy year.

It's also my last year of being single. In one week, I will be married. This marriage has been 5 years and 7 months in the making, so I don't have any sort of feelings of cold feet or anything like that. I'm excited, that's for sure.

I've changed a lot in the last year, and I don't regret any of it. It's been a crazy, busy 2010. Hopefully, 2011 turns out to be just as good :)

Got my Rental!!!

2010-12-29T20:55:00.000-06:00

I finally got my rental car today. While Sean and I have been sharing a car with ease, it's still annoying. He can't get out and do anything during the day, and has cabin fever by the time I get home. I have to drive around with his 50 million burger king bags, because he hasn't cleaned it since finals.

Now, both of those will change. It's supposed to be 60 degrees tomorrow, so he'll be cleaning out his car. I'll be driving a sporty new Jetta for the next few weeks, while my car gets mended.

A what you say? Oh yes. I was rented a Jetta.

With heated seats folks. Heated I say.

It's faaaaabulous.

10 Ways to Grow in a Relationship

2010-12-29T19:14:00.002-06:00

I was catching up on old WeddingBee posts that I completely missed during Christmas/car wreck mania, when I came across this post by Miss Prarie Dog. She calls it 10 Ways to Reveal the Crazy, but I like my title better :p

I think she has a really great point about it though. You can think that you're being yourself all you want, but your significant other knows who you are when you're happy. He/she needs to know who you are and what you're like when you're not happy. How you fare under the worst conditions - kind of a "expect the best, be prepared for the worst" scenario. We've been together for 5 1/2 years. That's longer than almost all of our friends (married or not). We've gone through a lot, and it's made us who we are today. Each of these things is completely and totally different for every couple, but I really do think you need to experience them.

The List (with our own personal annotations):
1. Get really, really lost in an area you don’t know. Preferably away from intelligible signs and possibly safety. Florida. We drove to Disney without a map or GPS. We argued for about 3 hours trying to get into Disney World, AFTER we got to Kissimee. We're both very hard headed. Despite that, we still had a great time!
2. Wait in a really, really long line (recommendations: amusement park, Christmas Eve shopping, Harry Potter midnight showing). Too many to count for this one. But I think we really learn the most about each other.
3. Get stuck in inexplicable, stand-still traffic. Bonus points if you are hungry or one of you really has to pee. I don't do hungry. I'm a very happy person, but when I get hungry, it's immediate - not gradual - and I turn into a B*tch.
4. Have a restaurant experience worthy of a scathing Yelp review. (How people react to poor service says a lot about them, I think.) We've been fortunate to generally miss this one, but I'm sure we've been forgotten about before.
5. Deal with being sick together. Not sniffles sick. I’m talking flu and incoherent-fever sick, post-surgical-delirium sick, stomach-pyrotechnics sick. Christmas. Three years in a row. The first year we dated, he held my hair back as I retched at Grandpa's. Last year, we were both so sick with food poisoning that we couldn't even open presents. Awful.
6. Meet each other’s extended families, the ones that won’t be on their “good behavior” like your nuclear family might be. I believe the conversation included an argument as to whether or not my uncle's vasectomy meant he was "fixed" or "broken". I'm not kidding.
7. Get embarrassed in front of each other. I don’t embarrass easily, but I have had a few bright-red-face moments with Mr. PD. This doesn't happen very often, thankfully.
8. Experience tragedy—real, gut-wrenching tragedy. Not that I would wish this upon anyone, but the truth is that it happens to all of us. Patty's death was probably the hardest thing I've ever gone through. Sean was there when I found out, he was by my side at the wake and funeral, and he's held me while I've cried dozens of times since then. Even though it's been 3 years, I still break down every once in a while. It's nice to know he's always there.
9. Spend a fair amount of time apart. Not like a long-distance relationship, necessarily, but a good week or two at a time. Chances are good that this will happen for one reason or another in your lives together, and it’s good to see how you fare on your own. K, so we've done the long distance part. But since we've moved to our own city, we've done a week apart. It's a lot harder when you don't have friends and roommates, that's for sure.
10. Experience any situation which compromises your sleep and/or cleanliness. Camping trips, road trips, band trips - you name it.

