Down to the Wire

    Welp folks, we're down to the wire over here again. August 31. Meeting my monthly goals on the last day of the month should be pretty embarrassing, huh? (And by early August, I clearly meant, AUGUST. Right, La!?)   But in all fairness, we had a busy month-and a wonderfully celebratory and crazy month! First, we celebrated Handsome's birthday and our anniversary! Then he surprised me with a trip to Clearwater Beach, FL so we traveled and ate and sat out by the water and had many adventures per usual.
Then he started school and we recovered from our trip! and now I'm prepping for another trip to go home to see my parents and meet their puppies! In the midst of all that, I've been sewing and filling out job applications! Sooooo, instead of boring you with lots of info about THAT, I'll just show you some of my fave pics from August!   Here are Mr. RH's birthday presents! Two from me and one from the bloodhound.   

 

I'm quite proud of the next two actually. Not because they are photographic masterpieces, but because I got my big 102 pounder into my car and drove her thirty minutes to her pet resort (aka the boarding kennel) all by myself.  She isn't a "jumper." Usually my husband lifts her in to vehicles, but she neither trusts me to lift her, nor am I particularly able to lift a squirming beast. Thus, coaxing her in was quite a feat. And settling her down once she got in was no small task, but as you can see, she eventually relaxed and started soaking up some sun! 

Left: Sniffing everything and wandering around.
Right: relaxing after realizing that there are no new people smells in the car and that she might be in for another 12 hour car ride (but that is a story for another day).

 And these last are of paradise. All taken from our vacay. LOVE the beach, and we live in a "landlocked" state, so it is not very often that we get to go to the sit near the shore. It was a blessing and a really sweet time.

Most of those are pretty self-explanatory, except the second one of the dolphin is Winter! The dolphin who lost her tail and is now the star of a major motion picture called Dolphin Tale. It is a pretty sweet flick, similar to Free Willy, and I'd recommend it to you, except I don't recommend movies with Ashley Judd in them. (Again, a story for another day). 
More Later, but who knows when later will be.... *could be soon with so many stories for other days, huh? Ha! 

Meeting Goals: Photo Dump Cop-Out Post.

Yikes!! So I haven't posted since the 1st of June! But getting this photo dump completed today keeps me on track to meet my (slacker) goals for 2012!

....

These little angels are my parents newest family members. I haven't met them yet, but I DIE over the cuteness. I have to get home to meet them before they get much bigger. 

This was a beautiful scene on my way home from work the other night. 

I'm participating in this Hexy Modern Flair (MF) quilt along. It is my first time paper piecing and this is my first completed flower! I have made a few others and have some progress on basting, so it will take a while, BUT I'm enjoying it!

We finally have a yard! (First time in our marriage... and in my adult life). SO we planted a garden and I finally found this little lovely a few weeks ago! It was delish!

I made this Pinterest inspired wreath for the 4th of July! It has been on our door all month. I think it is coming down tomorrow, because I'm ready for something a little less THEMED.

Ok, that is it for now. Back soon, in early August to share a few surprises!

Y-O-Y-O-WHY?

So lately I've been asking myself a lot of WHY questions and thought I'd share them with you. (Don't worry, none of them are super deep and thoughtful. Just funny things about my little life).   Why do I like starting the washing machine, but hate taking things out of the dryer?  and Why do I hate loading the dishwasher, but like unloading it?   Why does my Big Baby need a human to stand with her while she eats her breakfast and dinner? Why have I been moving from one injury to another the last few weeks?
Why do I want to go to Starbucks EVERY single day?
Why do I like starting books so much more than finishing them?
Why do I think workout clothes are so much cuter than regular clothes?
Why am I still thinking about adopting the cutest little dachshund we saw at a tractor supply store a few weekends ago? Why do I not like cutting up fabric for projects?  Why does chocolate come into my thoughts at least four times each day? Why do I like vegetables more than fruit? Why do I like homemade soup more than almost anything else for dinner?  Why am I obsessed with the NBA right now? *And when did this start?* *GO HEAT!*
Why would I still be thinking about a blog redesign when I'm terribly bad about posting consistently?
Why did I write a WHY post? Hmmmm.

