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!

And So We Begin Again

It's cloudy and chilly outside, which is a big change from the gorgeous 70-80 degree weather we have been having. All I want to do is lay down on the couch with my book before the week begins again. However, the bar studying has begun. The first time around, I missed the application deadline because we moved here so late in the year. After a pleading written to the bar Examiners, I was rejected (in January) and told that my application would be moved to the July, 2011 exam.

I think in a way, it was a really good thing. I now have several months of studying under my belt, and I was able to take a breather before diving in again. Sometimes I don't think you realize how much stress you are under until you are out of it. Part of that is survival. You just keep putting one foot in front of the other. Mike and I got married, moved, I started a new job, Mike started school and I started studying for the bar. In this interim of not having to study, Mike and I have been able to enjoy/discover what it is like to be newlyweds and hopefully begin to identify and resolve any issues that could begin to fester.

And of course, just when I have gotten used to not having to go straight to the desk (dining room table) to study after work, and started to enjoy my free weekends, this climb begins again. (Did Miley's Cirus's song just pop into anyone's head?) I am reluctant to let this free time go. Which is why I am blogging, considering reading my book and thinking about what I want to make for dinner. (We will be having shrimp and risotto with spinach :-)

Mike and I are doing well, and life is pretty boring, which is why my posts have been lagging. We went to dinner Friday night at a random little Italian restaurant, and then went to see "Unknown" which we both really liked. Work is a little tough right now, but I keep telling myself it is a wonderful opportunity and a stepping stone to where I want to be. It was interesting - the other night, Mike informed me that the last time he saw me happy at a job was when I was working with my "babies" doing social work. (Yes, we have been together THAT long.) My first reaction was to get mad and explain that the reason I went to law school was so that I could help these kids in a bigger way. Only time can answer whether this was the "right" choice, which is hard because I want instant answers....

ANYWAY - my parents are coming this weekend and I am so excited! We are going to a Red Sox/Rangers game, and it will just be great to spend some time with them. They just returned from Jamaica for a week, where apparently my dad was consistently asked if he wanted some "Ganja, man?" My mom thinks it was his beard. I'm not so sure....The funny thing is, while they were gone, I was 100% sure I discovered a doobie/roach/I don't know what they are called - in our air conditioning vent. I always go to the guest bathroom to dry my hair because Mike is usually still asleep when I get ready for work. On this particular morning, I was getting hot from the blow dryer and saw that the vent was closed. As I climbed up onto the sink to open the vent, a rolled up piece of paper fell out. It was burned around the edges and immediately my mind went to a conspiracy where the owner was hiding his marijuana habit from his wife.

Suddenly I was smelling marijuana (I have never been able to identify this smell - I am really not a very good smeller.) I went to wake Mike up who told me I was smelling my coffee. That evening, I showed him the drugs that were being smoked in our house. Except it was a label that seemed to have been attached to the vent when it was installed and somehow was singed when we put our heat on. Don't worry, our home is again drug free. :-)

Ok, these are the ramblings of Jenny on a Sunday. I think I am going to read my book.

Everything Plus the Kitchen Sink

There is often a debate on whether or not it is better to rent or own a home. I definitely think it is nice to rent because when something breaks, you are not on the hook to pay for it. You just call someone and they come to fix it. However, since we have moved into this house, it seems as though every week something is breaking or acting erratically. The other night I took my first bubble bath in our jet stream tub. When I hit the button to turn the jets on, brown gunk started shooting out into the water. As I leaped out of the tub, attempting to rinse the dirt off me, I noted in my head just another thing to call our landlord about.

Here's the thing. Our landlord is horrible. The owners of this house apparently moved quickly, and I don't think they thought about the expenses that come when someone else lives in your home. They were looking at a check coming in every month to cover the mortgage with a little extra on the side. However, this house was built in 1993. Every appliance in our kitchen is OLD, but we are fine because we have the necessities. All I ask is that when something breaks, it is fixed.