When you think about it, it's really about spending the worst of your time together. How you make the best out of an awful situation. I think we've survived.

Obligatory Post-Christmas...Post.

2010-12-28T19:00:00.000-06:00

Christmas was wonderful this year. At my work, there always needs to be someone available. We're a 24/7 security business. I was lucky enough that Christmas eve and Christmas fell on Friday and Saturday, which are my normal days off. I couldn't get the entirety of Thursday or Sunday off, but I was able to get off 3 hours on each day.

James celebrated all of our Christmases with us, which was awesome. He's truly becoming part of the family. My parents gave him gifts, and all of my aunts went in and bought him something as well. I don't think he's had a family christmas in a long time, and it's great to see his face at events like this.

Christmas Eve started really well. With 4 inches of snow predicted, Michelle was called into work, so our planned early afternoon celebration was nixed. We spent the morning with my family, and then headed over to my aunt's for Christmas with my mom's side. That's when the drama began.

We ate a simple sandwich spread, we enjoyed ourselves, we opened presents. We were just starting to watch a movie, when a knock was heard at the door. We went outside to see this (50 feet from where we parked it, mind you):

My poor car. The quarter panel is entirely busted out, and the wheel is bent. We're hoping to get an estimate and a rental for me tomorrow, but it's still a huge bummer. It's such a pain. I am extremely grateful for the following though: A) The guy stopped. B) He had insurance. C) My dad's name is on the car, so he can handle the repairs. D) Sean's out of school and we can share a car. E) We weren't in it at the time. It's causing some changes to pre-wedding events probably, but we're making it work.

The rest of Christmas went off without a hitch, though we had to have people ferry us around because we only had my car in town. My mom drove us back to Kansas City the night of Christmas too, since I had to work the next day. Oi.

We got plenty of goodies for Christmas, but frankly, we didn't need much (ok, I needed my tennis shoes). We got what we needed though - time with our families. It's nice to be ourselves and be able to start our lives without the influence of others, but we both miss the close-knit families we have.

Crunch Time.

2010-12-21T20:58:00.000-06:00

We are 18 days away from getting married. Eighteen. In between that, there's my brother's birthday, Christmas, and New Year's. I work 10 more days. Sean has 2 days of class. I will spend 9 hours driving to and from StP. And I will probably have a heart attack.

So to keep myself straight, here's my to-do list (at least the big ones):
1. Marriage Certificate
2. Garter
3. Veil?
4. Programs
5. Wedding Party Gifts
6. Necklace
7. Make appointments: lunch & nails before wedding

This doesn't include finished christmas gifts, wrapping them, making dessert for christmas, and a holiday party we have next week. Or the whole celebrating thing. Ya know.

Some of projects have been scrapped. And it's probably a good thing. It means I'm stressing less, which I am a-okay about.

You know what though? I'm at a really odd state of calm. I've reached that point where I know that no matter what, we will be married in 18 days. It doesn't matter what's there and what isn't. The wedding will be. And love will be.

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek

What Bridal Magazines are About...

2010-12-11T21:22:00.002-06:00

I saw this picture, and I couldn't help but blog about it. I think it really hits home about what the wedding industry is becoming, and what brides are starting to think about their own weddings. It also gives me a chance to focus in about what weddings really are all about, which, despite popular belief, isn't cake toppers and dresses.

Brides today spend so much time thinking about what others think about their weddings. Do you know what people think? They think about whether or not the food that was served satisfied them (and trust me, I've been to some where it hasn't), and whether or not they had a good time. They don't remember the vows, they don't remember what the cake looked like, and to be honest, they don't even remember what you looked like.

I will be the first to admit that Sean and I have a lot of unnecessary details. And while other people won't remember them, we will. And to be honest, they're things that we love. They're the things that make the wedding about us and for us. This wedding isn't for our 200 guests (though we want to keep them happy, well fed, and entertained as all hosts and hostesses should), it's about us. We've done many hours of pre-marital counseling, which I think was amazing and insightful (and I think every couple should do it, religious or not). We're accepting of each other, and when we do fight, we make it a point to fight fairly - and to NOT bring up things from years past (even if they do still hold a sore spot).

