A Break

I took a break today. And I'm not going to feel guilty about it. I went to get a hair cut, apologizing  profusely as soon as I walked it because I looked like Cousin It. I took a nap and then I went to dinner with a friend from college who I absolutely love. Three hours after we sat down for dinner, we both decided it was probably time to go home. I have been so secluded from the world that it was weird to see make up on my face and interesting to see whether or not I could still walk in heels. My go-to outfit for the past month or so has been jeans, a t-shirt and flips flops. Sometimes if I am feeling crazy, I will put on some mascara. Mike is a lucky man!

In 20 days this test will be over and done with and we can hopefully get back to whatever "normal" Mike and I know. I cannot wait. So....while there is nothing very exciting to report, I decided to give y'all a quick update on what is happening in our lives. I have been trying so hard to keep exercising while I am studying because of all those proven health reasons, relieving stress, sleeping better, blah blah blah. The problem is, it is so freaking hot here. It hits at least 100 degrees every single day. So, running is out unless I wake up at 3 am. I took a couple Zumba classes from this studio I found down the street. Have y'all done this? I loved it, but then I got annoyed that this one girl was better than me and I stopped going. I also realized this is part of the reason why I run...no none to compete with except myself :-)

The point of that paragraph was to explain why I went for a walk the other day. I figured it would do the trick, and I headed out the door with specific instructions to Mike. "Do not lock the door when you leave." You cannot even know how many times I have uttered those words with no problems. However, the one day that I sluggishly dragged myself home, dripping sweat and about to collapse, the door was locked. At first I thought this was a joke. I kept looking around for Mike's car thinking he was trying to trick me (sometimes he likes to do things like this.) The more I looked, the more I realized. This is not a joke. I looked at our cat, staring out at me, and started wondering if perhaps she is smarter than we give her credit for and would be able to get the Hide a Key that is sitting on our KITCHEN COUNTER. (Yes Pops, you were right.) No, I didn't have my phone.

Five houses later (can you believe that??) someone finally answered the door. I explained my predicament and watched her check my ring finger when I mentioned my husband had locked me out. She told me I could use her phone, and I started to follow her inside into the vixen air conditioning that was calling my name. She shut the door in my face and came back with her cell phone. And she never offered me any water!! (Am I being too sensitive here? I was really surprised!) I called Mike, who thankfully picked up a number he didn't know, and then handed her back a completely sweat soaked phone. The door shut and I went and sat on our little walk way up to our house until Mike pulled up. He managed to take a big swig of Mountain Dew before he got out of his car. I would never survive in the desert.

So that was fun. My middle sister leaves tomorrow for Israel and Slovakia. You might be wondering, as I did, why she chose these random places to visit and who in the world she was going with. This is how our phone conversation went this afternoon.

Me: Now, who are you meeting in Israel again?

Julia: Oh! My friend "S" lives there. Remember her?

Me: Not even a little bit. Is she from college? Or Iceland?

Julia: No! She's from when I was studying in Australia.

Me: Of course she is. Ok, then y'all are going to fly to Slovakia?

Julia: No! Jenny, remember, "B" lives in Slovakia.

Me: "B" from Iceland? The kid that came and stayed in Alabama?

Julia: Yes.

Me: Ok. Did you figure our something to get his parents for letting you stay with them?

Julia: Nah, I figured I would just pick up something at the airport.

Nothing about that conversation is normal. Julia is so funny. She was very shy growing up, and now she is off meeting friends in random countries that I am pretty sure I will never visit in my lifetime. It is pretty amazing. I hope I get something from the airport.

That's about it. Back to the grind tomorrow. I will try to check back in before the 26th - if you don't hear from me, send out some positive thoughts, a prayer, whatever you like. (I will not be accepting negative thoughts for the next 20 days.) Hope all is well!

Two Blogs in Two Days

Well, I realized that now that I am shoulder deep in studying, I may be blogging more often. These will probably be random thoughts that I am using as a distraction from studying. Today's lesson in on technology. As I am writing, I have been on the computer for at least 4 hours "studying." This is a problem. The program that I use is over the internet, so it gives me ample access to my email, Facebook and any blogs I want to randomly check. (Including the frequency at which people are checking mine.) I know, I need to get out of the house.

