The B Love Life

Happy Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-25T02:55:00Z

Happy Thanksgiving, friends. We spent the day with Will’s family today, and tomorrow we are having Thanskgiving with my family. The family that lives two doors down. Those ones. I’m making the bird so absolutely no pressure, right?

So very much has happened lately!

This is not an update.

It’s more of a mid-point check in. One and a half semesters to go until I have my life back, and Will gets his wife back.

For all those people that say going back to school is worth it?

They’re lying to you.

Turn around and run!

Anyway, I’m still here. Schooling away. Don’t forget about me and this humble site.

Actually go ahead. Forget about me until July. I’ll probably check in again during Christmas break here soon, but what I’m really looking forward to is the frequent posting again. And the only frequent posting I’m doing these days is to a stupid school website forum board. Thrilling.

A giant update to follow in a few weeks. Until then, Happy Thanksgiving!

I’ll Show You Mine if You Show Me Yours

2011-06-03T01:47:00Z

I got bored last weekend.

I took pictures.

Not even good ones.

Just sloppy ones.

But, eh? When you see what they’re pictures of- it won’t be that big of a deal anyway.

I do lots of cooking for the week on Sundays in an effort to eat healthily (um, except for some reason this weekend I forgot that was the plan. Boo.). Will, God love him, is not into this lifestyle.

But we’ll get to all that later.

Anyway- here’s a peek into my fridge and some of the things I have in my house most of the time. I’m thinking at the end of this post you’re going to have to share the randomness in yours.

So here we go.

Oh- actually wait.

My fridge, as you can see below, is a MESS. A big one. Remember a few posts down how I talked about how my house used to be immaculate until I started school? Yeah, the fridge is part of that. Ooh! I’m cleaning it in July. Maybe if I remember we’ll capture that in pictures too!

Um, on second thought… nah.

Welcome to my refrigerator!

And my freezer!

I keep this edamame on hand most of the time. They come in individual microwavable bags that are so so great. I make them a lot when Will and I go to the movies. He used to be embarrassed when I’d literally whip out a bag of soybeans- with a separate bag to throw away the pods.

But now he just comes to expect the humiliation.

I figure it’s better than licking the butter from his popcorn bag, or even worse, eating tons and leaving him with the tiny annoying pieces at the bottom that everyone hates. So really, it’s a win-win for both of us.

I LOVE these things. I always have them in my house for a million different uses. I add them to yogurt, oatmeal, use them for smoothies, eat them plain and frozen… you get the idea.

I always have a giant five pound bag of fish in my house at all times. Will hates fish, so it’s all mine. I made the mistake of getting whiting this past time and I don’t think I’ll do it again. I usually get tilapia or cod. Occassionally salmon or tuna. I eat fish several times a week so I go through a bag really fast!

I wish I could get Will to like ground turkey. He’s never tried it because he thinks he won’t like it. He’s very picky. And it annoys me. But at the same time allows me to eat healthy. But we’ll get to that later. Oh- and we’ll get to what this turkey made later too!

Yep. Braum’s ice cream. I know it says frozen yogurt, which would make you think that it’s mine, but it’s actually Will’s. This flavor was definitely not their best, so this has actually been sitting in the freezer for a while. Nice.

This pizza is definitely not something I’d typically buy because Will won’t eat it- “because it’s that healthy crap.” I, however, think it sounds really good. Want to come over and share it with me?

I really like these veggies. They’re supposed to be two servings (what a joke, right?), but I always eat one whole one. They’re only about 100 calories for the whole thing, so it’s definitely healthy too. And good with fish.

Ah stir fry. Something Will actually eats in here!

Let’s dig through my fridge now, shall we?

I buy three containers of this stuff every week. Greek yogurt is so good for you and has so much more protein than regular yogurt. I buy the plain and use it for everything! As a substitute for sour cream, with protein powder, for my smoothies, mixed with my frozen berries, plain with cinnamon and splenda… you get the point.

Yes. I literally open my fridge and am faced with this temptation EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. It’s tough, I’m not going to lie. I put one in Will’s lunch everyday (remember that part earlier where I told you he doesn’t eat healthy?) And everyday I do so, those candy bars call out to me. Especially the Three Musketeers. They act all self righteous and healthy since they’re a “low fat” candy bar. Who do those guys think they are anyway!?