Since we moved in we have had some plumbing problems. Aside from dirt spewing at me in the bathtub, the sinks tend to drain slowly. I noticed that immediately when we first moved in, and also noticed multiple bottles of Drano. So, the first time the pipes underneath the sink began leaking, I was not surprised. A "handyman" was called out and put some caulk around the pipe. Move forward to present day. Our garbage disposal was completely clogged several weeks ago with standing, green water in the sink. . After informing me when I called that he did not take complaints over the phone, I emailed our landlord to tell him about the issue. Three days later, several plumbers inspected the situation and shook their heads. We finally got one who was able to unclog whatever the problem was.

Just a few days ago, we received an email from the landlord informing us that a $300 bill would be sent to us for the cost of the plumbing services. I was livid. He explained that the plumber found PEAS in the disposal and that from this, we were clearly overstepping the boundaries of what a disposal is supposed to grind up. The last time I checked, peas dissolve on their own...to me that suggests that perhaps the disposal isn't working properly. After I emailed him back to inform him that we would not be paying this bill, he emailed me with the Wikipedia definition of a garbage disposal and a note from the owners. The owners seem to think we are partying it up in their house and just breaking things for the fun of it. (I guess they think we are throwing forks down the drain.) They claimed that after living there for 10 years they never had to call a plumber, and requested that we begin scraping our plates into the trash. To me, that is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. I have directed the landlord to speak with Mike from now on as I may say something to get us evicted. We may still get evicted....my last email said:

Dear____________:
Thank you for your Wikipedia definition of a garbage disposal. From now on, we would like to speak directly with the owners. My husband's number is: ________.

I guess we will see how that goes over. TGI almost F!!

Too Old to be a Wing Man

Someone asked me the other day to update my blog. I told her that if I did, it would just say, "Got up, worked, came home, fixed supper and went to bed." Life has been a little boring recently, which is just fine with me. I think sometimes if you are boring, there is a lot of happiness there. As fate would have it, Thursday night I experienced something blog worthy.

I promised a friend here we would meet because she just finished taking the TX Bar and we had not seen each other in awhile. (Sidebar - I have also been discussing setting her up with a guy we know here, and they do have a texting relationship so far.) Anyway, Thursday evening after work, I met her at a wine bar where we sat and caught up. The most amazing thing about this place is you can have food delivered to your table from surrounding restaurants! We ordered a pizza and some salad and just sat and chatted.

As we flew through conversations, we finally began discussing my guy friend. I knew that he planned to go out with some of his friends that evening, and mentioned that to her. The next thing I knew, texts were flying and somehow we were headed to her house to change and meet him out. It was close to 11:00. I was already exhausted - and keep in mind - still wearing my work clothes, that could only suggest I am employed at the public library. It had been one of those mornings where you throw on the quickest thing you can find in your closest, which I learned once I got to work, was black pants with a huge toothpaste stain on them, a top and a little black cardigan. Not so much the outfit you would choose for a night out. You know those outfits they show you in fashion magazines that suggest how to change from day to night? I wouldn't have made the cut.

Anyway, as my friend put on a super cute outfit, I demanded at least a change in shirts. After upping my style to "business casual for 2011 rather than 2003" we headed out. We were *attempting* to play pool (which I was actually really good at in college) when my friend met us. I will say this - this is the first time I have played matchmaker and it may have just actually worked. You can ask my best friends and sisters - I am generally horrible at matching people up. But Thursday night, there was some magic happening! Enough that I ended up sitting on the steps texting Mike because it was going so well. Mike was working, but don't worry, he was involved soon enough.

After last call (which is at 2 AM!!!!) we got in the car to go home. Since I live 30+ minutes away from where we were, I left my car and let my guy friend drive me home. Except it was all three of us. And they came in. I think Mike's face said it all. Suddenly people were opening wine and pouring drinks while Mike and I sat on the couch staring at each other. In a sense it was hilarious. In another sense, it was a mess the next morning when I had to be at work. I will say, my friends went on a date last night and seemed to really enjoy themselves. However, I discovered I am way too old to be a wingman. If I am going to continue this matchmaking, I am going to have to open my own office and work during regular business hours.

