Oh Christmas Tree

Although Christmas vacation was supposed to be a relaxing time full of non-excitement, it proved to be much different than planned.  Overall it’s been good, but very eventful and exhausting.  Because of everything going on, blogging was once again neglected.  If my blog was a plant it would have died by now!  Fortunately it’s not and my readers (whoever is left anyhow) are all still around!  I’m assuming you’ve all had your own things going on as well and probably not too much time to be sitting around reading!  I’m a little behind but I’m working on catching up!  Really, I am!  As promised, I finally have another post with pictures!  

Christmas is my all time favorite holiday.  It isn’t even the actual day of Christmas that I love so much but mostly the time leading up to it.  Everyone seems nicer (except AZ drivers), lights and decorations are everywhere, and beautiful songs fill the air.  Christmas is just amazing!  Because I love Christmas sooooo much, I seem to have accumulated a fairly large amount of Christmas decorations.  I'd post pics of them all but I think I'd be uploading all day!

Last year we decided to upgrade from our little $30 tree we had been using for years.  We found one on sale for an unbelievable price and now have a 9 ft. tree.  We paid less for the tree than many of the other 6 ft. ones so we were pretty proud of ourselves!  We’re renting our house until we decide where we want to settle down and now whenever I look at houses I’m concerned about vaulted ceilings to accommodate the tree!   I guess that’s what I get though!  Every year I typically go shopping the day after Christmas and I had built up a pretty big collection of ornaments.  Luckily, this meant that we had plenty to decorate the 9 ft. tree!  That tree is what I call our “pretty tree”.  The ornaments match for the most part and it looks pretty organized and well-thought out.   Getting the star on top is always a little tricky but Mr. C manages pretty well!

We always have a second tree though, and this is the one I love decorating the most. This tree has colored lights and the special ornaments – the ones that are unique and hold sentimental value.  Every year my mom gets me an ornament to represent something that happened that year.  This tree also holds ornaments from my childhood and ones that have been given to us over our years together.   We’ve bought ornaments from Disneyland over the past few visits and these flank the tree as well. I’m thinking we might need a slightly bigger tree because I had to leave off quite a few this year!

Almost every other room in the house is decorated with the exception of the office and guest room.  I feel like I finally had things figured out this year and the decorating was at it’s best! 

My mom always had a Christmas village that I LOVED setting up.  Over the years pieces were added and the decorating became more an more intricate.  I wanted a Christmas village of my own eventually.  A couple years ago we got our first piece for Christmas.  We’ve been adding to it ever since.  I think the Kohl’s employees know us now because we’ve taken advantage of the sales of their village pieces numerous times this month!  We’ve snagged a few display pieces for great prices and have managed to get everything we’ve bought on sale.  We had a lot of fun this year setting the village up, even though it meant moving our fish tank twice (I picked a bad spot the first time so after refilling it with water, we decided it had to be moved a couple days later.  Oops!).  In the end, it was all worth it.

I love sitting on the couch with all the Christmas lights on, the “normal” lights off, candles lit, and Christmas music playing.  There aren’t usually too many of these moments with the hustle and bustle that always occurs in December, but when I get these moments I try my best to enjoy them.  Every year I think that I’ll leave the decorations up for awhile longer to enjoy but then Christmas comes and I’m ready to take them down right away.  I’m thinking it’ll be pretty busy when we get back to AZ so we’ll see how long they actually stay up.  We did manage to overlook one of our mistletoe balls last year and it stayed up for the entire year because we were too lazy to move it and then at a certain point we figured there was no point!  We'll see if we remember to take it down this year :)  Not that Mr. C complained any.....

Whatever's below the Energizer Bunny. Energy wise anyhow - not actually below physically.

Do you even remember me anymore?  I’ve been pretty crazy busy the past few weeks so I apologize for the lack of writing. I think some days I forgot I even had a blog! Some awesome stuff has happened in the past few weeks so maybe I’ll write about that eventually. Some super non-awesome stuff has also occurred but I will not be writing about that because I don’t want to relive it again and who really wants to read that anyhow?

My mother once told Mr.C that I’m exhausting. Not exhausted but exhaustING. As in, I’m a lot of work to be around. The two of them are constantly amazed at my energy level. If something needs to get done, then it just needs to get done! I do use my Mt. Dew as a sort of power boost. It’s like nitrous for me (the car kind, not the kind they use at the dentist although for the record I LOVE that stuff. It makes the needles oh-so-less-scary)! I’ve also discovered that at a certain point, lack of sleep becomes normal and I’m able to get less and less sleep and more and more done! Unfortunately I’m not the energizer bunny (I'm just whatever's below him on the energizer scale) and at a point I do hit a wall, usually crashing one night and going to bed at a ridiculous hour like 7 pm. One time I actually went to bed at 6 pm. That was just terrible.

Last week was crazy but I feel so free this week (free of homework at least)! I've officially completed my second semester of grad school! That means 12 credits while working 40 hours a week, keeping our house in order, feeding my husband on a semi-regular basis, and trying to have a life! Sometimes I think I do challenging things just to prove to myself that I am capable of succeeding! I also have begun procrastinating which I think is just another attempt to prove to myself that I can still do things (and do them well), even when it seems impossible. The case of my awesome APA formatted 15 page research paper I wrote in one day is a great example of this! The only issue with me doing things like this is that I really have no sympathy for people who complain and really have nothing to back their complaints up with. I definitely buy into the idea that if you’re going to do something then you should do it to the best of your abilities! I do think this leads me to have high standards for everyone around me, something that has proven to not always work out too well.

My advisor told me that taking such a full schedule and working full-time was discouraged. I also love proving people wrong. It makes for some great motivation! Not only have I been fine handling the classes, but I’m also rocking the grades. I’m scared to actually write this and possibly jinx it but I’m hoping for straight A’s this semester. So far I’m halfway there! Apparently my other professors have busy lives and are taking their sweet time with grading final projects and tests.