Ah yes, let’s look down a bit into the crisper! Lots of goodies here! I had lots of salads this past week, complete with all sorts of yummy stuff.

Ooh! And this week’s protein shake! This made four days worth of shakes (at 238 calories a piece and about 20 grams of protein. Yay!). I love the purple-y pink color.

Ah yes, my dear friend. The protein powder. Without getting into exercise and protein consumption and blah, blah, blah boring you a lot (ha- as if this whole post wasn’t doing the trick anyway!), this stuff is great.

Especially when coupled with this. Trust me. You can’t do a high protein diet without this stuff. No need to elaborate, right?

And finally, my mini turkey meatloaves! I made these last weekend and have eaten them all week. I made the baby ones on the left as snacks. I just think they’re so darn cute and had to share.

So there you have it, my fridge. Whatcha got cookin’ out of yours? I’m coming over!

Thursday Confessions

2011-05-27T03:46:00Z

1. I have a major woman crush on Nigella Lawson. I never make any of her food, but I love watching her shows and watching her cook. I think of her as a British Paula Deen. She’s not afraid of creating- and eating- delicious (read: bad!) food. Plus she’s stunning!

2. I haven’t been to the dentist in a year and a half. I should probably do that.In my defense I brush and use Listerine daily. And I floss religiously. Okay not religiously. More like bi-weekly. Mmm- let’s go with occassionally.

3. I take Flintstone chewable vitamins. Because I hate taking pills. Which is a silly contradiction because I also take iron and fish oil capsules that are as big as a Mini Cooper. So really, it boils down to the fact that I simply like chewable vitamins.

4. I went to bed at 9:00 last night. Typically I would make some “granny” joke, but seriously? It was pretty great.

5. Will and I have his first “work function” to go to in a couple weeks. It’s an outdoor cookout. I sort of gave him a hard time about it, mainly because he loathes doing stuff for my work, but honestly, between you and me? I’m looking forward to going! I think it will be nice to meet his coworkers and see the people he tells me about each day. But I can’t let him know that after all the heckling he does with me, right?

More to come. Until then? Homework.

Anything you need to get off your chest?

This is Long. Don’t Say I Didn’t Warn You.

2011-05-20T03:05:00Z

Hi!

It’s update time!

So now that I’m back in school, something had to drop in my life to ensure that I wouldn’t become ~~a homicidal maniac~~ irrational. I chose to let my house go.

It’s not a pit, but it’s definitely seen better days. I like to think of it as somewhere in between TLC Hoarders: Buried Alive, and Danny Tanner’s crib on Full House. In sum, my house probably looks like a lot of other irrational Americans who on a whim woke up one day and were like, “I know! I want to willingly endure two years of mental pain during the worst.economic.conditions.ever. so that I’m more competitive for positions that companies can’t afford to hire right now! AND I want to do it while working full time!” Brilliant!

Anyway- before I went off on the above tangent, I had a point I was getting to.

My point is that I usually use my breaks in school to do major deep cleaning of our house. I like to spread it out over the course of a week, to where I don’t spend an entire Saturday scouring every nook and cranny. Only, it’s Thursday night and I haven’t so much as picked up a sponge.

Nice.

Oh- and I ate eight cake batter pancakes and three tortillas slathered in two tablespoons of peanut butter for dinner tonight.

It’s like my whole being is out of kilter and is in revolt for doing anything responsible this week.

Yet at the same time that grandma within wants to scratch my eyes out for not picking up the freaking Swiffer duster and going at the ceiling fans.

Have you seen your ceiling fans!?

Unless you’re Danny Tanner I bet they’re bad.

Before I started school, mine were clean. In fact, I could have hosted a dinner party on each of the blades (Ha. “Hi! Please bring your own ladder- and healthy side dish!").

Not so much any more.

Eh…

Basically I’m trying to tell you that nothing is happening cleaning wise tonight and I feel incredibly guilty about it and am trying to pretend that I don’t care at all.

But you all CLEARLY see through me. Who spends eight minutes talking about not caring? I obviously do.

Sigh…

Okay- so let’s move on, yes?

I don’t think there’s a need to update you on school. I’m pretty sure you’re clear on how I feel about that.