Anyway, I had to put my phone on silenct and move it across the room so I wouldn't be distracted by random texts that popped up (even if they were just from Verizon telling me I have a bill to pay.) I recently told my dad that I have adult onset ADD. I like to believe that all my issues are adult onset. Anyway, he told me I am creating the ADD for myself. He told me to go to the library (how long has it been since you went there) and turn off the internet. Surprisingly, my ADD went away. We are so connected to everything and have been taught that we need to know everything immediately, and we are shortening our attention spans. Is it necessary for me to see immediately who has posted pictures or their random thought for the day on Facebook? No. Plus, it opens up a world of privacy issues. I know more about people I don't "really know" than they would probably like. Sometimes I feel like I still live in AL because I know what everyone did that week. When you think about writing something on your wall, you don't think about the other 513 friends you have - you are probably thinking about your close friends that will read the sentence.

My next issue is texting. It drives me crazy. I don't mind a quick text here and there about when and where to meet, or "I'm running a little late." However, when you text me, "What are you doing?" I would prefer that you pick up the phone. Additionally, dating is now a victim of technology. I have no problem with people meeting on-line. I actually think that is a pretty good idea, as long as you are safe about it. My issue is that romances don't seem to start with conversations anymore. They start with texts! Then you end up with people attempting to read into one or two sentences that their potential boyfriend or girlfriend has sent. "What exactly did the question mark at the end of the sentence mean?" Also, I read an article that said those relationships that do start with texts tend to move more quickly physically because you feel like you know that person more intimately. People are less afraid to write what they may be thinking/feeling than they are to say it. Maybe if Mike and I had started dating in the time of the text, it wouldn't have taken so long for him to say, "I love you!"

I know that there are positive things that come from technology. The internet is a great tool, and I do love Facebook so that I can keep up with friends who live far away. I think I will go check it before I get back to studying.

Happy Anniversary to Us!

I know this is a few days (a week) late, but Bar prep is in full swing and it seems like all I am doing is studying and attempting to keep our house in some sort of order. Plus, I kept thinking about how exactly I wanted to write this - a celebration of marriage? What we did that weekend? Or a reflection on the past year. I am going to attempt to put all three of these things into one (somewhat) short post.

In pictures, the weekend:

We bought a new grill because the old one is not working. Do not ask me to explain why. This is the grill master at work. We had steaks, baked potatoes and....

A bottle of wine that my parents got for us. Yes, those super cute wine glasses have a "J" and a "M" on them. They were a wedding present. :-)

Sunday night (our actual anniversary) we went to dinner at Ruth Chris with a gift certificate from Mike's parents.

If you notice Mike is holding up the cork to the wine we had...he was excited. (can you tell we like wine?)

Here is the picture of the wine we had. Seriously, again with the cork?

And here is a picture of us. Please don't ask me why I look like I just got out of the ocean. It was humid and rainy that night and my hair was not co-operating. However, please take note that Mike has lost some weight since last year! He is looking quite handsome if I do say so myself!

So that was the weekend. We had a great time and made sure to eat that top layer of our cake. It was delicious!

Now, marriage is wonderful. I love having Mike as my husband - seeing him everyday, picturing the future together and knowing that I have a partner who will always be there to lean on. Mike is one of the most patient and supportive people I have ever met. He is also an incredible listener. (And not just to the last 5 seconds of a sentence when I say, "Did you even hear what I just said?") These are fantastic qualities, particularly because I realized this year that I have no patience. (I'm working on it.)

But, the first year is a challenge. If you attempt to tell me that you are married and made it through the first year without a disagreement, I will not believe you. I'm just laying that out there. You don't need to have had a knock down, drag out fight, but some sort of disagreement. Essentially, marriage is taking two completely separate lives and trying to somehow merge them into that perfect puzzle where you maintain your identities, but also are working as a partnership. I do not believe it can be done in a year. If you have achieved this, kudos to you. It is tough.

Personally, this year has taught me a lot about myself. I'm not perfect - surprise! I am messy...more than I thought. I forget things that you ask me to do (and I attribute this to old age) and I hate to clean bathrooms and fold laundry. There. It's out there. I need assurance when I do things, which actually really surprised me. Right now I am looking at signs that are posted around the house that say things like, "You WILL pass the Bar." There are approximately 7 of them. Mike can't wait for August to get here!