Our wedding isn't to snob unmarried people - hell, do what you want. There are plenty of people that are perfectly happy being unmarried, or single, or whatever. What's the point of being unhappy but married? I think that people should do what makes them happy, and not judge others for not sharing the same goals or happiness.

The wedding industry has really gotten on board with capitalizing on people's insecurities, and it kind of sickens me. There is no need to drastically diet (didn't someone fall in love with you for, ya know, you?!), or get bridalplasty, or anything else. There's no need to be "hot bride" or to invite people that aren't close to you.

I just people would stop thinking about the wedding, and more about the marriage. It's not just one day. It's (hopefully) the rest of your life.

Making it.

2010-12-11T09:28:00.001-06:00

Throughout this whole wedding process, money has been a pretty big concern. While each of our parents are contributing significant amounts, there's always a stress around being able to accomodate and entertain large groups of people. Money automatically comes with it - whether it's DIY or not. While our invitations didn't cost a lot of money, we still paid for paper, envelopes, stamps, ribbon, etc.

One thing that was really important to Sean and me was that we didn't have "friendors" - you know, the people who would rather be enjoying themselves at the party than working for you. Anyone that we invited automatically did not have a "job". This wedding is a celebration and a party, not a networking experience. While we have friends and acquantinces that are extremely talented people, I don't want them to work for us. I don't want to have to set rules and guidelines and expectations for them. I want them to enjoy themselves. This, in turn, drives our cost up a bit. We can't bank on Grandma to bake our cake for free, or our parents to cook the dinner.

Yesterday, we really crunched the numbers. Money is due really soon (or has already been paid, in the case of our photographer) for our vendors, and we needed to double check everything. We're making it. We're planning this gala for 230 some-odd people, and we're going to make it. In fact, we're gonna have a little left over. We could easily pay it all in cash too, though we are going to put a bit on credit cards so we can have some buffer room - just in case. We'll simply pay it off after the wedding.

Even better? My bonus for the month will cover my girls' getting their hair done. It was something I really wanted, so, because I'm "requiring" it, I'm also paying for it. The bonus is just an extra drop in the bucket. It's really nice to have.

So while tonight I'm punching out favor tags and cutting ribbon, I can rest easy knowing that we're not going into debt for this. We've managed to squeeze everything out, and money is no longer a concern.

So what is my biggest concern? Making sure everything gets to St. Louis...and that nothing is forgotten in KC. Which is why our wedding rings are already there, and the dress (and anything else I have done) will be going with me next weekend.

The Final Reveal - Invitations!

2010-12-03T09:52:00.000-06:00

This is a super pic-heavy post, but I can't help but brag about my invitations! These babies took forever to assemble, and they're a huge work of love (and sweat and frustration). I'm so relieved that they're finally out - but I love hearing about how people love them. :)

They're totally worth everything. In the end, they still only cost 61 cents to mail, so I spent less than $3 on each of them - which was my goal. The actual total was $2.68 a piece - and that includes the ridiculous amount of adhesives I ended up purchasing. It doesn't include the stamps (I already had them), or the liners (left over Costco wrapping paper!). So, ready for the reveal? Here it goes!!

When the envelope is opened, here's what our guests first see

Here's the pocketfold closed and ready to be opened

And here's the pocketfold opened!

The main panel of the invitation

Our RSVP postcard

The map and directions card - I made the map myself (on Power Point believe it not!)

And all of the inserts together

I love the way they turned out! It kind of makes me sad that I still haven't found my camera cord (and therefore still have crappy cell phone pics). At least I have an awesome phone, right? So there you have it folks. The great invitations of the Seanmanda wedding.

It just means that it's that much closer - and the official countdown? 36 days!!

My Super Ridiculously Awesome Cake Topper.

2010-12-02T20:17:00.001-06:00

I love my cake topper. Really, I love all cake toppers. I think they're a great way for people to personalize one little element without thought. It can be as ridiculous or classic as imaginable. I've been keeping an eye out for a great topper for quite awhile, but I hadn't really found anything that really screamed "us". We're not very defined people. There's no game or television show that we're obsessed with. While we're band kids at heart, Sean hasn't really played in nearly 4 years, and it's not as big of a part of our lives as it once was. We're true Mizzou fans, but sometimes I feel like it gets overboard.