While the semester was a lot of work, I’m pretty proud of myself. I’m super modest today, can’t you tell? There was a point where I wasn’t sure I was going to make it and considered dropping a class. I know there are plenty of people who think I’m crazy for getting a master’s degree especially when I still don’t know exactly what I’m going to do when I grow up! There are the others that look at me like I’m talking in a different language when I say what the degree is in (M.Ed. in Human Relations in case you’re wondering). It’s like déjà vu because that happened for my Bachelor’s degree too (Design Management – don’t ask!)! I think I’m finally to the point where I really don’t care what these people think! I’m just excited I’ll have my master’s degree at 25. I’ve also learned some amazing things about psychology, child development, and a bunch of other random things! That 15 page paper I wrote was about medical procedures used during childbirth and I can say now that I have a much better grasp of exactly what I want during labor, although we still have some time for that. I should also note that it slightly terrified me. I think I’m just one of those people who loves school (most of the time anyhow).

So anyhow, I guess the point of this post is that I’ve successfully made it through this semester! I wish you all a wonderful 9 more days to prepare for Christmas. We’re flying back to Nebraska in 2 days and I’m elated to be going home. I don’t make it back as often as I’d like so I’m always grateful when I get to see my family for the holidays since I miss them throughout the year. I’m sure I’ll be writing more about that later though. I promise my next post will actually include pictures and won’t take weeks to write!

Where my b*$#@*s at?*

*The title of this post was created by Mr. C.  He seemed REALLY excited about it so I just went with it.  If you’d like someone to blame, please direct your comments to him :

The holiday season is a time for appreciating how blessed I am.  This weekend I was reminded of how fortunate I am to have such wonderful people in my life.   I spent time with some friends, my grouping sister (we met at the Walk to Emmaus), and my husband this weekend.  The Christmas season makes me extra mushy so you’re getting a very mushy post today.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you (yes I do know that the title of this post does not convey a mushy message)!

I love the type of friends you can just hang out with.  There doesn’t need to be any specific plans (although that’s helpful) because no matter what it’s fun.  That’s how my high school friends were and I’ve learned since graduating that friends like that are actually pretty hard to come by so I’m glad I was able to snag a few more since the high school friends I stay in touch with are pretty far away.  This weekend was one of those hanging out with friends weekends.  I NEEDED a weekend like this.  I had been so stressed last week that I just needed to relax.  I did have a few school related things I fit in so the weekend wasn’t all relaxing, but overall it was great.

Friday night was spent with someone who has progressed from an acquaintance five years ago to a super close friend now.  I joke that she’s my free therapist but honestly this woman keeps me sane sometimes.  She’s always there to listen and I know she’s always got my back.  We made dinner, then whipped up some cookies, played Mario bros. and drove Mr. C crazy with our lack of coordination during the game.  It was the first night in awhile where I didn’t do anything productive and it was great!

After doing some group work and running around Saturday morning, Mr. C and I spent the late afternoon/evening with one of my college roommates who also happens to be one of our favorite people!  We headed to the mall and ended up hanging out in the kid’s play area.  I should mention that she does have 2 wonderful little boys who were playing so we weren’t being creepy!  We talked and watched the kids who were way more entertaining than I would have imagined.  I think at one point I was laughing so hard I had tears in my eyes.  I think the other parents thought I was nuts.  We met her husband at Red Robin and got our money’s worth of fries!  All in all, it was a great afternoon/evening.  I then went home and collapsed on the couch.  I made it to bed by 9 that night for some much needed rest. Great day!

Sunday morning we met my mother-in-law at church.  I love that we see her every week.  Normally the three of us do lunch but this week I met my grouping sister after church.  Grouping is basically meant to keep us on track with the changes we made in ourselves during the Walk to Emmaus. My grouping sister and I haven’t been meeting too long – a little over a month now- but I usually look forward to it.  I say usually because some days my bed is very hard to leave but once I’m there then it’s all good!  We always seem to get off topic but it’s okay, that’s part of what makes it so fun. 

After grouping and some shopping I caught up over the phone with a friend from college who’s since moved away.  It was great hearing how her life is going and her future plans.  It seems like we’re always able to pick up where we left off when we talk - something I always marvel at.

Sunday night Mr. C and I had a much needed date night at my most favorite restaurant!  We usually save the Melting Pot for anniversaries; however I decided that we needed an extra nice date this week.  With all the finals stuff, Christmas events, and work I felt like we hadn’t really spent any time together in weeks.  This, I decided, was a requirement for an extra nice date.  I love the food, the quietness, the romantic setting, and the food – did I mention that yet?  It’s just a great place. If we could afford it I’d go there weekly!  Luckily for me we cannot because my pants would not appreciate that after awhile.  It was great though; we enjoyed our food and actually talked!  After heading home, we snuggled up on the couch to watch The Santa Clause 2.  Super cheesy but a great Christmas movie and a great end to a wonderful weekend.

As I was getting ready for bed I thought of how sad I was that the weekend was ending.  But, I also thought of how blessed I was to have such great people in my life.  It’s been said that people come in and out of your life as you need them.  It can be so hard to let some people go, however if I had not done that, I wouldn’t have had anyone I mentioned in this post and I simply can’t imagine life without them now!  So, thank you to all of my wonderful friends and family who are in my life, even if in a small way.  I am truly blessed to have you in my life and I can only hope you feel the same about me!

Thanksgiving, #40 and #41

It seems like forever since I’ve sat down to write anything.  My past few weeks have been packed with so many things  PACKED!.  Much of the past few weeks have left me feeling like I’ve been pulled in opposite directions.  I’ve been stressed, tired, and not always the most fun to be around.  Luckily Mr. C is very understanding and I know he always has my back. I’m so very thankful for him!  Amidst all the pulling and stressing of classes, work, and random commitments, I have actually worked in some fun though!  I can’t really remember that much of the past month or so (fuzzy from tiredness, not from drinking!) but I do distinctly remember thanksgiving so that’s what you get to read about!

