One Year Bloggiversarry!!!

I’ve been terrible at remembering special occasions this year.  I’ve forgotten a few birthdays, anniversaries, and sent out some late cards.  I even forgot my own blogiversarry!  A little over one year ago on July 12^th I officially became a blogger, first writing about my terrible encounter with spray tanning.  The experience was worth it in the end because it gave me the push I needed to start blogging.  I began a blog after some minimal setup frustration and a lot of work on the name.  I wasn’t sure what I’d write about but apparently I figured it out since I’ve now published 61 posts.

I’ve always loved writing and it’s been a great way to help me sort out the busyness of my brain at times.  Journaling was a passion and I’m glad to have so many wonderful memories written out, although at times it seemed that I’d write forever.  Blogging was a whole ‘nother level though.  I assumed my mother was biased didn’t think anyone would care about my daily life happenings so I was on the fence about blogging.  I didn’t want to do it because everyone was doing it, and I didn’t want to be posting if no one would be reading.  I’d rather talk to a wall in that case.

I usually write a post and read it the next day before posting.  It’s easier to catch errors and I’m not always happy with the first draft.  Somedays I can get the general idea out but it’s not ‘til the next that I can make the writing flow (or attempt to).  There have been a few posts that make me laugh out loud the second time I’ve read them and every now and then I’m impressed with myself!

I’m shocked to hear how many people actually read this, and it means so much to me that they do.  My aunts, grandmother, and many friends are regulars (although I think my mother is still my biggest fan). I thought the reading might decline in time but my stats are up and my readers are still loyal.  I love hearing that someone new (or someone I didn’t know about) is reading and it still amazes me that my words are being read, as random as they may be. 

I hope over the year I’ve made you smile, laugh, appreciate the people in your own life, and kept you generally entertained. I plan to exceed 60 posts this year (the amount posted within the past year) and I have some plans for revamping the blog a bit.  I’m still working on the becoming famous part and living off my blog while making millions (not holding my breath), but for now I’m perfectly content with my loyal readers and my very random posts.  Thank you so much for being a part of my life, it means more than I could ever write :)

No Regrets

I’m happy to say that I’m not a person who lives with many regrets.  I’m pretty happy with my life choices, even though some things haven’t turned out exactly according to plan.  Others, however, turned out even better than I could have imagined.  I know that there’s a bigger plan and I’m okay with that most of the time. 

The Denver debacle has put a little damper on my no regrets policy at times.  I don’t really “regret” the decision since I know it was what was best for us, especially considering the current shakey economy, however sometimes I wish I could see what my life would have been had we taken that path instead of the one we chose.  If we could compare the consequences of our choices by actually seeing them play out life would be so much easier.  I suppose it may take the fun out of life though as well, sort of like opening a gift before Christmas.

Driving through Denver was strange.  It was about 2am, the city was beautiful and the freeways were empty.  Mr. C slept while I drove through the city, leaving me to think out loud without needed to be answered.  It felt familiar, a little like home, but so far away at the same time.  It was strange to think that had we decided differently, we would have been living there, probably in a tiny apartment somewhere north of the city.   I’d be at a new job with new co-workers I’d be getting to know.  We would have learned the freeways by now, or at least Mr. C would have.  We would have found a new favorite restaurant and our favorite shopping spots.  We’d be enjoying the cool air at night and the green that seems to be everywhere.  We’d be closer to some family and farther from others.

Since we made our decision, what has happened is that we moved into a bigger place, one that feels even more like home.  It’s amazing because I didn’t think that was possible.  We’ve made a couple new friends.  We’ve spent more time with Mr. C’s family and we’ve appreciated the extra help they’ve been willing to give the past month or so as we got settled into our new place.  We’ve saved some money (not moving across the country will do that) and planned a long-term vacation.  I’ve stopped wondering where I’ll be in a few months and have been enjoying where I am now, the wonderful friends I have here, and taking life as it comes.  But, there’s still that little voice in the back of my mind, wondering what could have been had we decided to go for it right then, throwing all caution to the wind.