And then. Then, I discovered Keren at MudCards on Etsy. She's pretty popular on the Bee front, which is exactly where I found her. Her toppers are kind of expensive, but I fell in love. I adore her custom designed, personal toppers. I think they're adorable and I immediately fell in love.

I bought one.

I couldn't be happier with the results. Keren worked with me to personalize my topper (even to the details of my dress and flowers!). Because we didn't want a theme like most of her others, she put a heart on ours with our wedding date. It's super light, and we won't have any problems putting it on top of the cake (which was a fear I had). And don't those little people look just like us?

I'm so excited to see our awesome cake with this baby on top of it!!

frivolous things and a pretty hanger.

2010-12-01T21:06:00.002-06:00

Let's talk about spending money frivolously in wedding planning. It happens. You see one of those things, and all of the sudden its *omgihavetohaveitoriwilldie*. These are the items that don't matter. The things that won't impact your day in the end and that no one will notice if they're not there. They are, for most purposes, completely useless.

But. They are the items you will remember. They're the items you will swoon over on pictures, that others will awe over, and that you will always love.

This is the first of those items. I fell in love with this hanger and I couldn't imagine anything more perfect. You know those beautiful pictures of the dress hanging before the bride puts it on? This is for those pictures. It's also one of the first things (okay the only thing) I've purchased that says Mrs. Byrne. Crazy!!

Take a look at my gorgeous hanger, purchased from Aressa - an awesome Etsy seller :)

I'm super excited to see this baby hanging in the window, with my dress on it, waiting to be worn. Exciting!!

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Giving Thanks.

2010-11-27T13:37:00.000-06:00

This past Thursday was Thanksgiving, and there's so much I have to be thankful for.

I'm thankful for my family. For Sean, for my parents, my siblings (and my new brother!), Sean's family, and my friends. Sean and I moving in together has been so seamless for the most part, and our families have been so great in supporting us the best they can from 300 miles away. Sean supports everything I do, regardless of how crazy it is. When I'm so frustrated I'm in tears, he helps me see the light. We've worked really hard to have an equal partnership, and even though we're both busy a lot of the time, we make it work.

I'm thankful for my job. Even though I had to work on Thanksgiving (and have yet to eat any turkey), I'm thankful I have it. So many people don't have jobs right now, or don't have jobs that make a difference. My job pays all of our bills, and, while money is a little short for food, we make it work just fine. My job isn't the best in the world, but it's a great place to start.

I'm thankful for Sean's school. He's so happy in law school, and it's definitely where he should be. He doesn't complain about having to read 200+ pages a week, or that his finals are 4 hours long, because he loves it so much. Plus, him being in school gives us a discount on the apartment and the student loans that help close the gaps so that we can live without a fear of starvation. I love that he loves what he's doing.

I'm thankful for our kitten. Ella is so well behaved, and it's so nice to have a loving kitten to come home to at night. She's our lovely foot warmer at night, and our cuddler during the day. I love having her, no matter what she costs (which thankfully hasn't been much yet).

I'm thankful that we're able to plan the wedding of our dreams. It's been a struggle to do it long distance and with no-so-eager family and friends (until now, now that everything is planned :P), but it's everything we've wanted. We've budgeted, we've worked overtime, and we've hunted for deals. Our parents are graciously helping us get the day of our dreams, and I couldn't be more grateful. Let's hope the day goes smoothly!!

This year has been a whirlwind of change for us for sure. I've moved twice in less than six months, I've had 3 jobs, and we're now living less than 100 miles apart for the first time in five years. Despite all of that, we're getting there. We'll be married in 42 days (the answer to life?). I'm looking forward to starting an MBA program next year, getting another promotion (hopefully), and going on our fabulous honeymoon. The next 3 years are going to be incredibly busy, but incredibly rewarding at the same time.

More than anything, I'm thankful that I have the opportunities that I do, and that I've met the love of my life, who is incredibly supportive of everything I do. Life may be hard, but it's going somewhere. You can't see the sunshine until you break through the clouds, and slowly but surely they're clearing away. I'm thankful for my life.