Thanksgiving has never been one of my favorite holidays.  I never really understood what all the hype about stuffing one’s face was all about.  I don’t’ like gravy, mashed potatoes are okay, and stuffing just grossed me out.  I’m sure you’re reading this with your mouths hanging open in shock or disgust!  I don’t enjoy watching football either so that’s not really a game-changer.  Did you get that…game-changer!  Ha ha.  Ok, I’m done making jokes.  So, it’s surprised me how my feelings have changed since moving to AZ.  Every year thanksgiving seems to mean a little more to me.  It’s hard knowing my family is getting together and I’m missing it another year.  I’ve come to appreciate the time with family even more now that it’s pretty limited.  Apparently I did also care about the food because every year I find myself missing something – the twice-baked potatoes, cranberry salad, stuffed celery, or deviled eggs. 

Lucky for me, Mr. C’s family is here.  Every year there’s a moment where we’re all together, playing games usually, and I just think of how amazing/crazy it is that these people have all let me into their lives and their traditions.  These people that I didn’t know about eight years ago have become so special to me.  While things may be different with them, they have their own unique offerings.  This thanksgiving I appreciated the candied yams, a VERY long game of dominoes, the um…interesting….things that came out during “the game of things”, and the family that treats me as if I was always there.

Mr’s C’s aunt who we’ll call Aunt W. is an amazing quilter!  As you may remember, learning to quilt and making a quilt were things on my 101 in 1001 list.  I’m super lucky that Aunt W. knows how to quilt and was willing to teach me because I may have been out of luck on this otherwise!  She helped me quilt a pillow and by helped I mean that I would have been totally lost without her!  She was very patient and said that “we” needed to fix things whenever something was wrong, never that “I” needed to, which I loved.  It took a few hours but the pillow turned out great and it’s the perfect Christmas addition to our bed!  While it may be awhile before I’m doing a full quilt, I did enjoy it and am very thankful that I had such a great teacher!

The quilting happened Friday afternoon, after a super exciting morning of Black Friday shopping!  I never really NEED to go out that day but I just like it.  Maybe LOVE it.  I started going out the day after Christmas which is when I stocked up on most of our amazing decorations that make up like 10 tubs in our garage.  Eventually I realized that if I liked the day after Christmas, I would probably love the day after thanksgiving also.  So, one year we headed out to target around 9am to get a Christmas tree.  We decided to actually wait in line for the stores to open the next year and it was great.  I think we got luggage.  That was a dumb idea.  Dragging huge pieces of luggage through the crazy shoppers was not fun!  Waiting in line outside in Phoenix is a piece of cake.  Now this year we waited in line in Flagstaff.  Let me tell you that it was cold.  Apparently it was 7 degrees.  We arrived to Target around 2:15 and got in line.  We had a good spot too.  I asked what time it was and my response was 2:20.  After what had to be an eternity of shivering and trying to imagine being warm, I asked again what time it was, convinced that it had been forever.  Mr. C told me it was 2:30.  I tried to be ok, I really did but it was SOOOO cold.  My feet were the worst.  I didn’t make the best decisions regarding footwear and I couldn’t feel my toes.  I imagined myself telling someone “yes, I lost my toes in 2010.  I was waiting for a GPS that I just HAD to have.”  After repeating that story in my head over and over and Mr. C asking me if I wanted to go, I decided I couldn’t take it for another hour.  I know I used to live in Nebraska but I’ve become a wuss in my seven years here.  I know, I need to work on it.  I’m all over that.  Anyhow, we got in the car and drove to McDonalds to get breakfast only to be disappointed that they don’t serve breakfast at 3am.  Now tell me, what would you be ordering at 3am?  I can’t think of an instance when I would not want breakfast at 3am if I was at McDonalds.  Anyhow, we ordered, waited over 20 minutes, received a messed up order with a coffee that was leaking everywhere, and then drove back to Target.  We got in line again further down and waited for about 35 minutes.  In that time we reviewed our map and strategized.  The last five were by far the hardest. The no toe story popped back in my head but I held out.  The line finally started moving and we all cheered!  We got inside and powerwalked to the GPS and then split up to find the rest of the stuff.  As always, we got everything we went for!   Of course the stuff we went for wasn’t the most exciting but it did make it to the ad!  I don’t know that I should share this but if you’re reading my blog then you must be super cool (or super bored) and I appreciate you reading so I will share a bit of our Black Friday knowledge with you.  The line was wrapped around the store.  I think it was wrapped around twice actually.  The electronics line was about ten people long.  Every year we choose the electronics line.  It rocks!  We walked out with all our stuff about 5 am, an hour after opening time.  After sleeping for two hours we were as good as new!

So, all in all the weekend was great.  I spent thanksgiving being thankful and grateful for my other family.  I spent Friday enjoying the crowds and a patient teacher…and being thankful for my toes.

I also would like to mention how thankful I am to my readers. My group may be small but they are dedicated!  I’ll buy you dinner when I get famous!  I wouldn’t plan on that anytime too soon though….

I hope to be writing more often soon.  My brain feels like a mess trying to keep everything straight but I believe I have three tests and two projects/papers due in the next week or so.  After then my sanity will be restored, I’ll have more time to blog, and I may even find my motivation to work out that’s been hiding all semester!

Happy B-day Mr. C

November of Mr. C and my first year together was a busy time.  It’s when we started hanging out more, when we celebrated Mr. C’s b-day together for the first time, and then a few days later when we officially started dating.  Years later, November was the month he asked me to marry him and I excitedly agreed.  November has become one of my favorite months because of all the special memories it holds.

Apparently I’ve set a precedent for blogging about family/friends on their b-days so in honor of Mr. C’s b-day today I am going to do just that.

Mr. C is a pretty funny guy (in the laugh with him, not at him sense).  He makes me laugh on a pretty regular basis.  Amongst all this laughing you’d think that I have one or two amazing stories I just have to share with you but I’m blanking out today.  To be fair, I just got back from a weekend out of town, the house is a disaster zone, and I’m super behind on my homework and over stressed.  Therefore, I’m giving myself a pass on thinking.  So, since you don’t get a story I’ll tell you about some of my favorite qualities.  That’s about the deepest thought process I’m capable of doing today.

