A Change is in the Air

Well, it's been over two months since I last blogged. Life got the better of me and I just didn't have the energy to update. But, I wanted to make sure to post something before the year was out. Hopefully I'll get back to blogging a bit more soon. Since October we've gone on that little cabin getaway I mentioned, and it was lovely. Hoping we'll get to go again sometime in the new year, maybe around Spring Break.

I managed to host my first family holiday in our home when we had my mom, brother, aunts, uncles, and cousins over for Thanksgiving. I couldn't have asked for things to go more smoothly. My only regret is that now the "grown ups" are getting older, so things don't run as late as the family holidays of my youth. But the dinner was great, everyone loved the food, our house, my simple decorations, and thanks to Steph I was able to seat everyone in our dining room around her 6 foot folding tables! My cousin Traci's kids both said at different times in the evening that they wished they could stay the night at our house. When the kids don't want to leave I think you can feel like you've done a good job, right?

The Monday after Thanksgiving my boss unfortunately passed away. He had been sick for quite sometime, and we all knew that it was coming, but it still manages to feel very sudden when it actually happens. I'm still working at the office for now, because there is a lot to do before we can close up shop. It's strange after working for him for 10 years to not have him humming around the office, or ringing up to have us connect him to a client from his cell phone. We're helping his wife keep things in order, find attorneys to cover his current cases, get client files together to return to old clients, etc.

My boss's passing was definitely a distraction in the last few weeks of school, but I managed to do well on my finals and got the A's I wanted for the semester. I also joined the Phi Theta Kappa honor society on my campus, and volunteered with the Lone Star Film Festival this semester. I've got most of my classes scheduled for next semester, and hopefully I'll be able to pick up a lot of students in my note taking gig, to make up some of my pending lost income.

On a brighter note, I got a second part time job too. In fact, I was officially told that I'm hired earlier this morning. Starting sometime shortly after the new year I'll be blogging for the local furniture and upholstery company Simple Things. I'll be coming at it from a blogger angle, whereas the employee who has been running the blog thus far was already with the company, so I'm looking forward to learning about their business and suppliers and integrating my knowledge of blogging and familiarity with popular design blogs and social media into their virtual presence. Once they start getting their new store established I'll also begin photographing store vignettes for the blog as well, which is very exciting for me!

We're less than a week away from Christmas and I can hardly believe it. With all the above-mentioned stuff going on we've hardly had time to decorate. My brother and his wife are hosting our Christmas morning this time, which takes a lot of the pressure off. We got a small fake tree this year, which normally I'd be completely opposed to, but we just didn't have the time and energy for a real one this year. I can always leave this faux five footer packed away and get real trees, but it's nice to have something in the attic for hectic years such as this one. And, it was a mere $30 pre-lit. Can't argue with that. I need to start wrapping presents tonight. I mean, I seriously have to start wrapping presents, there's like 30 of them.

So, there you have it, a brief recap of the past few months, and what I'm currently most excited about in the new year. Also, I'm so happy to have spent another year with Josh. He's been so supportive of me while I'm working hard at school, with the loss of my boss, and he is almost as excited as I am about this new job opportunity, even though it likely means less money in our pockets. At least for a while, anyway. I couldn't ask for a better partner.

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
via

5

Today is our fifth anniversary! It's hard to believe that we've been married a whole five years already. The time has flown by, and I'm so lucky that it's been spent with such a great guy. Today I decided I'd look up what the traditional anniversary gift is, and it turns out it's wood. Ironically, this week I booked us a weekend at a cabin near Beavers Bend Park in Oklahoma. We don't get to go until November, but a quiet weekend at a cabin with a hot tub is worth the wait. Especially when it'll be spent with my favorite husband. You can tell I'm excited because I made a Pinterest board dedicated just to our trip. We plan on spending plenty of time in that hot tub I mentioned, but there will also be marshmallow roasting, star gazing, domino playing, french toast eating, and champagne drinking. Not to mention cold beer, hot stew, and lots of hand holding. I can't wait. I love you, Josh!