 (P.S. I've been singing Y-O-Y-O-Y-O-WHY, Oh Why, Oh Why to the tune of Ole-ole-ole-ole. Where does this stuff come from in my brain?)

Photo Dump!

 So May has just about come and gone, and I haven't posted. I'm sure you aren't THAT surprised. But because one of my 2012 goals was to post at least ONCE every month, I'm throwing this one in at the last minute.  These are a bunch of photos from my phone that show you some of what I've been up to and have been enjoying the past month.   Here is my new girl! She is our "BIG BABY" bloodhound. She weighs a solid 102 lbs and is 4 years old already. We adopted her in the fall and are having sooooo much fun with her.   

I went to visit my parents and utilized my mom's fabric stash to create some baby quilts for friends having babies this summer. I made two very similar, very simple little tops for these two sweet baby boys who are due in late July/early August. They are both the second boy in their family, and while I didn't make a quilt for either of their big brothers, I think sometimes it is good for the second child to get a spoiling the first child didn't get and I hope their moms like the quilts!

 I also got my hands on this pretty little charm pack of Vintage Modern by Bonnie and Camille. LOVE it!

Here I am sinking my painted toes in the sand and water on a remote tropical island. Ha! Just kidding. I snapped this photo of my feet in the pool at my parents house one day when it was already like 90 degrees in April. LOVED it!

I ordered a new phone case for my phone, because mine was not doing well at all. This is a reflection of it on the mirror of my purse. Along with my granny hand at the bottom of the reflection. It is a bright and cheery-cherry case! You can get your own from Gelaskins. 

Turtles on a log on the golf course. No one wanted to be in the water that day, so it was tight quarters on that branch.

Pretty flowers in our yard.

Another pretty.

Seeing a trend? I took that Big Baby Bloodhound for a walk one day and I forced her to stop while I took pictures of these flowers. I thought the color was so vibrant that I had to have a pic! It was quite a feat keeping her still without dropping my camera phone, but I'm happy with the result. 

While RH was home for his one-week summer vacay, we stained our planter this darker brown color for a change and to protect the wood. We love the new color!

 Hope you enjoyed these snapshots of my life! I'll be back in June!  

 

Work In Progress: Etchings Quilt

One of my newly revisited hobbies is quilting! I sewed and quilted some as a child and then spent many years away from the machine. I made Mr. RH a quilt for his college graduation the year we got engaged and married, but did not have my own machine until Christmas a few years ago. I now have a machine and a great fabric stash, thanks to my Mama, and have recently been inspired and have gotten back into the swing of things. 
I took a class at a local quilt store (LQS) in February  and signed up for another this weekend. It forced me to do some prep work and re-learn how to thread my machine and spin a bobbin before I went to class, so that was a great kick-start. I'm thinking my next class will be very inspiring, too!
But in the meantime, I've been using the skills and  fabrics I already have for a few projects! One of those is, what I hope will be, a very beautiful quilt.   The pattern is called: "dream big" and is found in Camille Roskelley's book "Simplify." 

 She is a wonderful designer and the pattern is easy to read and understand.
I used a jelly roll for the fabrics in my quilt. A jelly roll is around 40: 2 1/2" strips of different fabrics that all coordinate from a fabric line. The one I chose is called Etchings and was designed by 3 Sisters for Moda. It is beautiful: featuring greys, blues, reds and creams. It has some prints that look like tourist maps and some with words etched on. 

The pattern had me cut various size rectangles and some squares from the jelly roll strips and arrange them. I haven't sewn all the strips together, yet, but I  took a photo of the whole arrangement.  It took me a solid six or so hours to get everything laid out exactly how I wanted it.  Now the next step is to stitch all of those interlocking crosses and rows together.

I'm really excited about it. Now, off to the machine!

   P.S. I am linking this post up to The Needle and Thread Network WIP!

Leaping!