There is quite a lot of laughing at our house as I mentioned earlier.  For Halloween we saw this very weird Snickers commercial.  Basically these two kids were standing on top of each other and dressed as this freaky woman who was throwing Snickers bars into this lady’s cart.  The plan was to make sure the lady bought good candy for trick-or-treaters.   Anyhow, the point is that it was hilarious, mostly because it’s so weird.  Luckily we have TIVO and I was able to rewind.  We watched the commercial at least four times and were both crying by the end.  I think I was actually laying half on the couch, half on the floor.  It was simply hilarious.   You might be thinking I sound crazy, but if that’s true then Mr. C and I are crazy together.   I love that he just gets it.  He gets my craziness, my weirdness, and my unusual thought process.  Anyone who puts up with all that should get a medal or something.  Unfortunately I didn’t plan for this and have no medal to give out.  Maybe next year.

In general, Mr. C’s a pretty simple guy.  I asked him to pick anywhere in the city to eat for his b-day and he picked the spaghetti factory.  Don’t get me wrong, I love the spaghetti factory, but it’s a b-day dinner which means the place has to be awesome!  It’s probably good we’re together because I tend to go overboard sometimes and he does a great job at balancing me out.  He loves his electronics, watches, and our house but I’m pretty sure he’d be fine living in a big cardboard box with the puppy and I.  

He’ll be the first to admit that he can be a bit of a nerd.  If you have any doubts, remember that the guy carved the pi symbol into his pumpkin.  I love the nerdyness though and I’ll admit it’s rubbed off on me a little bit.  While you won’t catch me carving math symbols into pumpkins I do have a nerdy side to me as well.  I’m now watching Eureka! with him and also have dreams about the ipad.  Style wise he has come a long ways since when I met him so at least he’s a stylish nerd!

He’s always pushed me to pursue my dreams.  I guess I’m lucky in that sense because I’ve had a lot of people in my life that have been supportive when I’ve needed someone.  He’s thoughtful, hard working, and gives most things his all.  I say most things because there are a few thing around the house that we both hate doing and just choose to ignore.  He’s a great dad to our puppy and she LOVES when he chases her around our coffee table in a game of tag.  All-in-all, he does a pretty great job of keeping Coconut and I happy and we’re very grateful for everything he doe.

So, happy birthday to you Mr. C.  I celebrate the day you were born because I can’t imagine a world without you. 

Denver - #99

I feel the need to warn you that this is another serious one.  Every now and then I am capable of being serious…well, for awhile anyhow.  In case you hadn't figured it out, this is also #99 on my 101 in 1001 list.

I spent the first 17 years of my life in a town of about 20,000 people in Nebraska.  I then moved to the huge city of Phoenix where I encountered many new people, ideas, and grew more than I thought possible.  The move was scary and shortly before I left my small town in Nebraska I had second thoughts.  Luckily I had some much needed pushing.  Leaving my friends, my family, the town I was actually able to navigate through, and all of the little things I had become accustomed to was very difficult, more so than I had anticipated.  Of course I adjusted and now I have all of these things in AZ.  Although we’re not quite ready for kids, now is the time when we’re planning our future.  Apparently when we weren’t looking we became adults.  I really think that I should have gotten a card in the mail or at the very least an email to inform me that I’m officially supposed to be an adult.  An instruction booklet and a crystal ball would have come in handy as well. 

Part of the planning of our future includes picking a place we see ourselves raising kids and continuing to build our life together.  We spent our four-day weekend in Denver doing just this.  We’ve been back and forth about moving for the past couple years.  The plan was always to decide what we were doing by May 2011.  That was years away and then suddenly it wasn’t so far anymore.  We talked about moving back to Nebraska, going to Kansas or Colorado or staying in Arizona.  After driving our families and friends crazy for awhile we finally narrowed our choices down to Arizona or Colorado.  With less than a year (closer to half a year), we’re getting down to the wire.  Each place has something special to offer and the choice is so hard.  Arizona is where we’ve started our life together.  We have our wonderful friends, Mr. C’s family, jobs, we know the area, and we have established ourselves in terms of doctors, salons (ok that one’s just me!).  Arizona means no scooping snow ever, no ice, and none of the hassle and insecurity of moving.  However, Colorado has quite a few pros too.  Colorado would be a great place to raise kids.  Schools are better, we’d actually have seasons, we’d be in the same city as some of my family, close enough to Nebraska to drive for holidays and not too far from AZ too see Mr. C’s family and our friends.  Colorado would mean a completely different lifestyle for us.  There’s so much to do and did I mention that they have all 4 seasons?  All FOUR!!!  I almost forgot there were four since I’ve only seen 2 the past few years.  

We stayed with my aunt and uncle this weekend and they and my cousins gave us some great tours including the different areas of town, malls, downtown, and the Red Rocks amphitheatre.  We also got to meet up with another of my aunts I don’t get to see very often.  The weekend was basically an attempt to get a better feel for the city and see if it’s a fit for us.  I think the best part of the weekend was actually my aunt’s cooking and just hanging out with everyone. 

Although the weekend was wonderful, I’m just plain terrified now because it seems so REAL!  I’ve had a couple failed adventures over the past few years and like most people, I’m not a fan of failing.  Mr. C is excited to move but he’s pretty laid back and sometimes I feel like I’m running the show and that makes it even worse if I make a bad decision when it’s something like this that involves both of us. 

There’s so much to consider – jobs, home prices, our future with kids, our families, and our willingness to start over again.  I’ll keep you updated but in the meantime, if you happen to stumble across a crystal ball please send it our way!

#67 Ballet

With work and school and all the other little things I’ve been squeezing into my free time, I haven’t been working on my 101 in 1001 list much, however attending a ballet other than the nutcracker was one of my items and I’m excited to say that it’s been accomplished!  This is not to say that we won’t be going to another one again soon but at least I can feel like I’m making progress on that list!