Mike and I did not grow up in identical families. We had to learn how to merge our ideas of what a family "should" be, into one that both of us were able TO be. I have accepted that Mike is not ever going to be my running partner. He has accepted that I do not like loud music and do not wake up well. Ever. (Even on our wedding day, I remember wanting to hit snooze.) But somehow, the pieces fall into place, and it works. Yes, there are disagreements along the way, but at the end of the day, there is no one I want to eat dinner with/watch Modern Family with/sit outside and do nothing with, more than Mike.

So, here's to another year of learning and love! Happy Anniversary!

It's Been Awhile

Well, my computer is fixed! Mike figured out that the computer needed to be taken to CompUSA and basically my hard drive was wiped out. (There was never a need for the instillation CD!) Then things got a little crazy. Mom and Grandma came to visit, then we went on our Southeastern Tour to celebrate Grandma's 80th birthday and meet our sweet new niece. It was a nice break and we were able to spend some wonderful time with family and friends.

Today is our One year Anniversary!! I am going to write a separate blog about that later, because it really needs its own space to be reflected on. However, we are having a wonderful weekend just hanging out and doing absolutely nothing! It is fantastic.

So below are just a few pictures to sum up the past couple of weeks.

This is Grandma when she came to visit us. Those are the ears I gave Mike for Easter, but he has yet to put them on his head....

Also, I don't know why this picture posted twice...sorry.

This is mom and me after a wonderful Mother's Day dinner (still in Dallas.) We had had a few glasses of wine...

While we were in Birmingham, we took a family picture. I know it doesn't sound like much, but it is hard to get 7 people to stare into a tri-pod at the same time. It was also interesting to see how much taller Mike is than the Blackburns. I never realized just quite how short we are all. He looks like he is anchoring our family down.

After the photo shoot, I was able to visit with three of my wonderful friends from high school and their baby girls. We have pictures, but I don't have a copy. Have you ever tried to take a picture of 3 babies ranging in age from 4 months to almost a year? It is difficult. The hoop-la (that is the only way I can think to describe it) behind the camera is hilarious as each person attempts to get the babies to look the same way. (And smile.) Then there is the catcher, jumping in and out of camera shots to make sure that no child will succeed in her attempt to dive head first off the couch.

We left for Atlanta a few days later. Mike and I drove in just in time for me to start observing my MIL making the secret sauce I will be chasing for the rest of my life. It was amazing, and I realized how off mine had been. We had a wonderful dinner in their new house and played a rousing game of dominoes. (They play for pennies, and it is hard core!)

Here is our sweet new niece, Calista. She is absolutely beautiful and such a good baby. I'm not sure how my sister in law survived this weekend. She had a month old baby, a 2 and a half year old and was attempting to move from house she has lived in for 10 years, into a bigger one.

Luckily, I was placed on baby duty - I don't do very well in packing situations. (Clearly, as I was taking pictures while everyone was helping pack)

Our nephew came home around 5 pm that evening. Kristen (my SIL) and I attempted to clean out the cabinet underneath her bathroom sink while this sweet child ran around and around. We threw the boy in the bathtub which was fun until he found the water gun, and then we got him into his Superman pajamas, complete with a cape. Now, Calista brought him a long Superman cape when she was born, so I got to wear the pajama one.

I wish y'all could have seen me as we got ready to leave for dinner. Kristen graciously offered me some make-up, with the caveat, "You don't need it, just if you want it." So sweet. I couldn't even think about putting some on because I was soaking wet from the bath (that I did not take) and sweaty from packing the house and chasing Houston. As we walked out, Mike said, "Hey Superman - do you want to leave your cape?" Yep. Still had it on.

So that pretty much sums up the past few weeks. I will write again soon. So glad to have my computer back!!

And We Are Back

First, if this works, I want to welcome our new niece Calista Leigh Craig to the family! She was born almost a month ago, and we are so excited to meet her! CONGRATULATIONS to Mike's sister, brother in law, and big brother Houston!!