On Becoming Suzy Homemaker...

2010-11-14T16:49:00.000-06:00

Because I am. Seriously.

I make my own bread (usually every other week - and if we need bread before then, we don't hesitate to buy a loaf), I make my own waffles (and freeze them for later), and my own stews and roasts. We make chili for 12, and freeze 3/4s of it.

Why do I feel the need to spend my weekends in the kitchen?

I've always loved to cook. My family never did it often (I didn't know that cookies could be made without a "tube" of dough until I was in high school), so it was a novelty to me at first. It's stress relieving, knowing that I'm going to get something delicious out of the effort.

It's also cheaper. For me to make a loaf of bread, I need yeast, flour, honey, butter, and milk. 3 packs of yeast is about 60 cents, and I just picked up a 5 lb bag of flour for $1.68. The cheapest bread in KC is still over $2 a loaf, and I can easily make 10 loaves with this bag of flour. Seems like a pretty good deal, ya know? I'm sure wheat flour is probably more expensive (though healthier), but we'll stick with white for now - seeing as I have a brand new bag and all.

But really, there's one reason why I'm doing this. This is what memories are made of. I don't remember the countless microwavable TV dinners that my family made, but I do remember making christmas cookies with my grandma - and the last time we did that I was seven (I got yelled at for not using all of the sprinkle choices - I had my favorites). I remember making tuna salad with my other grandma, even though I hate the stuff. And one of my favorite memories of Sean and I is making a cake with powdered sugar instead of flour (we were bored at midnight, what can I say?).

It doesn't bother me that this is who I'm becoming, because I know the fact that I forgot to peel the carrots I put in the roast this morning is just another memory (and one that Sean will likely never let me forget). My future family isn't going to rely on microwavable meals. Hell, Sean and I don't rely on them (though we are guilty of frozen pizza). And if what I'm cooking doesn't turn out? I have no qualms about cooking up a pack of ramen or having cereal for dinner.

Drowning

2010-11-11T19:29:00.000-06:00

I am drowning under a pile of invitation crap.

Who the hell ever thought that addressing envelopes is remotely easy? It sucks.

I've gotten like...20 done? Go me? Only 80 more to go?

*sigh*

Crash.

2010-11-09T11:29:00.000-06:00

Three weeks after I turned 16, I wrecked my car. That earned me the nickname of "Crash" in my family. Friday, my brother totaled his car, and has now assumed the nickname.

It was 9:00 pm on Friday night. He had two people in the car with him, but one of them had a headache so there wasn't any talking or music. They hadn't been drinking or doing any drugs (my brother doesn't at all - and the tox screens all proved that). He just...didn't see the car. He hit a car at a red light going 40 miles per hour. He has no recollection of the 10-20 seconds before the crash. Apparently the kids in the car were yelling at him, but he didn't hear it. Thankfully, no one was severely injured (though the airbag burns make it look like someone tried to slash his throat). The other driver was even able to drive their car away.

Needless to say, my brother is undergoing some testing. Right now, they think he might have epilepsy, with absence seizures (you space out, and basically lose consciousness). He had an EKG on Saturday, and gets to review the results with a cardiologist today. He has an appointment with a neurologist on Wednesday. It's crazy. Other possibilities that he'll have tests for are diabetes and ADD or ADHD, both of which can cause loss of consciousness in severe forms. Thankfully, all of these are easily treated, it's just a matter of what (if any) he has. They're working really hard to find a solution to the situation.

It also makes me really thankful for my "new brother." J has been living with us since April (his parents kicked him out, and he had been living from couch to couch - my parents took him in with the stipulation that he finishes high school). Since he's a good friend of my brother, he's been able to tell us a lot more about how much he spaces out and when. It's been a real help to the doctors, and J has been going to as many of my bro's appointments as possible.

It's a crazy situation. Hopefully they find out what's going on soon, and work on solution.

On being a Confirmation Sponsor (otherwise known as one long Catholic post)

2010-11-08T09:31:00.000-06:00

Tonight, my cousin Alex will be confirmed in the Catholic Church. And I'm her sponsor.