 Happy Leap Day 2012 Friends! Did you know that there are 97 leap days every 400 years? It's true! Leap years are every four years, except in years ending in 00... UNLESS they can be divided by 40. Don't believe me? Check out this explanation. I'm just love facts about days and dates, so I just thought I'd throw this tidbid out there for you to enjoy as well! Hope you get some wonderful leaping in today!  

Lately

Lately, my head is spinning with creativity.
 Lately, I've been swooning over quilting patterns and fabrics. Lately,  I've been driving my Mama and my hubby crazy with all my fabric and quilting chatter. Lately, I've been dreaming of a more creative career, but I really have no idea how to create THAT for myself.

Lately, I've been working on reshaping my body and my thoughts.
Lately, I have been trying to part with Dr. Pepper, or at least severely limit our interactions with one another.
Lately, I've been sore from working out,  but so satisfied with the soreness. Lately, I've been reading and reading and enjoying both novels and non-fiction. 

Lately, I've been paying more attention to how much things cost and flirting with the idea of trying to incorporate coupons more successfully. 
Lately, I have been sleeping with both my ceiling fan and heated mattress pad on low.  
Lately, I've been happy at home.   

Intentional Changes.

I have spent the first two weeks of the new year brainstorming ideas that I could work on or change.  Some people declared theirs "resolutions" and began at the beginning of the year.  After being inundated with  reports about how unlikely we are to actually effect long-term change if we start on January 1, I was tempted to wait or not announce anything. However,  I gave it some serious thought and came up with a few things I have been thinking about or already working on, and created a list of what I'd like to do or accomplish in the next fifty weeks.  Here is my list: 1. Finish 12 books.  I say finish because I have a few books sitting on my nightstand that I really should get through before I purchase or begin any new ones.  2. Make curtains for two bedrooms and our living room. 3. Train for and consider running 13.1 miles in June in a race.   4.  Continue to cook regularly and maybe add in a few more recipes so that Handsome doesn't get bored. 5. Post pictures of wreaths I have made recently to the blog!  6. Order our wedding album before our anniversary in August and order prints... Embarrassing I know.  7. Work on more scripture memory verses and get at least a little plugged in at a church in our new town. 8. Blog more. Even if it means I just get one post posted a month. So, that is all I have.  Some of these things have been troubling me for a great deal of time, so 2012 would be a great time to take care of them.  I have other thoughts and ideas and little to-dos but I'm thinking big picture here people and I want to set attainable goals that still might do some stretching and make room for growing. I'll try to keep you updated.  

2011 By the Numbers

So it is now the middle of January. I still want to do some form of 2011 recap, so  here is 2011 by the numbers!
1: Trip to the Emergency Room,
1: Anniversary celebrated at a very delicious steakhouse, complete with flowers and a bracelet from my man
1: Morning in my old high school
1: New addition to the family! (our 102 lb. bloodhound named Big Baby)
and 1: missed trip to Hawaii! :(
2: Moves! One across the country, one across our town.
and 2: Missed days of work (one following our 1 trip to the ER). 
3: Job applications completed!
and 3: Friends having beautiful babies! 
and 3: Weeks of eating-in, almost exclusively...the longest amount of time we have avoided restaurants during our entire marriage.
4: Months of school and months of being jobless.
5: Big finals for hubby, but 0 big tests for me!
6: ..is close to the number of times I blogged. So embarrassing. 
and 6: times I stepped out of my comfort zone to meet new people since moving to our new town.
7: Trips to Hometown throughout the year.
8: Months of work!
9ish?: Different churches we visited or tried due to trips out of town and our move!
10: (approximately) the number of new recipes we have incorporated into our regular repertoire.
11: States visited including, but not limited to, Washington, Maine, Massachusetts, Virginia, and Texas! 
16: Church league softball games
21: times I felt embarrassed or put my foot in my mouth. (I'm guessing here people).
(approximately) 40: Known food allergies
60: Skin tests for hives
(approximately) 80: Prescriptions filled and taken! Sheesh!!
(approximately) 120: Boxes packed and unpacked.
Countless: hugs, kisses, shouts, "I love yous" and "I'm sorrys"
********
And Christmas by the numbers:
We saw: 4 parents, 3 grandparents, 2 brothers, 1 sister-in-law, 4 nieces, 3 family pets, 2 aunts, 2 uncles, 1 cousin, and countless friends and  family.  It was a busy but full time.  