Friday night Mr. C took me to the ballet.  Well, I asked him to take me but nevertheless, he took me!  Last year we went to our first ballet together and I loved it.  He fought falling asleep due to the lullaby type music and the fact that the lights were off, but told me he enjoyed the parts he was lucid for.  I do have to admit that I dozed a little during the Nutcracker last year due to the extreme sleep deprivation that always occurs around Christmas time but I caught 90% of it!  Even with the falling asleep, I was very excited that we made it.  Mr. C is pretty willing to go anywhere that’s really important to me and for that I am greatly appreciative.  With our crazy schedules lately it was great to have date night be something out of the ordinary.

We had planned a nice dinner but by the time I got home from work it ended up being a little later than planned and we didn’t have time for our first choice.  We ended up eating a quick dinner at Pei Wei which was still pretty delicious.  Every time we go downtown I’m reminded of why realistically living in the city would not be for me.  I had a period of time that I was convinced I should move to Chicago.  I looked at lofts online and dreamed about living in the heart of the city.  I told Mr. C that we should move and he told me he was cool with that.  I think he knew that it was just another one of my ideas that would fall through soon (which it basically did).  While I still think this would be amazing in some ways, I also know how frustrated I would be with traffic, not having much space, and the noise.  I still love being in the city atmosphere though and even though Phoenix isn’t like many other cities, I do enjoy going downtown from time to time. 

After shelling out $12 for parking we went to will-call to get the tickets.  Of course our name was spelled wrong so we made our way through a couple of lines before actually finding our tickets.  We had to wait awhile before taking our seats so we enjoyed some people watching.  Mr. C is pretty quiet in his people watching but I tend to narrate my every thought.  There was this couple we spotted in the parking lot and they were just plain WEIRD.  The guy was super tall, well built, and had on a suit.  He was pretty good looking but something about him was just strange.  The girl was crazy short, round, and had on a shirt that looked like she had robbed several sequin stores to make.  They walked arm in arm and at first I thought the guy was gay and the girl was just very attached to her gay friend, however I soon learned that was not the case when she placed her hand in a certain spot.  Mr. C enjoyed a delightful ten minutes or so of my narration about this strange couple.  There was actually another couple a few feet away from us also trying to get the scoop on them.  Here’s an excerpt for you of my delightful narration skills.  

Me: OMG that’s that couple again.

Me: So what do you think their story is?

Me: They’re together right? Like together-together?

Mr. C: Yes, I think so

Me: Are you sure because it’s just plain weird.  What’s up with the arm thingie?
Mr. C: I don’t know (mumbled).

Me: Are you sure they’re together?  OMG she just grabbed his butt.  I think that’s affirmative.

Me: Do you think they’re married?

Me: Can you see a ring?
Me: Look for a ring!

Me: Ooooo, he has a ring.

Me: Oh my gosh, she has a ring.  Wow, they’re totally married. 

Me: Do you see it, do you see the ring?  WOW!

Me: Isn’t this crazy?

Mr. C: Uh-huh.

Me: Ok he’s drinking a tiny cup of espresso.  That’s totally weird, right?

This was about the time where we could take our seats.

We had fairly good seats which was great because we barely bought the tickets on Thursday.   The guy in front of me was super tall which worried me for awhile because I couldn’t see a thing.  Luckily the seats next to us were empty so I ended up being able to see perfectly.  The ballet was A Midsummer’s Night Dream.  I read the synopsis before the ballet began but it seemed like everyone was in love with someone else and it got a little confusing at times.  Even though I was confused at times it was still wonderful.  It amazes me to watch the dancers glide on the stage.  The ease with which they jump makes it look like at times they are on a trampoline.  Every movement was perfectly timed.  I can barely remember the actions to dumb dances like the Macarena so it always impresses me when I think about all the practice that went into each movement in order to make everything look so effortless and put together.  There were a bunch of little girls, maybe 8 years old or so that appeared throughout and I was amazed at how good they were for such a young age.  My niece is a dancer and a pretty good one at that so I thought of her during the performance as I saw all those dancers twirling around.

The night was great and I’m so glad we made it to a different performance.  Next month is the Nutcracker which I’m very excited about!  We found out about half-price tickets an hour before the show so we’re planning to make it to the February ballet now as well.  I'm making progress on the list!

Coconut...not the food

A few years ago while buying fish from Petsmart, I told my then fiancé that I thought people who paid to have professional pictures of their dogs and Santa were just plain crazy.  This was before we got our dog Coconut.  Now I’m not saying that I’m going to run out and have pics of Santa and my dog but I get it now. 

I wanted a puppy SOOOO bad but we decided to wait until after we got married.  Around that time, my co-worker’s mother-in-law had some puppies to find homes for.  I wanted a little white dog and although I didn’t get a white one, I did get a little one.  One of my friends had a dog named Kiwi and I joked about naming ours Coconut.  Somehow that name grew on me and just stuck so we had her named before we even met her.  I counted down the days until we could pick her up.  The day finally arrived when we went to pick out our puppy.  We had decided on a girl but not much after that.  We arrived and I picked up our Coconut and never put her down.   The thought of putting her down and picking out a different one was just terrible.  Poor Mr. C had to put his puppy back but he doesn’t have major attachment issues like I do.

During the drive home we seriously contemplated going back for one more.  We had only wanted one but she looked so scared that I worried she’d be lonely.  We decided that one was it, although we had our doubts throughout the first week.  She did great during the day but the nighttime was a different story.  We put her in a kennel next to our bed until we could potty train her.  She began crying and although we tried everything, we couldn’t calm her down.  I felt terrible because I imagined she was scared and lonely.  Eventually sometime in the night Mr. C took her to the closet and slept on the floor with her.  I woke up to find him curled up on the floor and her laying on him.  It was pretty cute.

Over the nights, things got much better and eventually it was like Coconut had always been around.  I looked forward to seeing her after work.  One weekend I was slightly depressed however because she wouldn’t stop growing.  Of course I got over that and I’m pretty happy with her size now.

We had two dogs as I was growing up but neither one was a puppy so this was all new to me.  Apparently dogs lose their teeth?  We went through potty training pretty well and she progressed from sleeping in a kennel to a bed and now she has about 5 beds throughout the house.  I happen to think we did a great job training her.  While she isn’t perfect, she’s great for us. 