Denver will always hold a place in my heart, and I believe that we’ll be there someday, someday when the choice is right for us financially, career-wise, and family-wise. I’ve always been one to do what I can to reach my goals, usually being successful at least when they really matter, but sometimes wishing in the end that I would have thought it through a little more or taken a different path to reach the same end result.  I still want my kids to grow up chasing lightning bugs, seeing squirrels (not sure what it is with me and squirrels), playing in the snow, enjoying a summer night, and shooting off the fireworks I grew up with.  Someday I know we’ll move on, but for now I’ll do my best to not think “what-ifs” and enjoy what I have – making dinner for Mr. C’s family and playing games after, spending quality time with my parents during their frequent visits, summers that are perfect around a pool, and sitting outside enjoying the cool air in December.  For now, my heart will still feel a tug when we drive through Denver or when I hear a familiar song that reminds me of the debacle only weeks ago, but I’m remembering the heartbreak I also felt when I thought of the possibility of leaving so much I loved behind.  For now I’ll enjoy that, remember no regrets, and look forward to all the future has in store for us.

Roadtrippin

This past weekend we packed up the car for a 22 hour drive to Nebraska to see some of my family and friends and some relaxation.  We always drive straight through and people seem to think we’re nuts.  Although I can’t always disagree that we’re nuts, in this instance I do :)  I LOVE road trips, especially those with Mr. C because I’m finally to the point where I’m comfortable singing (i.e. yelling) at the top of my lungs in front of him (I figure by this point he’s not going anywhere) .  He can actually sleep through my singing/blasting music now too which is an extra plus!   There’s something exciting about inputting the destination into the TomTom and seeing a ridiculous amount of miles and the destination time of a day later.  The time goes surprisingly fast though and we seem to make a great team.  Plus, we always have some weird encounters and that keeps things lively.  Last time we saw a van spray painted with a kangaroo and the words “honk if you’re horny” painted on the back.  The side was a little classier and said “get in my pouch”.  Now that’s just not something you see everyday.

No road trip is complete without pull-and-peel licorice, Mt. Dew, and Burger King for breakfast.  In case you hadn’t figured it out, any diets or attempt at eating healthy go out the window during road trips.  Add to this my very diversely loaded-up IPOD and we’re set.  My playlists typically are all over the place, going something like this: hard rock song, followed by a pop song, followed by some Frank Sinatra, followed by Eminem, followed by a Christian song, followed by a country song, and then randomly followed by one of my millions of Christmas songs.   It keeps things unpredictable at least.   No matter how hard I try, I always stay up the night before creating a new playlist with my new favs, however there are a few staples that are REQUIRED to make a road trip a road trip.  Otherwise it’s just a trip in the car.  Here are a few of our staples, sung best with the radio at full blast around midnight.

White and Nerdy – Weird Al_­

Jeremiah was a Bullfrog – Creedence Clearwater

Indian Outlaw – Tim McGraw

Barbie Girl- Aqua

And at least one version of Carol of the Bells played all the way through, regardless of what time of year it is.  Since I have about 10 versions this isn’t too difficult.

There’s just something about these songs that makes them awesome and timeless…. they’re actually quite weird now that I think about it though….  There are others, but these top our list every time.

I have significant issues listening to a song the whole way through.  Somehow Mr. C has learned to no longer be annoyed with this, either that or he just stops telling me how much it drives him crazy.  At this point he just lets me run the show in the way of music.  I think he’s finally realized that my musical tastes are just awesome….or something like that.

We’ve driven from AZ to NE straight through plenty of times and we’ve finally got this road trip thing down to a science.  This includes me usually driving between 12am-4am or so while Mr. C catches up on sleep before we swap.  I think it’s the most fun time to drive, mostly because no one can see me belting out the music while dancing along.  That’s not to say that it doesn’t get a little rough at times, but there’s something about it that makes it all worth it.  I also get some super unflattering pictures of Mr. C during this time when he’s passed out, however I’m apparently not allowed to post them on here.  Although I enjoy the night driving, sunrise is my favorite part of the drive.  I’m not up to see sunrise often and I often forget just how beautiful it can be.  When I begin to see that first glimpse of light in the sky I also know that the most difficult part of driving is over.

The drive to NE went very well and we even stuck to a schedule.  Coconut did well, neither of us fell asleep, and we never missed a turn.  We even hit rain 5-6 times and saw a few rainbows.  There’s still something amazing to me about hopping in the car after leaving work early Friday afternoon and arriving in another state, which seems like another world, a day or so later.  When it’s time to go back I’ll be ready for another road trip.  It may be long, but it’s a great time to unwind, enjoy the beauty of nature, and spend some quality time with Mr. C. , especially since he’s basically forced to listen to me for almost a full day :)

The foot debacle and an actual doctor (not webMD)

I pulled up to the doctor’s office telling myself that the doctor was going to be awesome and fix me. That’s when I saw the sign for the office taped on the door. With tattered tape. I don’t think good doctors usually have signs taped on the doors. They have big signs they ordered months in advance or their names engraved in the door, but not tattered tape. This was slightly concerning.