Source: google.com via Jessica on Pinterest

I Declare October to be "Good Music Month"

I am so looking forward to October. For the cooler weather, the pumpkins everywhere, and most definitely for all the good music that awaits me. Calhoun, one of Josh's bands, will be playing at the Fort Worth Music Festival on October 1st. Later that evening, none other than Dawes will be taking the other stage, with lots of other local bands preceding them as well. Should be a great day of friends and fun!

Calhoun:


That's my husband on drums, isn't he a cutie? On October 13th, the girls and I are going to see Dawes again at Club Dada. Can you believe our luck? Two Dawes shows in two weeks! It's a Halloween miracle!

Dawes:


That alone would make October a pretty rockin' month, right? But October 24th we'll be headed right back to Club Dada to see Deer Tick. We saw both Deer Tick and Dawes on the same bill on St. Patrick's Day of this year, and I'm really excited to get a chance to see Deer Tick again so soon.

Deer Tick:


And then, there's this show which I must admit at the moment I am most excited about. Calhoun is opening at KXT's 2nd Anniversary show on October 26th, and headlining is Fitz and the Tantrums. I really loved them when they were on Conan earlier this year, and I am very much looking forward to seeing them live.

Fitz and the Tantrums:

Goodies

While Josh is in the UK until the 19th, I've got a lot of free time on my hands. Surprisingly school work has been slow to pick up. Holly came over yesterday and we went to lunch and then to check out the new J. Crew store over by my office. Luckily there weren't any sale items out yet to catch my fancy. Somehow that didn't stop me from spending too much though, as we also went to Anthropologie and Old Navy. I got two of the striped sweaters, the other one in black and cream. Everything but the last top is from Old Navy. The roll-necked tee is from Anthro. I also picked up a 40's style teal sweater there, but can't find a pic of it.

A Few Checkmarks

I got a few more things checked off my to-do list over the last week or so, and thought I'd share my completed project. I mentioned before that I'd finally gotten my Pottery Barn wall organizers up. The space I wanted to put them up in was too small to use their rail system that they insist you buy to hang them. So, I removed the rail pieces from them and attached picture hangers in their place. In addition to that I used 3M Command Strips for extra support, so now they hang great and look like they're just floating there. Above them I put an Ikea Ribba picture ledge to display several of my favorite cookbooks and I also framed one of my grandmother's recipes, for brownies, to put up next to it. I'm so pleased with how it came out!

For some reason I went wandering around etsy looking for trophies (honestly, I can't remember what gave me the idea, ha) and stumbled across these blue spray painted trophies and loved the idea. I have been trying to think of things to liven up our entertainment center and this was just perfect. My family was big into bowling, so I stopped by my mom's house to see what was laying around. I found an old bowling trophy of my Grandpa's from 1971, and she gave me the go ahead to remove the top portion for my project. All this idea cost me was a $3 can of spray paint. I love how it turned out and it's the perfect pop of blue on our shelves. Plus it has genuine family value to me!

And then this week I finally checked a huge to-do off my list- my family photo wall. I've been working on this for over a year and I was finally motivated to get off my duff after coming back from seeing all the family in Iowa. Again, instead of using nails to make a bunch of holes in my hall, I turned to those 3M Command Strips. For reals guys, I love these things. Josh helped me to try and make sure my arrangement looked good and everything was symmetrical and level. I'm going to change out two of the photos, but what is in there for now looks great. The frames I got from Pottery Barn. Not as cheap as the Ikea ones I usually opt for, but our hall is quite narrow and the PB frames were thinner. I really love how this turned out, and my only regret is it took me so long to get it done!

Hey Dude

What a crazy summer it's been! I managed to survive my summer classes, even making a 100 in Statistics (miracle), and an A in Film Appreciation. Fall semester starts Monday, and I have no clue how I'm going to get up for my 7:20 AM class. Last Wednesday, two of my uncles, my cousin, my mom, and I made the trek to Iowa for my cousin Jon Tumilson's funeral. Jon was one of the Navy SEALs killed in the August 6th helicopter crash in Afghanistan. It was very sad circumstances that took us there, but I am very glad that I went and got to see so much of my northern family that I hadn't seen in so long.