Ok, I am making an attempt to write this on Mike's computer. The last time I tried this, the post was deleted into thin air and I was too tired to try to find it. As my father in law says, it may have been user error. The problem with the computer occurred right after I had just downloaded some new "Glee" songs to my Itunes...do you think that was the issue? I got the Dreaded Blue Screen and everything else. Luckily, one of my husband's first jobs in high school was installing radios at Best Buy. He is impressively good with electronics and told me that he has now fixed everything with my laptop - I just have to find the instillation CD that came with it. Alright - I bought this computer in Mississippi. 4 years ago. I have since moved twice and quite honestly, I am not sure I even kept the CD the night I bought the computer. (Who really thinks they are going to need those things??) There is no way I am going to find this object (and I have been looking through lots of boxes.) Of course, when Mike told me something was terribly wrong with the laptop I responded, "Ok, well I will just go get another one tomorrow." Wrong answer. We are still searching for that darn CD. Tomorrow I am calling Gateway to see if they have that "in their backstock." Wish me luck.

Since I wrote last, we have celebrated Easter and my grandmother and mom came into town. I had plans to make an extravagant Easter meal, but Mike had plans to finish up the semester. My beef tenderloin is still in the freezer. I did get Mike an Easter basket, complete with bunny ears on a headband. He was more enamored by the three bags of candy that I threw in there. Mom and Grandma came to visit because Grandma is graciously letting me have her car. She is no longer able to drive (don't ask her about it - she gets really mad) and said that the best way to deal with the situation was to give it to someone in the family to take good care of it. It sounds sweet, and it truly was, but my sisters and mom both also have a history of major wrecks....I think she made a good choice.

While they were here, we decided to make Mike's mother's famous pasta sauce. From Italy. Secret Recipe. If you aren't getting it with all the capitalization and punctuation, This is Serious Stuff. In fact, I have been putting off making it because really, is it ever going to be as good as your mother's?? (I didn't even get the recipe until after we were engaged!) After a long day of searching for a certain secret ingredient that they don't sell in Dallas, we started the sauce. Mike's mom used to make this every Sunday and when someone in the family walked through the kitchen, they would stir the sauce. I was getting a lot of, "Hey - have you stirred that sauce?" "Umm, is the sauce burning?" Which resulted in me reminding Mike that he in fact also has two hands. All in all, it turned out well, I think. Plenty of time to practice.

What else...our house is falling apart. Since the garbage disposal incident, our air conditioning quit working, and tonight, I went up into the attic searching for leak that was dripping through the ceiling onto the rug. I am pretty sure there are squirrels up there. Thank the Lord that Mike is almost on summer break.

So, that is pretty much the update. Yes, still studying for the bar that is at the end of July. Not stressed quite yet, but sure that will come in time. Ok, I am about to try and post this....

A New Attitude

I gotta say, I'm kinda loving not working. Now, I know that my job is to study, and I think that is what is making this time of unemployment a lot more pleasurable than when I was in MO. I have something to motivate my days, but I still have the free time to run errands and somehow keep our house from looking like one of these crazy tornadoes hit it. I feel like I am finally able to get a handle on things that we have been putting off since we moved here (almost a year ago!) I am even thinking about moving some things around in the garage so we can actually use it to park in (before it hits 107 degrees again.)

Today was a big day. I chopped my hair off and got "strawberry blonde" highlights added to it. I have been introducing this "red" idea around, and no one has really had anything to say about it one way or the other. Well, my mother actually made some sort of noise that sounded like she was going to regurgitate her lunch, but I ignored that. I am actually now remembering sitting at the dinner table in elementary school asking my dad questions to see just what I could get away with without making him angry. I remember asking, "Well, what if I dyed my hair blue dad?" (He said if that was the worst thing I ever did he could probably live with it.)

ANYWAY - I went to a completely new hair person and told her I was sick of the 3 hairstyles I have had for my entire life. I also added that I wanted some "auburn" highlights added in there. She kept saying, "I'm kind of afraid to do something so drastic because you may never come back." I finally said, "If you don't, I don't think I am going to come back. I am so tired of looking at this mess." She started cutting and I absolutely love what she did. I was so thrilled at the end, I gave her a big hug (I think that took her off guard) and bought 2 new products (that took Mike off guard.) I accidentally left the bag of product on the kitchen table, rather than taking them upstairs to the bathroom, and Mike thought I had bought him something. Oops!