All my fears melted away when I walked into a very nice office with awesome tablet thingies that patients checked in through. I think that’s what sold me. I didn’t even wait that long before being taken back to a room. The nurse took my blood pressure and told me the results with a worried look on her face. I have no idea what those numbers mean. If they gave you a percentage that would be better. Or even a grade. That I could work with. I asked if my mysterious numbers were good or bad and she told me they weren’t great and wondered if I was nervous. YES I was nervous ! I ALWAYS get nervous! If it’s not bad enough going to the doctor in the first place, the blood pressure cuff makes my heart race because I know they’re going to try to suffocate my arm. Doctors are never fun. They’re always trying to poke you with something, and it’s never good. Some want to poke you in worse places than others, but it’s just never fun. I replied with showing her my shaky hands. She looked relieved and luckily she left me alone then. I guess my mysterious numbers must not have been too bad.


The doc was super nice and didn’t try to poke me with anything. I even got a brief foot massage although I think he was really just checking my foot. After asking me a bunch of questions which made me even MORE nervous, he told me what was wrong with me. The condition was some super long medical term that sounded terrible, like a condition where my foot was going to just fall off right there for no good reason (don’t worry – it didn’t). I asked if that was good or bad. I seem to ask this question a lot when I see doctors. I wonder what they think of me when I leave. So, I asked “good or bad” with this scared look in my eyes and I looked serious and jumpy at the same time. He laughed, said it was good for him, and explained how it happened and what it was in non-doctor terms. I can’t remember the name of the actual condition and unfortunately I can’t find it on webMD OR wikkipedia! It must not exist then? I’ll attempt to make sense here but from what I understand, I built up my calf so much and so fast from all the ladder activity that it’s pulling my Achilles tendon up and then when I walk it tears which is that terrible pain I’ve been feeling. I had to stop myself from laughing because it really sounded like I hurt myself from getting too much physical activity. I have never been told that before. I don’t just sit around at home on the couch, but I’m also not out running marathons. I’m not even walking marathons actually.


So, there really was something wrong with me, and it’s good I went in. I guess Mr. C and Ms. M do know what they’re talking about sometimes. I think they just got lucky though. The appointment was most definitely worth it though. The doc wrapped my foot for me and it felt oh-so good after. He even proceeded to draw a smiley face on it. Oddly, I think it kept me in a better mood all week. I’d look down, see the smile, and smile right back. I also have some stretches to do which he told me may fix me as soon as the next day.
I was sent for x-rays just to rule out any fractures just in case. It must have been my lucky day because he wrote on the order that they should give me the films! This meant that after the x-rays were taken I got a big envelope with the films which I promptly viewed once in my car. You should know that I’ve ruled out any fractures based on my review of these films. Of course I have no idea what I’m looking for other than a big line. Mr. C and I also examined them at home. And I made Ms. M look at them too. I would have kept going but the novelty wore off after the first couple days.


So apparently sometimes webMD isn’t the answer, but I’m still not agreeing to go to the doctor whenever Mr. C tells me to.


I’m not quite fixed yet but I can walk without wanting to cut my foot off or looking like a weirdo. Well, I look less weird anyhow. I’m pretty impressed with the results though and I’m hoping I can start one of my fitness challenges next week from my 101 list. I think the list is feeling neglected and I barely remember what’s on there. Plus, with my foot being out of commission while I waited it out, my clothes seemed to shrink the same rate. It’s mind boggling how that happens.

The amazingness that is the internet

One of my favorite things online has to be webMD.com. I really just don’t know what people did without this site! When I had stomach pains I rushed to webmd.com (I waited 2 days so maybe I didn’t exactly rush...) and entered in my symptoms. When I checked off abdomen pain a big, scary, red box popped up and told me to proceed to the hospital immediately. I think the typing was even bolded. You know they are serious then! I decided I didn’t like that option so I unchecked the box. One persistent mother and a visit to Urgent Care later I ended up in the hospital being wheeled to surgery to have my appendix out. If I had any doubts about webMD that cleared them right up! Since then I’ve been basically addicted to the site. I usually just rule out the diagnoses I don’t like, although sometimes I’ll tell Mr. C that webMD told me I have cancer of the whatever. He usually looks at me, rolls his eyes, and tells me to see an actual doctor. He just doesn’t get it.