Valentine's Day and the Learning Curve

Before I start, I want you to know that I have re-written this post at least three times. I just can't seem to say exactly what I want to get across. That being said, you have been warned.

I love Valentine's Day. It's not because I have a "Valentine" either. I think it is such a wonderful time to let people know how much you love and appreciate them. (Even if you are lazy like me and just send a text.) At work we had a "potluck Valentine's Day" lunch and our sweet secretary brought everyone cards and candy. It's those little sorts of things that you are not expecting that always make ANY day special.Think about when you are in elementary school. You don't just have a Valentine's Day party for one person - you bring a Valentine's card for everyone in the class. Yes, as you get older, Valentine's Day becomes more about WHO will be your ONE Valentine, and maybe the idea gets distorted...

So for those people who claim that Valentine's Day is just a holiday created for Hallmark and the floral industry - I have a proposition. Just think about it as any other day. I recognize this is sometimes easier said than done. I have issues with expectations, and when a "holiday" comes along that was created for someone to boast their love to you, things tend to fall apart.

So, this year, Mike and I had a Valentine's Day re-do. The first one just didn't go so well....

Instead of writing about what actually happened on V-day, I am going to tell you what I learned. I think it will be more positive, and I am just not ready to air ALL my dirty laundry on this blog. So..I am going to talk about expectations. For as long as I can remember, my mother has told me not to have them. She says that you will always be disappointed if you do, and you will always be pleasantly surprised if you don't. Good words to live by. One of the things that Mike and I are learning about marriage is that everyone comes into it with certain expectations of what their role is in the union, as well as as what their spouse's role "should" be. (That is another word my mom says not to use.)

I think each person enters a relationship with an idea of what chores they expect to be responsible for, how their money will be spent, and how they plan to raise their kids. As many discussions as you may have prior to getting married, I personally believe that nothing will teach you what your partner really envisions until you are thrown into the deep end with no life jacket. I made this Valentine's Day into a huge deal in my head because it was our "First Married Valentine's Day." Did that mean that Mike loved me more on Monday than he usually does? No. Did I tell him not to buy me flowers because they are too expensive and we are having budget cuts? Yes. So, why did I expect there to be roses waiting for me when I got home from work? I assumed (by the way, this is another bad word) that since Mike has bought flowers for me every year since we have known each other, that he would still buy them. (PS - that is not all that the fight was about, because that sounds very bratty.)

One thing I learned this week is you can't expect someone to read your mind. Another thing I am learning is that communication is key. Again, I KNOW this in my head, it is putting is actually putting it to work. Again, until specific events pop up, you never know how another person is going to react. Mike had no idea that on Monday I had a horrible day at work and wanted some sort of surprise/sympathy/acknowledgment when I got home. In his mind, a nice dinner at home and hanging out was just the fix. In my mind, a banner professing his love, confetti and a mini parade would have done the trick. I guess this goes along with not expecting someone to read your mind. We are learning to merge how the other person expresses themselves and accept this. Screaming from the rooftop, "I LOVE THIS WOMAN!!" is not Mike's style. And that's ok, because honestly, we never would have had more than one date if it was.

I apologize that this post is vague and kind of rambling, but what I am going to do is take my own advice and start treating Valentine's Day like every other day. Better yet, why don't we treat every day like Valentine's Day? So, don't be surprised if you start getting random texts from me on any ordinary day telling you how much I appreciate you. I hope you all had a wonderful week. Thanks for listening :-)

Pictures Tell a Story Too

So, I have pictures to entertain you regarding the previous post. I am just going to post them separately b/c I didn't upload them before I blogged....

Here is our house after the first ice storm...



Here is my attempt at a snowman...we didn't have anything for eyes - can you find him?


The next few pretty much explain themselves:



At least they are all natural?



I can't eat fries anymore after this fiasco..



This is my Julia Child's attempt. Although it looks as though the plate is overloaded with asparagus, I had already eaten a lot of the beef....



This is what the kitchen looked like 4 hours after I started cooking. I mean honestly, three loads of dishes later? It was well worth it.
PS - See that cool, multi wood cutting board in the picture? My dad made that :-)