Managing Life With Bumps In The Night

So, the bumps had returned. So I did the best thing I knew to do: I went online in search for answers! Well, sort of.  In all honesty, I went online to get a phone number for an allergist in my Hometown and did what any reasonable adult would do: called my mom and asked her to set up the appointment for me, even though I had looked the number up.  I got scared so I had her do it. Pathetic, I know.  But, in all fairness, the allergist's office has been my dad's family's doctor for over 50 years! So my mom, dad, and brother are all well acquainted with the office and I knew she would have more sway about getting me in on the exact and only days I would be available for several months. 

And sure enough, she came through! They scheduled me, somewhat unwillingly, for allergy tests over the exact two days that I was planning to be in Hometown.  They told my mom that there was a good chance the tests would be inconclusive, but I persevered and thought it would be worth going.  So I stopped my medicine for a few days, became quite irritable and bumpy and itchy, and then went and got a lot of scratches and a whole bunch of food injections.   The tests showed that I have food sensitivities to, oh, pretty much everything that any normal person would like to eat.  

Seriously.  I'm sensitive to wheat, coconut, garlic, blackberry, cauliflower, strawberry, pear, pea, kidney bean, grape, red and green pepper, chile powder, brewers yeast, oat, rice, banana, pecan, spinach, apple, celery, coffee, watermelon, cow milk, beef, lobster, shrimp, tuna, halibut, apricot and peach.  

If you made it through that list you will probably be thinking two different thoughts, simultaneously. Those are 1. Man, that is a lot of food; and 2. There must still be tons of other foods that you are not sensitive to and therefore, what is with all the whining?

I know, because I had these same thoughts for about a month before I got a handle on myself. For a while, I tried to eat other foods they tested that I had no reaction to. Things like chicken, corn, pinto bean, cherry, etc.  And I think I was doing okay, but the bumps kept coming and I kept cheating on things like coffee because it can be really discouraging to limit your diet. 

But eventually, I realized I needed to see a nutritionist to figure out how to truly eliminate the foods I knew I was sensitive to and how to still eat a relatively healthy diet.  The dietician taught me a number of things I never knew, introduced me to foods I hadn't heard of, and advised me of other foods that weren't tested but were in a like family to those I were so I could stay away from them too. 

I think it has been almost two months since I saw her, and since that time, I have been doing better at staying with my safe foods and not cheating by eating unsafe foods.  I did have one more pretty bad attack and have had some other slip-ups, but overall I'm doing okay with "safe" foods, many prescription drugs, and now, some digestive enzymes.

I'm not sure how long it will take to get over this bout of illness or if it will be something I live with for many years.  Right now, this combination of things seems to be working, and I'm trying many different types of cooking and recipes that I likely would have before these issues. 

We were trying to generally eat healthy for a while before the bumps started, but in all honesty, I wasn't deterred enough from things like cheese to really eliminate them.  But now that I have essentially been forced to rethink food and diet, I don't even miss most of those things we have eliminated.  It may be partly because it makes me feel better as far as hives go, but I think I generally feel better in life, too.  So I'll keep eating "safe foods" until something changes, and that makes things like preparing my own Thanksgiving a lot less worry free, since I knew exactly what was in everything I was eating. 