I’m not sure what happened but a few weeks ago I hurt my foot/ankle. I tried ignoring it and that didn’t work. I tried icing it, elevating it, and wrapping it. It’s been wrapped for three weeks and is not going away. Of course I checked on webMD and googled the crap out of sprained ankles and fractures. Unfortunately I’m not much of a fan of icky medical stuff so I had a really hard time reading all the articles. When they would mention tendons, ligaments, or fractures I’d start to feel light-headed and stop. It made researching my issues REALLY hard. WebMD was super helpful although it kept referring me to a doctor. Ugh. That didn’t sound fun at all. I lectured Mr. C on why I wasn’t going to waste my hard earned money on a doctor’s visit where they’d probably tell me that nothing was wrong anyhow. At first I thought it was a simple sprain, then I figured a sprain plus a bruise, and now I don’t even know but I’m going with the fractured option. I’m not the most patient person and this is no exception. I don’t have time to sit around and wait for this dumb sprain/bruise/fracture thingie to heal!


It’s been about three weeks now. I finally called the doctor today. One place rejected me and told me I had the wrong specialty, another three had at least a two week wait, and the last got me in today. I’m slightly worried that I got in so soon when I had to wait at all the other practices. I figure either


A. There was a cancellation and it’s my lucky day!

B. The doctor is fairly new and just doesn’t have a ton of patients in need of care today.

C. No one wants to see this particular doctor because he’s simply terrible.


I’m really hoping for option A.

Holy cow, that's a lot of boxes!

I’m back! 

Mr. C and I have been working very hard to get the house unpacked.  It didn’t look like we had so much when everything was in closets and cabinets.  After we moved though, the new house quickly became covered with boxes that barely left a path to walk.   It was a little overwhelming to say the least.

So we’ve been unpacking and working a room at a time.  Last weekend (or maybe the one before?…it’s all blending together now) we finally decided to tackle the living room.  There were boxes everywhere and the couch wasn’t exactly in the best spot.  We have a sectional so it’s a little harder to position than say, a couch and loveseat would be.  We weren’t sure how we wanted to position the sectional but we knew it just wasn’t working the way it was.  We probably discussed our options for a good ten minutes.  At that point we figured we’d just move it and see.  We moved it, identified something we didn’t like about that setup, moved it again, found another problem, and kept going with this routine for about an hour.  Finally we had the couch in a spot we were happy with.  It looked great!  It worked great!  Guess how different it is from the first position. It moved about a foot to the left and is no longer angled in the space.  So basically we spent about an hour moving the couch, only to have it end up in practically the same place.  Awesome.  Great time management!

We’re settled for the most part now.  What’s left are the random boxes neither one of us wants to touch, the stuff that we don’t really want anymore (yes, I know I should have gotten rid of this BEFORE we moved!) and the artwork, frames, etc. that require a little extra work to put away.  These are the boxes that were packed by just throwing in whatever random things I found.  Sounds fun to unpack huh?  That’s what the last few hours of packing resorted to though!   Mr. C’s family was amazing and I think we’d still be moving boxes if he hadn’t helped!  Actually, we had quite a bit of help!  Ms. M helped us move some things the day before the official move and clear out some space so we could actually put the boxes somewhere.  Mr. C’s mom lined all the kitchen and bathroom cabinets for us, and Mr. C’s dad and brother filled and unfilled the U-Haul many times!  It most definitely looks like a home now and we welcomed our first set of non-moving helper houseguests this week. 

This post wouldn’t be complete without sharing my very favorite moving moment. Random? Yes.  Funny?  Very.

I was measuring the windows to see what size curtain rod we needed.  I set the measuring tape down, rambled about something for a minute, and looked over to see Patrick holding the tape measure.  He started measuring me.  I assumed he was seeing how tall I was because I sometimes argue that I’m taller (not true btw).  Then he looked at me with the most serious face and said, “all I measure is sexy” and winked at me.  I started laughing so hard I was crying.  Maybe you had to be there, but it caught me by surprise, and although it was a little flattering it was above all very, very funny.