In the little time that hasn't been occupied by school I've been trying to take care of projects around the house. I purged my old Christmas boxes and wrap, which were still laying all over the guest bedroom floor. I got some new plants, finally made some progress on my spice storage, and put up my Pottery Barn daily system organizers (which involved some MacGyvering on my part). I'm working on a couple other projects that I hope to finish this weekend before it's back to the classrooms for me. I'll try to take some pics to share soon.

I'm also seriously considering hosting Thanksgiving for my family this year. By "seriously considering" I mean I've already been obsessively planning it, but I don't want to 100% commit just yet. :) That is in part what is spurring me to wrap up some of the household stuff. One of the biggest pieces of the puzzle that needs to be in place before I can commit to turkey day is a new oven. Our oven started smoking from between the unit and the wall when I started preheating it one day back in July. Our extinguisher was out, so I had to call the fire department. Luckily the oven shorted out before anything too bad happened. Josh's uncle came by a couple weeks later to inspect the damage and we realized it was the wiring to the oven that had caught, not the oven itself. We were very lucky the whole house didn't go up, especially when Uncle Gary discovered the firemen had turned off the wrong breaker and there was still a current available to the wiring. So, for now my old oven sits in the garage in pieces, and I fantasize about when I'll be able to have Gary install the new stainless steel double oven of my dreams.

Favorite Things

I'm such a slacker. I totally forgot that I was the featured Friday Favorites on Molly's A Few of My Favorite Things a couple Fridays back. Click here if you'd like to take a gander at what I consider to be a few of my favorite things. :)














Photo via.

Turn the Page

Since school has finished I've finished four books. Two of them I started before school ended, but I finished them once on "break", and started and finished two more since finals were done with. I'm feeling very proud of this fact, despite that we aren't talking about War and Peace or Moby Dick here. They weren't big books, but they were good books that I enjoyed, so I declare it a total win. What's up next? I still have to peruse my shelves of the unread to decide, but here's what I've just finished up and loved. And if you want to see what else I've got on my to-read list (besides what's listed in my sidebar here) you can click over to my pinterest board of books.

Howdy

Long time no blog. I was so busy with school, and Josh being in FOUR bands now that something had to give and it was this little space. I had a great, if a little stressful, end to the Spring semester. 100 averages in History and Government, 98 in Comp II, and a 94 in my last Mod Math course. I got 100 on my History, Government and Comp II finals. But, my favorite part of the last week of school was getting a 100 on my third Comp II paper, "The Ruins of Greek Tragedy in the Comedy of Woody Allen." My professor had told me earlier in the semester that he didn't give 100's at all, so when I discovered my grade online, I went running to his cubicle to confirm it wasn't a mistake. I got the first 100 he's ever given! So pleased that I was able to write about something I love, like Woody Allen, in an analytical way that really impressed him.

Enough about what a gigantic nerd I am. I'm done with classes right now, except for the fact that I'm working roughly 16 hours at school each week as a note-taker for Disability Support Services. I applied for the job to freshen up my resume, since I've been in the same job for the past 10 years, and to get some on-campus stuff on my transcript. Disability Support work looks pretty nice on applications and such. Of course, I got assigned the most boring classes- Accounting and Business Law. So much for a brief respite from legal stuff! And I'm still at the law office in the afternoons after these classes and all day Fridays. Booooring stuff all around. But even if I just stick it out for the 5 weeks left in this summer session and don't do it again, I've at least accomplished my goal of having something more recent to put on my resume.

Aside from that I've just been busy going to Josh's shows. Two weeks ago was the busiest, when he had 7 shows, plus a TV appearance, in 5 days. The last three shows were a real beating, as we went to Austin for a Friday night show, then drove to Addison for an outdoor festival gig in the early evening Saturday, and then hightailed it to Texarkana for the last one. Phew! Of course I don't have to go with him, but sometimes if I don't tag along on stuff like this I would never see him, ha.

And, under the category of miscellaneous information, I'm on Pinterest now. So, if you wanna check out what I'm pinning lately, you can find me here- http://pinterest.com/jawsgirly/

Tonight Josh is playing at First Friday on the Green, so I'm leaving work early to run home and put on a sundress to beat the heat while I watch him play. Hoping to have some yummy tacos or a delicious mezze plate and some beer in the evening sun while digging some good tunes. What a nice start to the weekend that will be!