Coconut has always been an easy going dog and when we got her I would pick her up and carry her around the house.  She’s always been a snuggler which I love.  She seems to think she’s a cat and loves laying on the back of our sectional.  She walks over people when they’re on her couch and she loves sleeping in the guest bed when we’re not around.  If you refuse to play with her she’ll pick up her toy and lightly throw it at you to get your attention. She’s pretty smart although she’s scared of everything and not the most observant thing.  I do know this next part sounds crazy but she loves clothes.  I bought her a sweater one year for when we went to Nebraska in the winter and she LOVED it.  Her tail starts wagging when she sees doggie clothes.  I know there are people who think I’m nuts but whatever, you don’t get it yet. 

Coconut has become part of our family and I can’t imagine life without her.  We’re hoping our puppy parenting abilities mean that we’ll make good parents someday.  I never had my doubts about Mr. C anyhow.  For now though we’re loving our little 3 member family.

Halloween and the Scary Scarecrow

Halloween has never been one of my favorite holidays because it’s scary and I HATE being scared.  Over the past few years I have begun to enjoy the day more though.  I think part of this is because we hand out candy and I get to see all the cute little kiddies in their costumes.  Another reason is that we’ve begun our own traditions, one of which is pumpkin carving.  Also, I’ve gotten into the decorating more.  The last reason is that I get to see my dog dressed up in a super cute costume.   I wasn’t always someone who imagined dressing her dog up for Halloween.  In the writing of this post, I went off on a huge Coconut (our dog, not the food) tangent so you’ll get that next time and maybe it will help explain how I've become one of "those people".  Anyhow, the only part of that you need to know now is that we dress her up for Halloween and she’s super cute and loves it normally.  She loved her ladybug costume we got the first year but she’s way too big for that now so we bought her a new scarecrow costume.  She wasn’t the biggest fan of the hat this year though and actually removed it!  Here she is in her Halloween dress.  I had to buy the dress incase the costume didn't work out....

We had Mr. C’s mom and Topanga over for dinner which was delicious if I do say so myself.  I made this Santa Fe Soup and had pretty little bowls of fixins for toppings.  I also made mini pigs in a blanket out of crescent rolls and little smokies.  We LOVE those.  I honestly think I could eat those for a month and still not be tired of them.  Topanga showed me how to make salsa in like 10 minutes.  Yes, that is possible.  So we had salsa and chips too.  And for desert I made a yummy apple pie.  The only problem was that we all pigged out on candy later so we weren’t really in the mood for pie.  When I say we all pigged out, I mean that some of us did more than others but I’m putting us all in the pigging out category to make myself feel better.  Either way, not the best night to fix a lot of food.  

Since all four of us were there to hand out candy I figured it would be easier to just sit outside.  Plus, it’s such a pain to keep going to the door and trying to do something in between.  We lit our pumpkins outside, pulled up some chairs, carried our huge buckets of candy out, and enjoyed the weather.  I happen to think we were a pretty awesome house because not only did we have good candy but we also had a dog dressed as a scarecrow.  I honestly don’t know what could top that.  I’m thinking…  Nope, nada.  Nothing tops that.

We had some super cute kids.  My favorite was a little boy dressed as a dinosaur.  His parents were pulling him in a wagon and after he got his candy he climbed back in the wagon and on they went.  We had some kids as cats, a carebear, Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz and I honestly don’t remember much of the rest of the costumes.  We took turns handing out candy which worked pretty well.  Last year I had a minor freak-out because Mr. C was giving away handfuls of candy and we had a TON of kids so I was worried about running out.  This year he didn’t hand out anything until a group of kids pulled up WITHOUT COSTUMES on their bikes.  They opened their backpacks.  Yes, their BACKPACKS and said “trick-or-treat”.  Ok, so I get that they wanted to get in on the candy action.  That’s cool but seriously put on a mask or something!  One kid had made a sort of mask out of his IPOD headphones.  At least that kid took some initiative.  I think he’ll go far in life.  Anyhow, Mr. C gives these kids all big, heaping, man handfuls of candy.  I had another little freak-out this  year because he was giving handfuls to kids who didn’t even bother dressing up but luckily that was short-lived.  We had candy to go around, although SOMEONE seemed rather possessive of the bowl!  I’m just joking, we had tons, and we all got to eat tons.  It was like a candy buffet!  We had two of those green bowls heaping with candy.  HEAPING!

Coconut loved being outside and a lot of kids (and parents) seemed to love her.  There was one kid who was definitely in his teens and scared of her.  Obviously he was scared of dogs in general because as you can see, Coconut was not really very scary.

I hope you all had a wonderful and fun Halloween too, even if you didn’t have a cute little scarecrow puppy!

The Great Pumpkin Adventure

I’m not sure if I simply find things to write about or if things happen specifically so I can write about them. I think this wonderful story is an example of the latter.

Because I’m anticipating that one day my blog will make me famous and the papparatzi will be all over me, I’m careful to not divulge the actual names of my friends (plus it’s just fun thinking up code names!). I think that’s why anyhow….it could be that they don’t want to publically be associated with me and have somehow caused me to believe that this is my idea… hmmm, that’s one to think about. Anyhow, I digress. My friend has been involved in posts before but I just referred to her as “that girl” or “my friend”. I’ve decided that it’s now time for a proper code name. This morning we were talking about the TV show “Boy Meets World” and how awesome it was and how Topanga was simply the coolest name ever, so from now on “that girl” will be known as Topanga for blogging purposes. Whew, that was long!

Mr, C, Topanga, and I made plans to carve pumpkins on Friday night. I had 2 pumpkins I got with our bountiful basket but we needed one for Topanga. Before carving we had planned to buy candy for Halloween so Topanga and I set out to find a pumpkin and candy. The candy was very easy to find and we bought a lot. When I say a lot I mean A LOT! I didn’t take pictures of the candy alone but I do have one I’ll put in my next post that will give you an idea of the insane amount of chocolate we had. I think it was at least 10 bags…..