Confirmation is a pretty big deal. It's the 4th sacrament that the average Catholic child receives, and it marks you as an adult in the Catholic church. The first sacrament is Baptism. It happens in the infancy of faith, which is generally in your actual infancy, but occurs later for people converting (obviously). Reconciliation and First Communion (the first time you receive the Eucharist) usually happen in second grade, and then Confirmation is in 8th grade. The reasoning? Confirmation only happens when you are a consenting individual - it is a choice. There were 2 or 3 people in my grade that year that chose not to be confirmed, because they weren't sure if the Catholic faith was for them. I know one has since been confirmed, but I don't think the other two have. Baptism generally happens without choice; you become a Catholic then. But confirmation is something that happens because you choose to it.

Confirmation marks the time when you accept the Holy Spirit to become a soldier for Christ. Basically, it states that you accept Catholicism and all of its beliefs, you choose to live in the Catholic lifestyle, and you choose to treat others as Christians - and inform others of the Catholic faith if they wish to know more.

My job as a sponsor is to help guide my cousin through her faith. We've had discussions on how I live day to day, keeping in my faith (though not shouting it from the rooftops). I'm much more of a service based person - I show faith through helping others, like doing Habitat for Humanity. It's my job to be a good role model for her too (which considering she's a mini-me who plays volleyball instead of an instrument, that's not too hard). I'm really excited about it. She's just chosen her high school (Rosati-Kain), and she's growing up so fast! The public schools in Kirkwood are awful, so private was a given for her. Rosati is where my grandma went, and is literally across the street from the Cathedral. It's like Catholic central in the Central West End lol.

One thing that is strange to me though? She's getting confirmed in her parish church, Ste. Genevieve du Bois. It's weird to me, because one of the big things about getting confirmed in my church was that it was at the New Cathedral (yes, StL has 2). I suppose it makes it less of a spectacle and more of a small, intimate affair, but I learned so much history in preparing for my confirmation. Here's where I was confirmed:

(source)

The mosaics make up the largest collection in the world, covering over 83,000 sq feet. it is definitely one of the most awe-inspiring, beautiful buildings in the world. It's open to the public too - even if you're not Catholic, it's definitely worth checking out.

Here's Ste. Gen, which is quite pretty.

(source)

In any case, I'm so excited that I get to be Alex's sponsor. I can't wait for this evening. :)

I will not...

2010-11-04T18:32:00.000-05:00

I will not peek at my registries before my bridal shower on Sunday.

I will not peek.

I will not peek.

But it's so hard!! I'm so excited!!!

They're here!! Invitations! (the pieces at least)

2010-10-29T16:59:00.002-05:00

My anxiously awaited invites have arrived!!

If you don't remember, we sent designs to Sean's cousins who own Wagner Graphics about a month ago to print off our invites. They printed them at cost, which was perfect for us seeing as we I wanted to make the invites myself. We got them once, but the cut was really uneven, so we had to get them printed again. But I couldn't be happier with the final product!

Here's a glimpse of what our guests will get to see when they open up gorgeous envelopes (which I'm still waiting for - and dreading addressing) - you'll have to wait for the real deal though:

The whole suite

Our main invite panel

My tester RSVP

We're using postcards, and I wanted to make sure it'll get to my parents okay - I sent it out today :)

I hate that I had to blur our names, but I'd rather be safe than sorry in today's internet world. I LOVE how my invites are coming together. They look so absolutely gorgeous in their little pocketfold (which I was afraid they wouldn't), and I can't wait to get my hands on the envelopes (though I have envelope liners and "calligraphy" to do on those...). Really, I'll just fantastically excited when these are sent lol.

Want to see another wedding invite piece?

It's a little dark, but these are the "belly bands" that will go around our pocketfolds to keep them closed. The ribbon is a lighter green, since the pockets are black. They've been a beast too.

I'll be so excited to get these babies out. My due date for myself is the Friday before Thanksgiving, which is roughly 7 weeks before the wedding. It'll give people about a month to respond RSVP style, and then give me an additional week to hunt down everyone that didn't RSVP. I have to have an exact count two weeks before - I don't get a fudge it option. We'll see how that goes...