P.S.- While I've been quiet over here, I've still been sharing recipes at Small Time Cooks, so check it out. Oh, and you can follow that blog on Twitter now- @SmallTimeCooks.

Hi

Things have been quiet here for awhile. I've just been busy with school and stuffs. That last blog post was pretty depressing, and lately things are a little more positive, but still stressful. Uncontrollable blushing, swings in body temperature, and hives are my current companions. I talked to my doctor and I'm going to try the lowest dose of an anti-depressant once school is done for the semester, and see if that won't help me some. I hate the idea of taking medication, but after managing on my own for a long time and 6 months of therapy last year, the idea is starting to grow on me a little bit. Anyway, let's not dwell on the yucky stuff like hives and the two papers I have due in a week (yikes). I'm looking forward to having a break from school- my first summer class doesn't start until 6/13, and even that is just online. My on-campus class doesn't start until July. Here are a few things I'm looking forward to doing with the dribs and drabs of extra time I'll have before I start back to school again.

-Reading! I have so.many.books to read. I got a lot of books at Christmas, and I just ordered three more a few weeks ago, so I am definitely going to spend some of my formerly homework-filled evenings hitting the fun kind of books.
-Photography. I need to get some a couple rolls of film developed from my Holga and Canon AE-1P that I shot ages ago, and see if I actually knew what I was doing with those new flashes. Plus I've just gotten completely out of the habit of photography, and I'd like to fix that.
-Exercise. I know I'm always saying this, and I'll probably always be saying this, but I need to be exercising more. I guess I should only worry if I stop having this as a to-do, cause I've probably given up in that case.
-Driving. I didn't have the time or mental health to tackle this during the school year, but I'm going to get back on the ball, including a 6 hour online adult driving course that'll exempt me from taking the written test at the DMV. Then it's just a matter of lots of practicing with Josh so I can pass the actual driving test.
-Projects. We've got lots of half finished projects around the house that need finishing up. Plus that place just needs a good cleaning. Cat tumbleweeds everywhere!

Just gotta keep my eyes on the horizon and keep chugging along, I guess.

Underwater

I am doing less than well today. And this week. And more or less this month. Honestly, this year has been pretty crap. I spend a lot of my time feeling like I'm just treading water, but lately it feels like the water is above my head. I'm exhausted most of the time. I either don't sleep, or sleep and wake up feeling as though I haven't. I'm currently fighting an invisible foe- I think we either have fleas or bed bugs. Not sure which, but I'm treating it as though it's bed bugs just in case. I have over a dozen big, itchy welts. Vacuuming, spraying, slip-covering, washing, cleaning, and starting all over again to try and get whatever is biting me in check. I've got several tests over the next few weeks. I am not sure what my next step is with math, confused as to what is needed for my major. Realizing I have to take a foreign language. I need the intermediate credits, which means I get to spend $300 and two semesters taking the basics just to get to the intermediates. And I can't possibly keep my grades where I feel I need them to be with all of this. Josh's day job is tenuous at best, and his evening job has been bringing in a lot less money for the last year. My job is still around, and I still don't like it. The house still needs foundation repairs, which I haven't had time to schedule. I'm blushing uncontrollably now, sometimes just if I think about blushing. My leg cramps have returned.

I'll get by. But I'm definitely considering living in a van by the river right now.

They Say It's My Birthday

Today is my birthday- my 30th birthday! And we're having a very low-key evening. Of course we've had an incredibly low-key week because of our winter weather here. Monday night it started raining in the evening, then turned to sleet, and then snow. Schools were closed (not that I have class on Tuesdays now anyway), and the boss man said to stay home. The thing is, it never got above freezing Tuesday, so the ice and snow stayed right where it was. Wednesday classes were canceled. Work was a no-go. Then it was the same game Thursday. We did leave the house Thursday, to pick up my prescription and some Sonic, but that was it for me. Josh went in to work for awhile, but regretted it, as the roads were not great and the people on the road were even worse. And then, last night, it started snowing again. The 2 or so inches that had fallen Monday night hadn't gone anywhere, but they were quickly covered with a fresh layer. Just under 5" fell over last night into midday today. So, I got another snow day for my birthday! The sun came out at last and the temperature actually just reached 32 degrees this afternoon, so a little melting occurred. It's finally supposed to get above freezing tomorrow, so hopefully everyone will be able to dig out of their hibernation holes.