Things That Go Bump In the Night

So I have sort of alluded to some dietary changes that I have had to make and how I had to be careful in order to make Thanksgiving "safe" for me to eat this year.  I suppose it is time I share in more detail my struggle.
Around May of this year I started noticing little bumps around my elbows. I thought that I was getting spider bites, because it is common for people in the area of the town we were living to have trouble with spiders and the bumps were small.  But then the bumps kept appearing, and constantly in new areas. We travelled to our Hometown on Memorial Day weekend and I saw my general practitioner for a yearly checkup.  I showed him the bumps and explained that they "come and go. They move around and change colors and it seems like they don't last long, but there were often new ones springing up." He advised that I should see a dermatologist to diagnose the skin condition, but with some clever internet sleuthing I self-diagnosed with hives in a matter of hours, instead of waiting seven months for an appointment with a dermatologist.
And I started self-medicating with a little bit of anti-itch creams and low dosage antihistamines.  This worked well and good for a while, except for my occasional bouts of irritability prior to bigger breakouts and sometimes pretty severe itching.  But then one night in the middle of June, I woke up and went into the bathroom feeling awfully strange. I turned on the light and standing at the counter I thought that I looked strange.  I went and got my glasses from my bedroom and returned to the mirror. My lip was swollen so much that I hardly recognized myself.
So I woke my husband up and asked him to take a picture and email it to me from his phone.  He did and I forwarded it to my general practitioner (who regularly emails and texts patients at 3 in the morning--he is awesome by the way). I was quite alarmed at my appearance so, of course, I did as any normal hypochondriac female in the twenty-first century would do: I googled it.  After reading a few things, I debated with myself for a few minutes about whether I should wake my husband up to tell him I was going to go to the Emergency Room, at the direction of the interwebs, and decided I probably should.
He wanted to come with me, being the modern day night in shining Tundra that he is, so off we went.  He was prepared for an eight hour wait, but we were triaged almost immediately, because they were concerned about keeping my airway open.  I was given a quick round of corticosteriods, antihistamines and H2 blockers to stop the allergic reaction I was having.  The doctors quizzed me about the time period I had been having bumps, my diet, my soaps, etc., and finally told me that I have angioedema (or swelling in the face) and I probably have idiopathic urticaria (or as we common folk say, hives from an unknown cause).  They told me I could keep track of everything I came into contact with and try to determine the cause, but they said I might not ever know and that the swelling would likely not return and that the hives would eventually go away.
My general practitioner set me up with prescriptions for an EPIPEN, antihistamines, and an H2 blocker for the histamine response from my stomach.  This combination of drugs made the bumps totally manageable for the rest of June, all of July, and most of August.  A few would appear during the night, but I regularly cleared up during the day. So I slacked off about keeping track of everything I came into contact with, and just tried to eliminate common allergens from my diet, from my washing liquids (of all forms) and through other sources.  I was perfectly happy with this mode of operation, because the hives were pretty well controlled and because I had heard that hives often last for several months at a time.   But time continued on and unfortunately for me, the medicines and my lifestyle changes did not stop the bumps from reoccurring in the night.

Thankful.

thank·ful  (thngkfl)

adj.

1. Aware and appreciative of a benefit; grateful.

2. Expressive of gratitude: a thankful smile.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I'm thankful that we have loving families at home and they are always available to chat. 

I'm thankful that I am not alone on Thanksgiving, even if is just me and my best friend. 

I'm thankful that we will have a wonderful delicious meal to eat together and that it will be safe for me.

I'm thankful for doctors and medicines and the internet that help me with what is or can be safe.

I'm thankful for the warm and wonderful home we live in.

I'm thankful that we are making a place and finding our way in a new city.

I'm thankful that Mr. RH brought us here for school because it is so new and so different. 

And I'm thankful for the adventure that it is and because it was just what we needed.

I'm thankful that all of these circumstances are for our good beause of Him who I am most grafeful for.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

We hope your Thanksgiving is full and warm with contentment and gratitude and love for friends, family, and the Lord who loves you and gave it all for you. God bless. 

The Little MacBook That Cost $

Well. My little newly-returned-regularly-scheduled blogging went to pot last week. I know, enough with the excuses already!! But if you will just forgive me again...

You see, the little MacBook I write my posts on decided to change my lovely plans.  He has been (mostly) loyal and faithful and dependable for over four years now, but last week he was so very tired. So tired in fact, that his regular glow just ceased.  Turns out his display and backlight need to be changed out! $270.00+ tax. Cha ching! 