Check on the candy, now we just needed a pumpkin. You’d think that finding a pumpkin would be easy, however let me assure you that it isn’t. We started with Wal-Mart location #1 and had no luck. Same story at Wal-Mart location #2. I told her to stop at Sprouts but because of my directionally challangedness, I may have messed up the directions and caused us to drive right by. It was going to take some work to go back so we figured we’d just try the stores by my house. Unfortunately Frys and Safeway were also sold out of pumpkins although they both had huge display areas where the pumpkins had been. It’s like they were rubbing their lack of pumpkins in our face, as if to say that everyone else had one! Our hope was quickly fading but we decided to try Wal-Mart location #3. No such luck there either. We had hit 5 stores and still had no pumpkin.

Luckily Mr. C called Sprouts and was told that amazingly they did have pumpkins. We hopped back in the car and headed over. As we were driving, I realized that the night was a perfect blogging story. I then proceeded to explain to Topanga that they had to have pumpkins at Sprouts because otherwise my story would suck. Who wants to read that we went to 6 stores and at the end of the night were empty handed? No one, that’s who! I explained that we were going to drive to Sprouts and when we arrived, a big, beautiful pumpkin would be waiting. I must have some special powers or something because when we arrived there was a HUGE pumpkin. It was actually a $50 pumpkin so she didn’t get that one but she did find another big (although not as big), beautiful pumpkin of her own! We were super excited, as you can probably see in the picture. We were excited enough to stop in the parking lot long enough to look like idiots so we could take this picture.

Pumpkin carving always SOUNDS fun. Then I get to the part where I have to stick my hand inside the icky pumpkin and it’s not cool anymore. After that it gets back to being fun. Then the carving starts to hurt my hand and I want to give up. But, after getting past that part it’s all good. We watched a movie while we carved and it ended up being pretty fun, even though I had to touch the nasty pumpkin guts. I was even inspired to roast some pumpkin seeds which I had never done before. Roasted pumpkin seeds are AMAZING by the way! In the end, the great pumpkin adventure was SOOOO worth it. Our pumpkins turned out wonderfully. I’m posting a picture of our wonderful creations. Enjoy!

Meat and the Jackpot

I was doing so well with blogging daily and then the flu snuck up on me and ran me over last week.  I never get the flu!  Well, apparently I shouldn't say never since it just happened, but it doesn't happen very often!  As I was laying in bed with chills, achy, dizzy, and not able to do too much, I was very thankful to have Mr. C around to take care of me.  Sometimes (most times) I feel like I hit the jackpot with him.  If I had a checklist of what I wanted in a husband, I would have checked them all off and added some more boxes!  Of course nothing is perfect but I'm pretty grateful for what I have.  So, as I was lying there sick, it got me thinking about a few things….  (this is another one of those times when it seems like I’ve gone off the deep end with my writing but I promise it all ties in together….somehow….even if in a super small way!).

Growing up, I was never really been a fan of meat and tried numerous ways to get out of eating it.  When I was little and my parents made me sit at the table until I ate my meat, I would throw little pieces under the table when we weren’t looking.  This would have been a wonderful partnership for the dog and I except that the dog wasn’t allowed in the kitchen so eventually my mom caught on.   Then I tried hiding the meat in my napkin but that only worked if I did the dishes afterwards so I wouldn’t be discovered.  I hated doing dishes and had to do them frequently for chores so I figured I didn't want to take them on more than I had to, even if it would get me out of eating the nasty meat.  One lucky day I solved my problem, without even trying!  We were staying with my Aunt C. who was serving kabobs for dinner.  Kabobs with STEAK.  I had realized that I tasted less when I swallowed chunks of meat whole instead of chewing them.   On this occasion I did just that, only this time the beef chunk stayed lodged in my throat.  I realized what was happening and froze.  I reached up to feel my throat because it felt HUGE with that chunk sticking out of it.  I must have had a shocked/confused look on my face because something alerted my mother that something was up.  Of course she didn't know what was up and began questioning me, confused as to why I wasn't answering.   Aunt C., on the other hand, knew exactly what was up and sprang into action.  She did the Heimlich Maneuver and I was as good as new.  (Thanks again Aunt C!) This is what finally caused my mother to stop making me eat meat.  Score one for me! 

Eventually I began to be even more grossed out by meat and after reading a book that was probably written by PETA, I decided I was going to officially be a vegetarian.  I announced this to my parents who though I was nuts.  The worst though was when I told my grandfather.  He had earned his living by managing a meat packing plant so the idea that his granddaughter was a vegetarian was just preposterous.  I was probably a vegetarian for about a week, and then for quite awhile I only ate chicken (still calling myself vegetarian though of course).  After a point I began telling people that I was a vegetarian but I did eat chicken…and bacon…and every now and again beef if it was covered in seasonings.  I apologize for my lack of commitment to any REAL vegetations who may be reading this. 

During all of this, my hate for touching meat remained intact, as it still does.  I refused to even touch the packages of chicken in the grocery store for fear that the nasty uncooked germier would attack me...or something like that.  I vividly remember my mother telling me that I better just get used to touching meat because when I got married my husband would expect me to cook dinner for him, including ground beef, steaks, and bacon.  I, being the all-knowing teenager that I was, informed her that my husband would be the one to touch/cut the raw meat and he would be perfectly fine with whatever I cooked him.  I believe this was the part where she began laughing hysterically.  I, however was not laughing.  In the words of Barney Stinson from “How I Met Your Mother”, CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!  When I want something I set out to get it, usually succeeding (sometimes then realizing that I didn't really want it in the first place though). 

Well, not only did I find myself a wonderful husband who is willing to touch the raw meat and eat what I cook, but he also takes care of me when I’m sick.   He sat by my side on Sunday (well more of behind me) and held my hair while I checked out the toilet.  He even skipped a workout on Monday to come home and take care of me.  It’s a good thing I found him because I do not do well with vomit at all.  He’s going to be amazing when our kids (don’t hold your breath – we have awhile still) are sick.  Not only did I find a raw meat touching man, but also a vomit cleaning up man!  So, I declare this a CHALLENGE COMPLETED!