Coming Home - Tiger Style!

2010-10-29T10:12:00.000-05:00

Homecoming - it really is coming home.

Homecoming at Mizzou is a big deal. We did, after all, have the very first one in 1911. It was the 99th this year (and who's excited for next year?!), we beat the #1 team in the nation (Oklahoma, who we haven't beaten since 1998), and had a fantabulous time.

Sean and I got in on Friday night, with enough time to go to Rally Night all dressed up and playing fight songs. We stumbled home mostly sober (either my drinking tolerance has increased, or I'm just not into being beligerant anymore - I think it's the latter) around 2 am. We were up at 6 for Game Day. Then, at noon, homecoming started for reals.

We registered with Marching Mizzou Alumni Band, which guaranteed us tickets to a sold out game, as well as a spot on the field to march pregame.

And how I missed marching.

I didn't realize it. I was so glad to be done last year. But, I've realized I was glad to be done with the drama, and I will always miss the marching. As soon as the fight song started, I got goosebumps and started tearing up. The field is where I belong. With a flag in my hands. I love it so much. The pride I have for my band, the love for my school - all of it came rushing back. Yelling at the top of my lungs for the team I followed for 4 years. The elation and shock of beating OU, a home win that hasn't been seen since 1983. The energy of 71,004 people.

Pictures of the amazingness:

Marching Mizzou practicing

Alumni Band marching down to the field

This is AFTER the first touchdown (which, btw, was the kickoff return)

Marching Mizzou at half time!

We won! Rushing the field

You can't stop 71,004 people!

The sea of gold, celebrating a glorious victory

Tiger love!

One thing is for sure though:

I can't wait for next year!

Tagged. (I feel loved!!)

2010-10-29T09:47:00.000-05:00

I don't generally do surveys. I got past that LiveJournal craze a while ago (minus a very bored semester in undergrad sophomore year), but I figured I was tagged in this one so I might as well. :) Lynsie, if you start my addiction up again, the world will not be happy. Jk. I think.

Here it goes!!

{1}: If you could be in any tv show when you were a kid what would it be?

You know, I'm gonna pick the same answer as Lynsie, 7th Heaven. However, it's for totally different reasons. I was an only child until I was 5, and then it was just me and my brother until I was 14. My brother and I are very different, and he had a lot of colic and other social issues when he was a kid (as a baby, my grandmothers and one uncle were the only people besides my parents who could hold him - he bit the priest at his baptism!!). I spent a lot of time with books, dreaming I had tons of siblings. In middle school, I baby-sat for a family with 9 kids, and I loved it there. I loved 7th Heaven because it was all family - they didn't always get along, but they were always there for each other.

{2}: What has been your favorite Christmas gift as a child?

I really don't know what my favorite Christmas gift was...I think it was probably my Easy Bake Oven. I wasn't allowed to use the stove until I was 16 (kid you not folks), and the Easy Bake let cook! And the mixes were actually pretty darn good. The thing is still running too - my sister still uses it (though, she's not nearly as "domestic" as I was as a kid).

{3}: What actress would you want to play you if your life was a movie?

Sandra Bullock. She's snarky, pretty, and sweet all at the same time. I absolutely love every movie she's in. She's everything I would act like if I had the guts to also - I think she'd totally get my inner thoughts portrayed perfectly.

{4}: What decade fad do you wish would come back?

Fads are fads for a reason - they're not supposed to come back!! Though, I wouldn't mind if Jackie-O type dresses stuck around. And I really like bangles and power beads too..or maybe that's my inner 13 year old talking...

{5}:What song describes your life?

Which part of my life? I think there's two that pretty much define me right now: Beer on the Table and Never Wanted Nothing More. I love how both of them talk about how easy it is to live without thousands of dollars and with simple things. I'm so incredibly poor right now, but I'm also so incredibly happy. I'm trying to live my life by these songs - there's no point to worrying about money and things - you can't take them with you in the end.

{6}: What was your favorite subject in school?

Math. I've always loved math. I love how it's finite and definitive, and how there is always a solution. I love playing with numbers. I love that I can solve problems by looking at them - even if I don't always understand it. All of these are the reasons I didn't make math my living. I could have done accounting, but I got really burnt out in a finance class once. I didn't want my major to ruin my love of numbers.