Oh, and his battery is on the way to the world of fried batteries, too, I guess.  The nice genius at Apple regretfully informed me that my battery has stood up for over 808 charges, but that he likely wouldn't last for many more because they are only guaranteed for 300. (I feel the need to express my disgust that 300 full charges is not even a full years worth of charges if you run your battery down daily. Come ON Apple!).  But I guess I don't really have room to complain since mine lasted over double that! But unfortunately, he won't likely last much longer.  And to replace that is another $99.00+ tax. Cha ching! 

So if you are keeping track, the repairs my little guy needs are currently at around $370.00+ tax. And he is already 4 years old, has had to have his hard drive replaced and had his OS updated. So it is not like we haven't already put other money into him. (Well, the new hard drive was actually replace for free, but that is beside the point).  And umm, $400.00 is like almost a whole iPad2 and is almost 1/2 way to a brand spanking new MacBookAir.  And umm, I'm not working.  And umm, it is almost Christmas. And umm, yeah.

So I am trying to decide what to do, if anything at all. For the time being, I'm writing from Mr. RH's desktop. And I'm so grateful for this, because it has an internet connection, a lit screen and a keyboard. 

But my little MacBook buddy is sitting in the living room, close to our big living room window, and a couch and television. He is saying that the stationality (I know it isn't a word) of the desktop can't really satisfy me for too long, so I'm still going to have to make a decision. But maybe I can wait to decide until 2012.  Or maybe Santa will surprise me and decide for me.  Wouldn't that make the timing of this whole thing completely perfect? 

I'm here and I'm writing from the comfort of Mr. RH's plush leather desk chair,

Nothing of Substance

First of all, thank you for the warm welcome back into the blogging world.  I didn't know that anyone would realize I was gone, except maybe my husband and mother. And my mother called me very soon after I posted, so I was right about her, but I don't think my sweet man has noticed yet.  So I guess that means I'm not that great at making predictions about my life. 
Anyway, as I am getting back into the swing of things, I decided to go easy on myself and instead of writing a thoughtful, coherent post, I'm just going to give you a splattering of thoughts.  These types of posts happen to be my favorites on other blogs. I think they are my favorites, because they are easy to focus on as you only need a 3 second attention span.  Plus, I think it is fun to see random bits of other peoples days and lives and how those moments and thoughts relate to my own.
Thus, we proceed:
1. I have really only been drinking Starbucks Refresh Tea lately, because of some dietary changes that keep me away from cocoa and espresso.  In an attempt to be frugal, Handsome and I bought me a nice package of them at the store.  This is all well and good, except for the fact that I want my Refresh Tea in one of those dang cute Red cups. I suppose I can wait until after Thanksgiving to give in again. 
2. Said dietary changes, espresso and cocoa among others, are also making me a little crazy trying to plan our Thanksgiving meal.  Handsome and I may be on our own this year, because we are not going to our Hometown. This is good and bad. It is good because we won't have the stress of traveling before his finals and because I really will know that I can eat everything I prepare. But it is bad because I am having the hardest time figuring out what I can fesasibly prepare that will be edible and safe for me and still resemble a normal Thanksgiving meal, will starve off any feelings of homesickness, and please my Thanksgiving-loving-Husbands tastebuds.  Good times.
3.  This recipe search keeps leading me to my old favorites like Paula Dean. And I now follow her on Twitter. But man alive, there is not likely to be one recipe of hers that I can use this year which makes me think I should unfollow her on twitter (for the time being). Sad days.
4. I joined Twitter. In case it wasn't clear from the above.  I sort of, kind of, love it! I check it on my phone and on the computer and it sort of makes me feel like I am still interacting with people throughout the day even though I am really just sitting at home talking to myself.  My username is SageNovember and you can talk back if you want to.  
5. On a totally unrelated note, I need to make a trip to Hobby Lobby so I can talk to myself in the aisles there and so I can pick up some beautiful items for projects and crafts.  I really ought to do this today as a. I am clean, b. I am wearing clean clothes, and c. my hair is also clean.  You would think that this combination of things is normal for most people, however, it has not been a frequent occurrence in my life as of late.
And with that realization, I am off to Hobby Lobby with maybe a stop at Starbucks on the way. :-) Shocking I know.
Don't worry.  I'll be back soon and I'll be writing,

Major Changes.