No Shoes Needed for this Walk

I try to make most of my posts slightly humorous with the hope of being entertaining so you’ll want to keep coming back and sharing with your friends so that eventually advertisers will be dying to place ads on my site and I’ll become famous and live off of my blog earnings (that’s the long-term plan anyhow, but don’t worry – I’m not holding my breath!). After over 20 posts, I’m writing my first serious post so don’t say I didn’t warn you. Also, the beginning may seem like I’m rambling but I promise that I do have a point…even if it takes awhile to get to it (Mr. C learned this a long time ago)!

Religion has always been a part of my life, a bigger part at times and very small during others. I grew up attending Catholic church and a Catholic school. My grandma was a wonderful role model for me. She devoted time every morning to her prayers and lived her life as a devoted Catholic. My father attended church weekly as well, as he still does. He even attends church in Arizona when he comes to visit. I attended mass weekly during school and then again on Sundays. I also had religion class daily at school and learned lots of “religious info”. While this gave me a great Christian background, I never really FELT what I was learning. I understood it but it never really sank in. I began to get lost in the rules and repetition. At some point I began to lose the real meaning of everything and seemed to just go with the flow.

In middle school I decided I wanted to be confirmed Methodist, in my mother’s church. The songs, sermons, people, and laid-back environment made me feel more at home. While my dad wasn’t thrilled, he did respect my decision and was pretty supportive. For the rest of high school I was very involved in the church, participating in the youth group, volunteering, and even going on a mission trip. I loved being active in the church but there was still something missing.

I moved to Arizona and fell out of my church routine. Mr. C attended regularly in the beginning of our relationship and so sometimes attended with him and his mother, however at a certain point we became lazy and stopped getting up on Sunday mornings. We had our ups and downs of church attendance, attending regularly for awhile and then taking “breaks”. Before our wedding we became more regular and were married by an amazing Pastor of our church. We started attending more regularly again a few months ago and had become pretty consistent.

My mother-in-law is pretty involved in many things, one being the Walk to Emmaus, a Christian retreat (to simplify). She had talked to Mr. C and I about going many times but we never really paid much attention (sorry!). She asked us again a few months ago. I had begun to feel like something in my life needed to change. I loved my family, my friends, and my life in general, but I still knew something was missing. Mr. C and I talked about the Walk and decided it was something we were interested in. I figured at the very least my mother-in-law wouldn’t ask us again! The men went one weekend and the women another so my mom had planned to come stay with me while Mr. C was away because I’m still terrified to sleep in our house (or any house for that matter) alone. It occurred to me that my mom could go on the walk to so I asked her and she excitedly said yes.

We didn’t know much about the walk, other than that it was 72 hours long, was in a church, and was supposed to be great. I’m pretty picky about some things, including my sleeping because I have a lot of issues sleeping and prefer to be in my own space, in my own bed. I also NEVER (I really mean never when I say this) go out without makeup on. When I had abdominal pains that lasted for two days, I refused to go to Urgent Care without first showering and doing my makeup. I ended up having my appendix out that day. So, I also worried that I wouldn’t be able to shower and do my makeup like normal. I know this last part may make me sound vain but I tend to worry over dumb things!

Mr. C attended the Walk while my mother and I were having our fun time in San Diego. He returned telling us that he had a great time, but not saying too much else. He didn’t want to give anything away and I didn’t really know what to ask. I did, however, make sure to get the low down on the showering situation which I was still super stressed about!

The week flew by and it was Thursday night before I knew it. I wasn’t sure what to expect and wasn’t too comforted once I arrived! I felt so out of place and there were only a handful of girls under 30. I was soooo glad my mom was with me (I know, I sound like a little kid!). As I left my husband and mother-in-law I was so nervous. I talked to a couple of women and started feeling better, although still a little unsure about the LONG weekend. One of the leaders gave a little talk that night and said something to the effect of us most likely not wanting to leave Sunday night. In my head I was thinking that I knew I’d want to leave Sunday night!

The weekend was amazing. Here, I’ll even capitalize it – it was AMAZING! I’m not going to detail all of the wonderful talks and experiences of the weekend because first of all I simply don’t have time for that…my blog would be pages long! Secondly, the best part of the weekend was that we lived in the moment, not knowing what was next and not worrying about anything so I wouldn’t want to spoil anything (since of course there are millions of people that read my posts LOL). I LOVED not being responsible for anything (well not much anyhow). The best way to describe the weekend is that it was filled with wonderful surprises, wonderful women who quickly became friends/family, and a chance for me to find what I had been missing. If the weekend had to be put into a box, I don’t think the lid could shut because the amount of love and prayers received that weekend couldn’t be contained. And, the leader had been right…I wanted to get back to my husband and my puppy and my bed, but I really didn’t want to leave. In the end I didn’t really care about my showers, the lack of makeup, or the snoring at night because the experience was bigger than all that (plus I had earplugs). And, I’m so thankful that my mother-in-law wasn’t too pushy but always remained persistent.

I’m so thankful that my mother and my husband went through the same experience at the same time. I never cry – NEVER. My co-workers call me heartless because I didn’t cry when I watched “The Notebook”, or really any movie for that matter (with the exception of Marley and Me where I sobbed). I think I cried 3 or 4 times that weekend, the most exciting one being at the end when I tried to explain what the weekend meant to me. I think I got about 3 sentences out before I started blubbering and making my ugly cry face in front of a rather large group of people. Even worse than crying is crying in front of a group! Of course everyone understood, no one laughed, and I think some were happy to see that I did actually show some emotion (the rest of the weekend’s crying was fairly low key and I spent the majority of the time simply smiling – I’m good at hiding things!).

Going from a retreat to reality was hard because talking about things is always easier than doing them. However, today I feel like a new woman, with a new mission. I have my priorities in order and at the top of my list is my faith, my family, and my friends (including those who I have yet to meet). I know I have a lot to work on but I feel like this past weekend was a great start/reminder. I don’t know what’s in store for me but I know that God will point me in the right direction. I recently discovered this song and love it so I’m posting a link to it. Enjoy!