{7}: If you could have a dream job for a day what would it be?

I would love to work for a non-profit like Habitat for Humanity. I love seeing the faces of people whose lives have been changed forever. Maybe one day Sean will make enough money that I can work a job that doesn't pay hardly anything - I'd do it right now if it would pay the bills.

{8}: If you could be any animal, what would you be and why?

Yikes. Honestly, I've never wanted to be an animal. I think I was a Dalmatian once for Halloween? Maybe I'd be a tiger, or an elephant. Or maybe a bird. A bird would probably be my most likely choice though.

Noooow I get to tag people!!!

1. Lyndsey at My Life in CMYK

2. Caryn at Allens Gone Wild

3. Jessica at I am a Broken Masterpiece

4. Meredith at La Buena Vida

Play along folks!!

College Game Day

2010-10-23T09:48:00.000-05:00

Today is the day.

It is Mizzou's College Game Day. We're on ESPN, with photos of Jesse Hall and Columns, and on national television.

While it's not even 10 am, we've been at the Game Day show taping and are prepping again. We're excited for Alumni band, for marching in pregame, and for the game itself.

But for now, here's some photos so far:

We welcomed sunrise on the Quad

Marching Mizzou (they were split in groups - this is just one of them)

Black & Gold!! And crazy signs

We made our own signs

Together again!!

Photo from the top of Jesse, by Joel Kowsky

All I can say right now though is -

GO MIZZOU TIGERS!!

impatient.

2010-10-21T06:06:00.001-05:00

I have so much to blog about, but I can't find my camera cord :\

Maybe tonight I'll blog with cell pics...sorry!

I am waaay to excited about this...

2010-10-12T19:20:00.000-05:00

Look at it! Look at it!!

It's our return address stamp for our wedding invites!

How adorable is that?! I made an Alchemy request on Etsy on Sunday night for a custom return address stamp. I figured if I designed it on my own, it would be much cheaper (after all, all I was paying for was the stamp itself!). A few hours after I made it, I had six bids, ranging from $5 - $18. I picked a nice midrange field with someone who had stamps already listed (so I could see their quality), and emailed SandShooters back for my stamp. Tonight, it's Tuesday - and it's already been shipped. The total cost, for a stamp that we'll use 200+ times? $14.25. Completely customized, and wonderful. I can't wait til I receive it in the mail!!

This isn't the first etsy purchase I've made, but it is the first one I'll receive. I fill you in on the rest when I receive them ;)

Crafting Our Ceremony - The Readings

2010-10-10T17:19:00.000-05:00

I've talked a lot about the details of our wedding, but I haven't said much about the ceremony - the meat and bones of our wedding. I haven't said much about it simply because we hadn't finished it - but now we have! The ceremony is by far, the most important part to me. It's the root of our marriage, and who we will be in the future. I know I'm going to cry through most of it, but I'm excited nonetheless.

For the Catholics out there - there isn't much customization available in the ceremony. We were given a book to choose readings from, a list of songs to choose from, and other than that, it pretty much all fits into a normal Sunday mass. To me though, this is the best part. Sean and I had to go through each and every reading, discussing them, and narrowing them down to what fits us best - what means the most to us, and what describes our relationship. We knew that we wanted readings that portrayed an equality between the male and female, and that centered on community life rather than something that can only exist in the church. Our religion means a lot to us, but most of that is helping others - not secluding ourselves in prayer. We "pray" through service.

That being said, we had to choose 3 Biblical readings. In the Catholic mass, the first reading is from the Old Testament, the second is from the New Testament, and the third is a Gospel. Here are the readings we chose, and why:

The First Reading: Jeremiah 31:31-32A, 33-34A

Second Reading: 1 John 4:7-12

Gospel Reading: John 2:1-11

All of these readings are about love: the meaning of love, how love doesn't just affect us, and how God is important in love and Catholic marriage. I think they're all wonderful. The gospel reading is the traditional wedding at Cana, which to me, resonates with how people need to be prepared for a wedding and not just assume that "everything will fall into place".

Our next step? Music!!