Moving On

This week has been crazy for us since we’re moving for the first time in over two and a half years. We’re renters and although to some people that has a negative connotation, it’s worked wonderfully for us mostly due to the fact that we’re not ready to commit to any certain area, or state just quite yet. It also means that we’ve gotten to see what we like, what we don’t like, and get a pretty good idea of what we want when we eventually go house hunting. Renting also means that we’ve had our share of moving. While we should be experts by now, I feel that I somewhat get lazier every time. I look at things and think “I can just carry that”. While this might sound okay, it's really not. Unfortunately a car full of things to “just carry” doesn’t work so well when it consists of half of the house! I also always seem to worry I'll start packing too early and be bored later. Of course when it comes down to crunch time I’m rushing and throwing stuff in boxes! So apparently we aren't experts quite yet. We did steal my super organized grandmother’s idea of using colored duct tape to indicate which room each box goes to. I’m pretty sure that’s the only improvement we’ve really made to the moving experience which is sad when you consider how many times we’ve been down this road!

When I think back about my/our living situations over the past few years, it’s interesting how each home was so different. As I’ve moved on, each place has felt a little more like home than the last. Each has their own memories and represents a different time in my life and a different type of lifestyle.

The dorms were about having fun and enjoying college. My room was bright and a little crazy – just like me - and I loved it! This is where I realized I was really on my own the afternoon that my parents left to drive back to NE. Eventually, I loved being on my own, not having to follow a curfew, and having freedom to do what I wanted when I wanted to an extent. I could walk to class five minutes before it began and planning ahead wasn't at the top of my list as it is now. I remember hanging out with my roommate, watching Maury, and spending way too much money shopping the first semester. Being unemployed and spending money really doesn’t go together too well! Luckily we got ourselves some jobs the second semester and then our Maury watching stopped due to a lack of afternoon time to waste. This is also where I found some great friends and met Mr. C when he was the boy next door. This is where the story of Mr. C and I began and for that reason it holds many memories. It never really felt like home but it was a good place to start my life away from the only home I had ever known.

The apartment was a more “grown-up” step and my roommates and I had to go to the work of actually paying multiple bills and splitting them. I was in upper division classes at this point and I remember many late hours spent working on design projects at the kitchen table. Mr. C would try to stay up but from time to time I’d find him asleep on the couch at 3am while I trudged on. We watched reality shows with my roommate while we shared the daily dramas of our lives. We had some great times with friends in the apartment and some super fun game nights. I knew when we moved out that things would never be the same. This wasn't good or bad, just different, but hard in a way. We were growing up and it signaled to me the end of something and the beginning of our lives in the "real world" as responsible adults with husbands and houses and kids and jobs.


Then Mr. C and I moved to a house right before we got married. We were thrilled to find it and it was a mansion to us at the time. The house is where we got into the groove of combining finances, figuring out who was responsible for what, and just being a married couple. I remember spending thanksgiving with Mr. C’s family here as well as our first Christmas in AZ. We had a fire pit which we used frequently for pie irons (for those of you who don’t know these are amazing! ) which we made while spending time with Mr. C’s family. This is also the house we brought Coconut home to, the same house that Mr. C slept in the closet because Coconut was lonely and wouldn’t stop whining but we refused to let her on the bed because we just weren’t going to be those kind of people (she sleeps with us now). To me, that house was our beginning, the place we really fell into our routine and became a little family.
I’ve called this last house home longer than anywhere else I’ve lived in AZ and we’ve been so happy there that it’s hard to leave. This house always felt like home and I’m not sure if it was the layout, the warm wall colors, or just because. Our furniture fit perfectly, we had the space we wanted, and I just enjoyed the house. I guess we’ve grown up a lot and grown into our own lives more in this house. We’ve had lazy afternoons, lots of late night walks with Coconut, spent many hours studying, and have had more houseguests than ever in this home. I’m sad to think of what we’re leaving behind because I really do love this place. Although it’s not somewhere I’d want to stay forever, it’s still hard to say good-bye to somewhere I have so many and such great memories.
The new place is great though and even Coconut approves although I think sometimes she’s just excited to go anywhere new. Even with the minimal amount of time spent moving in so far, I love it so far and I know we’ll be happy here. This house to me is the place I get to do all the things I keep writing about like scrapbooking and reading and cooking and the millions of other things school didn’t leave much time for! Again, it’s a different type of lifestyle….a little more relaxing hopefully! I guess we just seem to be going through life changes when we move! We’ve made some memories already though and I can only imagine the millions more we have to make. I’m assuming one of my not so fond ones will be remembering the weekend we moved in 100 degree heat! Luckily Mr. C’s family is amazing and always comes through; especially when we have a U-Haul we need filling and then emptying!