I should have been way more productive with this time off. I did some homework, and of course I still have the weekend, but I could have done more. I did find out that I was off a bit on some of my due dates, and in my favor, so that was helpful in alleviating a little stress. And this winter weather will postpone my Government test that I was concerned I might miss while we're out of town, so that's good also. And we'll gloss over the fact that I did absolutely no cleaning, nor did any household projects get done. I did make pancakes Tuesday morning, with enough to last me two weeks of school mornings. So, I guess it's not all been wasted, ha.

Mostly Josh and I have had lots of hanging out time. He's played lots of video games, I did some cooking and baking, we've had movie marathons and watched a LOT of Simpsons DVDs. We've obviously lost some income, but we've gained some rest and relaxation. Of course, we'll get some more of that when we go on vacation next week. Birthday cruise! Today I made grass-fed sausage and french toast with bananas for my birthday breakfast. We ventured out for beer, snacks, and pizza for my birthday evening, some of which has already been consumed. :) Oh, and I bought myself one other birthday present too.


Birthday Snow

Not Dead Yet

Jeez, it's been forever since I had something to say. Thanks to school and a cold I've been pretty busy. I slept something like 15 hours yesterday, thanks to Nyquil and the illness that necessitated it. Since I last posted I've started school {hate it}, had the house's foundation examined {gotta repair it}, celebrated Josh's birthday {huzzah}, and seen The King's Speech three times {love it}. Okay, technically I've only seen it twice, but I've got plans to see the pre-noon showing with Mom tomorrow. We're smuggling in donuts {shhh}. I'm actually hoping {needing} to get a lot of stuff done this weekend. Tonight will be math homework, but I'm hoping it will be accompanied by a side of pizza or queso. Post morning movietimes tomorrow will be birthday shopping with Josh. He said he wanted clothes for his birthday. I also need to do some reading {Comp II and Govt}, some research, and some writing {History}. Our Service Learning Project this year is writing to an authority on behalf of a local historic building in need of preservation. I also desperately need to make a big batch of pancakes {Cinnamon Oat, mmmm} to stock the freezer for school days. There's the usual grocery shopping and laundry to be done {oh joy}. And on top of all that we need to get to work on a home inventory. There have apparently been several break-ins in the neighborhood, so that is on the urgent list- along with replacing the burned out bulb in the backyard and safety latches on the exterior doors that don't have them yet. It's beautiful and in the 70's outside today. I wish it could stay like this long enough for me to enjoy it, but it's supposed to be back to winter tempt by next week {sigh}. I'd love a picnic right about now.

Resolutions, Past and Present

With the start of a new year it's normal to look back over the last. 2010 was sort of an intense year when I think about it. I made big changes in the way I thought about myself and what I wanted to do with my life. I went through some dim days in the beginning of 2010, feeling like I just didn't have a purpose or a direction for myself. And then, thanks in part to two of my favorite people in the world- my incredible husband, Josh, and one of my personal heroes, Conan O'Brien, I finally was able to see how I could make a connection between my interests and my skills. It seems almost absurd that I didn't put it all together before, but I'm just thankful that I did. Somehow, along the road of life, I had come to think that there were certain things that a person could and couldn't do. And now I'm realizing that you, as an individual, can decide whatever your life should be. I know it sounds silly to only just be realizing that as I'm approaching 30 years of age, but it's true. I hope over time I'll impose fewer and fewer of these imaginary limits on myself.

I'm also so thankful to have had another wonderful year with Josh. He is my best friend, and the best husband. We're always so happy to spend time together, we make each other laugh, and obviously he's been a huge support for me through all these changes. He's also been great through all my weird health problems this past year. Circulation problems, glaucoma, endometriosis, crazy pill adjustments, therapy, my usual FM grumpiness, and my toe injury- he's been great through it all.