I keep not writing, because I haven't written.  Logical huh? Oh, and because I don't like my blog design anymore, but I'm trying to put that aside and put myself back onto the interwebs, because I miss all of my blogging friends.
Anyway, I couldn't quite stir any creativity while at my last job. It required many hours of serious thinking and writing and it also paid me, so blogging had to hit the back burner. Or it got stuffed into the bottom broiler that never gets turned on. However you want to say it. 

But now, I'm currently unemployed and feeling quite free and creative and I'm trying not to think about the blog design, all so I can bring you another installment of This is Katie. Good times, eh? 

In the 8(+) months since I last checked in,  many wonderful, life-changing things have happened.  
First, we moved part way across the country.  Then I flew back to our old city and I finished out the remainder that creativity-stifiling but very interesting and important job.  It had been for a one year term, so I needed to complete that term even though our move overlapped a little. 
At the same time, Mr. Rh started grad school and started studying more than we knew was possible. 
And while much of this was going on, we also started house shopping.  Then we got a new (old) house and moved again(!) while he was enjoying his fall break.  This move required many hours of painting, but hardly any repacking since we had the foresight earlier to stop unpacking when it looked like we were going to get to move again. It also involved supervising workers who were making repairs and changing things on our house. After this stint of supervision, I decided I went into the wrong profession and should have been a site manager instead of a whatever I am because for some reason, workers fear me.  And all this time I thought I was an approachable, friendly human.  Guess I look more like a grouchy boss. 
Other than those life things, a few minor things happened too that have required me to start cooking more and crafting a little. I feel energized and excited again. Join me?
I'm right here and I'll be writing,

I Quit My Blog.

  Unintentionally, of course.   Life just got busy the way it does sometimes.  You see, Handsome and I have had a pretty different fall this fall. In some ways good and in some ways just flat out different than ever before.
For instance, I have never had a job where I worked forty (and sometimes plus) hours in a week. 
We joined a gym and I have never been a member of a gym.
These changes alone have been massive for this little Mrs. and I just haven't had energy or time at night to write messages to you.  And I most certainly am not busy writing in the day.
So while you were reading and writing, I was watching re-runs of Dawson's Creek and Felicity (courtesy of Handsome for my birthday).   And I was working out and occassionally cooking.  But mostly just really enjoying the hours of awake time that I get with Handsome, away from the stresses of work.
I would like to say for certain that I'll be here and I'll be writing, but I just can't be sure of it.  And I don't want to get anyone's expectations up, just to disappoint them later on.  But when I feel inspired, or have some extra time, or something special to say: then I will be here. And I will be writing. 
Because sheeeeeesh: I have to get adjusted to my working life at some point, right?  I'll hopefully be here and hopefully still be writing, 

Full(y) Changing.

I'm coming to you from my living room on Sunday evening. Handsome sits on the couch watching Sunday night football. I'm breathing in the crisp cool air and cozyed up in my favorite fleece (which I've been wearing all spring and summer too because I like it). I'm yawning and thinking socks would comfort my toes, but I haven't sat with still with my computer in a long time so I think I'll just stay right here.
Our weekend was full. And actually our lives have been so full lately.  Full of love, of thinking, of activity. Full of family and of friends.  So full, that I didn't even remember to say goodbye before I took a pause from blog for life.  It is so fun being out of school. I thought working forty hour weeks would be more exhausting than school was...and in some ways it is! Right now its a bit more draining, but I think in ways that I will grow accustomed to soon. In most ways it is such a joy being completely free of thinking-stress on the weekends and when I watch the tele with my man on weeknights. A bit of exercising, a few fun nights with friends, laundry and sleep have been filling up my waking-non-working hours. I have barely been reading or cooking (much to the man's dismay), but maybe soon this workin-life will feel more normal than it has so far.  It is invigorating to start a new chapter and to acclimate to it, even if I seem to do so a bit slowly. I'm thrilled that the weather is crisp and a new season (in more ways than one) is beginning. 
I'm still here. And I'm still writing,

Listed Without Method.