Mike did get a package in the mail today and it's contents had us laughing hysterically. His parent's are selling the house Mike has lived in since he was in high school. We keep getting these random packages (because I think his parents are just trying to get rid of stuff.) However, this one was awesome. It had several of Mike's school/athletic club ID's from when he was about 12. It also included a baseball that everyone on his team signed when he played Little League. The best thing in there though, were the baseball CARDS that Mike had of himself. Picture an 10 year old Mike in his baseball uniform, bat ready to swing and a very serious face. When you turn the card around, you get his 'stats." Example: Favorite subject, best friend etc. The following three are my favorite (remember this is from 1992).
1.) What you will be when you grow up: A vet (that may be his next school venture....)
2.) What is your favorite food: Lobster (seriously?? When you are 11?? What happened to cheeseburgers?)
3) Where will you be in 20 years? Married. (Just barely made that one buddy.)

Anyway, it was really cute, and I asked if I could have one to send to my parents. He said no and then mysteriously disappeared. I just went to grab one so I could you write the stats on here and I think he has hidden them somewhere....

Let's see...one more thing. Yesterday, I was running around and went into Office Max to pick up printer paper. I probably talked to three people about paper, and why some paper is more expensive then others.(I'm frugal these days.) For the record, I spoke only to males. Once I made my purchase I got back in the car and glanced in the rear view mirror. The earrings I had on were fine, but one of them had ANOTHER earring hanging off of it. NO ONE TOLD ME! This is the reason to check yourself before you walk out the door! I sat humiliated in the car for a minute before I headed to Kroger. I walked into the store to pick up some things for supper and noticed the lady waiting at the deli counter had a big label stuck on the back of her pants. I went straight over and told her, and explained my own embarrassment at Office Max. Her words: "God Bless You!" I started laughing. So, if you see a woman (whether you are male or female) and there seems to be something amiss, let's assume she is not trying to be the next big fashion icon - she just didn't think to look in the mirror on her way out the door!

Enjoy your week!

These Twists and Turns of Fate

Well, we have had some interesting turns of events here recently. My parents were in town last weekend which was wonderful! We pretty much ate our way through the weekend, and got to see a Rangers/Red Sox game on Sunday. I was a little take aback when Mike started bantering with the Rangers fans about Boston...he said he was just trying to fit in....

Mom and Dad left Monday morning as I was gearing myself up for work. Just a little background - going to work has become horrific over the past few months. I was having so much anxiety about it that I was physically sick in the mornings, and couldn't fall asleep at night. Obviously, I can't say too much, because when I googled myself, this blog came up and I don't want to burn any bridges. Mike and I had been going back and forth on whether my staying at this office was a positive thing, but that decision was made for me when I was told I was being let go on Tuesday afternoon.

Right before she left for the day, my boss came into my office and informed me that that day had been my last. She first explained that the firm needed to start looking for someone to work as a summer clerk, and that now was the hiring time. I took that excuse until I realized later that most of these kids probably will not start working until the summer rolls around. Then she proceeded to tell me that I am a little slower than most, (this is my interpretation, not her actual words) and this (being fired) will be a good thing because I need more time to study for the bar. How lovely of her to make that decision for me.

So, I left. I was upset because I never really got a reason for what was going on. I had no idea this was coming. At first I was relieved because I had been so miserable. But when I woke up today and realized I don't have any place to be tomorrow, I began to panic. I don't do well without structure and somehow I am going to have to create a some. Yes, studying for the bar is now my job, and I will have to schedule that time into my day. There are just a million other factors that I feel are flying around. I don't like loose ends.

On another note, my dermatologist tried to kill me. Now, I don't think that this could be proven in court, but I went to see her last Wednesday as a result of my adult onset acne that I self diagnosed. She looked at my skin and decided to put me on blood pressure medicine. The doctor said that this medicine has side effects of clearing up women's skin and making them loose weight. She also warned against taking in too much Potassium because I could have a heart attack. If it sounds too good to be true....

First sign I should have noticed - the doctor never took my blood pressure and I actually have really low blood pressure. When I was in hospital after tearing my ACL, the doctors had to keep coming in because the blood pressure machine kept saying I was dead. Don't worry - I wasn't. However, once I started taking this medicine, I realized that I felt sick any time I tried to eat something (let's be honest - that is not me at all.) Also, I was really lethargic. Yesterday I literally had no appetite and kept falling asleep on the couch. I have stopped the medicine and plan to call her tomorrow to see exactly what her thoughts are on this.

So that is what is going on here in Texas. Mike is busy as the semester is finishing up, and I am trying to clear my head and figure out my next move. Yes -I already went for a run :-) Hope all is well with everyone!