And for me, the cherry on top of the whole year was getting to meet my hero, Conan. Meeting him and his staff on tour was sincerely the best day of my life. I really don't care how silly that sounds to anyone, because it's the truth. And again, that Josh let me make this dream come true speaks to how awesome he is.

So, once you've looked back over your year, it's also typical to make a resolution for the new one. But, I've decided I'm not really going to make any resolutions this year. I made a big list for 2010, but then with all the changes that happened, they practically became moot. They were all fine goals, and things that in theory I would still like to accomplish, but my overall goals changed and I had something bigger to work towards. If I were to choose a resolution for 2011 it would be "Keep up the good work". Did I make progress on everything I wanted to in 2010? No. But I did make progress. And that's the goal I'll be striving for from now on. Keep going, keep learning, keep stretching as a person. Keep making friends, taking chances, looking for new experiences. Keep showing my husband how much I love him. Keep trying to be a slightly better me.

Despite not really working much on my resolutions once I'd made my big school decision, I'll still go through the list and see what I was able to accomplish.

2010:
.Read 20 books- Probably read 8-10, couldn't list them all if I tried.
.Exercise at least twice a week- Bahahaha
.Improve my eating habits- Um, yeah, not so much.
.Be a better listener- I think I am getting a little better at this.
.Learn to drive- So, worked on it, but not enough. Need to get on the ball.
.Get a full physical/gyno/bloodwork- Totally done. Sure, I found lots more problems, but better to know than not.
.Learn some tactics for handling stress- Check this one off too. 6 months of therapy and I've got a better (not perfect) set of skills for handling my anxieties.
.Start a vegetable garden in back yard and container herb garden in side yard- Well, I did plant a few things, but they weren't very successful.
.Learn how to develop my own black & white film- Nope.
.Have clothes hemmed- Nuh-uh.
.Finish family photos for the hallway- I have at least made progress here, and will hopefully have something on the wall soon.
.Get my Beatles tattoo- Done. I lurve it.
.Be more like Diane Keaton, Jane Birkin, Linda McCartney, Katharine Hepburn, and Audrey Hepburn- This is pretty vague, isn't it? I guess if you look at these women as being good examples of people knowing and being themselves, then I guess we could say I've gotten a little closer to that this year. Eh?
.Rent a cabin- Well, I reserved our cabin on my birthday cruise, ha. But we never did get a chance to run off to a little woodsy hideaway.
.Finish organizing my office- I'd say done. Not perfect, but pretty much everything has a place and when I remember to put stuff in it, then we're good.
.Cross 2 things off my Life List- Honestly, don't think I did this, but also honestly I need to reevaluate that Life List now that some of my goals and values have shifted.

New Year

Well, it's a new year now, isn't it? Josh and I spent NYE day celebrating the 1st birthday of our best friends' twins, and then spent a quiet evening at home watching Simpsons, snacking, and doing laundry. Exciting I know, but there's nothing else I would rather have been doing.

New Year's Day was a marathon shopping day. Holly picked me up and we grabbed some breakfast before heading to Stephanie's. I got to play with the twins a little more while she finished getting ready. Then we headed to Home Goods, Ikea, and lunch at Chili's. Steph went home, and Holly and I moved on to Anthropologie and Target. I got several cute things at Anthro, including the Hop, Skip, Jump skirt that I wore to work today. At Target I got some great basic sweaters on sale, a second pair of jeggings, and a new belt, all of which were paid for with gift cards. Then we went back to my house and I forced Holly to help me make some new outfits with my purchases so I knew I didn't waste my money. Holly left, I tidied up and went to bed.

Josh had been in Houston for a show and driven back w/ a bandmate, arriving home early in the morning. We both slept in Sunday, however I got up before him and worked on framing up some photos for our bedroom over coffee and some Bob Newhart Show. Once he was up I had moved on to watching some Simpsons and started putting together the new drawers I'd bought for my closet at Ikea. I went to work installing them, which led to a reorganization, which led to some closet purging. I worked on Josh's side a little bit too. It took me quite a while, but I finally got things just the way I wanted, including a new pull out peg rack that stores my necklaces. I showered and we made a late run for groceries. So, all in all, the first weekend of the New Year was pretty darn productive.


Oooh, aaaah, organized.