1. We joined a gym... and I just love having the opportunity to go! This is the first time I have ever really been a gym member (other than in college or paying for pool use for swim team as a child) and so far, it is one of the best decisions we have made. I haven't been brave enough to try a class yet, but one of these days I'll get in there. I'm especially interested in the spin classes and the cardio/weights classes.

2. I'm craving s'mores. But I want the campfire part and sweaters to go with! On the grill or on the stove just doesn't sound appealing!

3. The fall clothes: jackets and boots, sweaters and jeans are really looking nice! This year I won't need as many casual clothes (because of my work dress code), so of course that is what looks the best to me at the stores.

4. I'm having nightmares about my job! Last night I dreamed that I started to get in the shower at the office at 6:45 a..m. thinking I would have enough time to get ready and then realizing everyone was congregating because we were supposed to be there and ready at 7! It was an awfully stinky way to start the first day on job.

5. A yogurt bar place recently opened near our home. We had been to Peachwave before and not been too excited about it. I convinced begged and pleaded with Handsome to go with me to try it and he reluctantly agreed. And I'm happy to say we were both pleased!

6. I'm in the process of closet purging (like as I type). Most of my code appropriate clothing lives in an armoir in one room of our house and most of my (former) daily clothes live in the closet in our guest room. I'm purging that closet and rearranging to try and fit my work clothes in my closet with my casual clothes such that everything will cohabitate peacefully. Thus, (hopefully) making it easier to create outfits in the early mornings.

7. I can't shop online unless I'm looking for a specific piece (like I saw it in the store and want to order it now). I guess I don't have the patience.  Catalogs still work for me, but I just can't get into this clicking from one page to the next to the next while every image loads. And then having to open up specific pages for each of the items I might be interested in! Ahhhh. It's enough to drive a girl batty.

8. I also can't get into ballet flats as proper footwear. For one, my feet get cold and two, I don't like the back bottoms of my pants to fray. But dang they are cute on others and boy oh boy do I feel like a frump walking around in clogs!

9. I really wish I was on vacation. Handsome and I had the BEST time last month and I am just smiling as I sit here thinking about it.

10. I never updated you, but my hard drive was wrecked. I lost a little bit of data, but nothing irreplaceable or devastating. My warranty on the computer was out, but somehow! remarkably! my hard drive was still under warranty. So they replaced it on the spot and since then I've had my little mac back and life is good!

I'm here. And I'm still writing,

Whoops!

Hello. I just returned from a spontaneous week-long trip with the Mr. to celebrate our anniversary, his birthday, and my finishing of that test. We had talked about going and made tentative plans, but didn't book a hotel or schedule anything specific and even talked about not going at this point.
But last Monday he suprised me by saying, "Pack up, we're going on a trip."  And I can tell you it was a fabulous rejuvenating time! I have yet to upload photos, but these are some highlights:  

We golfed, or technically he golfed and I rode and walked along.

 

We rode bikes on a lake trail and ate dinner overlooking sunset on the lake.

 

We went to a baseball game last minute and got to it pretty near home plate.

We had many delicious dinners and a few delectable desserts.

 

We had fun laughing together in the car and thankfully he drove most of the journey.

 

We shopped a little bit.

 

And saw some family one afternoon.

 

 

I didn't check email, read blogs, or write any posts while we were gone, so I have some catching up to do. Life sometimes interrupts blogging and I think it is a very good thing because all together this trip was some of the most fun Handsome and I have had together. We are both glad to be home, but we made some really good memories.

I have lunch planned with my future employer and some of the people that work with her. I'm excited about it but a little nervous as well, so I'm off to shower and get ready.

 

Have a lovely day.

 

I'm here and I'm still writing,