As for other things…

Will
Will started a new job in March. He had been working for his dad, driving back and forth to his hometown. Not only was it exhausting for both of us, but it was ridiculous in gas money. So, we decided it would be most economical for him to do what he’s doing up here instead of down there, which meant he had to leave his dad’s business. It was sad for them, but definitely nice for us overall. And our gas bill. So that’s been a transition the last couple of months, but a very good one.

The Sooner season is fast approaching, which always makes him happy, as you know. However he also has the Thunder to occupy his time. The real question is- will we have NFL to watch this fall? My bet is yes. If I have to beg the owners and players myself, I will. Will might go off the deep end if they don’t play. Okay, I’m kidding, but I couldn’t talk about my husband without addressing sports!

We also celebrated seven years of marriage in March! Seven. Geez. I’ll elaborate more on that in a separate cover. Not today!

Fitness
Much like Will and sports are me and working out. I realize I just told you of the carbicide that I just inflicted on myself, so it’s probably hard for you to take me seriously now. I knew I should have left the pancake part out! Eh- you all know me well enough to know that there are times in which I will most definitely have a tub of frosting in my house.

I will, say, however I haven’t been eating as much crap this year. You may have noticed that stock in Betty Crocker has taken a nose dive. I got so fed up of working out for nothing. I would spend hours in the gym trying to get “muscles” when all I was really doing was barely accomodating my giant caloric appetite. It’s hard to have muscles when they’re hiding under layers of cake batter pancakes!

Anyway, I’ve cut out a lot of the crap (which Will loves… HA) and have started to see better results. In fact, I feel like I need to show you guys that I no longer walk around with a box of cereal in my left arm at all times. Well, not as often anyway. I took this tonight, after the lovely plain white flour binge fest. I might as well have eaten two cups of sugar. Hopefully you can tell that I have teeny shoulder and bicep muscles trying to peek out (hello!), and not a mound of vanilla frosting sitting on my arm. Ugh. Vanilla frosting. Don’t remind me.

It’s right about -----> here <------ where I would now post my workout.

But I just ate eight pancakes.

I'm in no condition to offer workout advice.

I’m just glad I don’t pee eight times a night… yet
So I also turned 28 about a month ago. Yeah, I realize some of you are already there and past- but it’s still a milestone. I was convinced that 27 was still “mid to late twenties” (but really? who am I kidding? Everyone knows I was in my late 20s. I was just in denial for a year. Why do I feel like I’m going to be 29 FOREVER?).

Sweet Will is not a flower guy, mainly because I’m a cheap miser, however he had pretty pink roses sent to my work which totally brightened my day.

I intended on posting deep thoughts somewhere around there but for some reason I spent hours posting pictures of my OCD outlet picture taking instead.

Clearly I have a little more maturing to do in my old age.

Trying to Avoid Sleeping in the Car
Will turned 30 last summer and for his very belated birthday we’re making a trip to Florida for the OU-Florida State game. I know you’re shocked.

We also decided it would be nice to take a (Very, Very, Very) cheap trip somewhere around Christmas this year. Will suggested going to Minneapolis. If you’ve read for a while you know that every year in Kuwait we’d come back for vacation in Oklahoma and first stop over in Minneapolis. It sort of became our little spot and a place close to our hearts. Will thought it would be fun for us to do that again this year.

I think he’s sweet.

But at the same time, we haven’t gone on a trip that wasn’t OU related in a while and I thought it might be nice to do something we haven’t done yet. I suggested Vegas, but Will said we can’t go to Vegas at Christmas. He didn’t come out and say it but I feel like he thinks it’s sacrelige or something. I suggested a few more places and he hasn’t been too enthused just yet. We don’t want to spend very much at all. In fact, I think we’re considering this as more of a mini getaway instead of a full blown vacation. I mean, I don’t want us to sleep in the rental car, but we also don’t want to give away the farm.

Or Lucy.

So, I’m back to the drawing board. Somewhere in between scrubbing our shower and losing four pounds this week I’m going to look into all inclusives. Surely he’ll go for that, right?

Perhaps the biggest update
Oh- and by the way- my parents bought the house one door down.

Do you love how I calmly throw that in?

It’s like I need my own reality television show.

Because then I would have a reason to clean my house.

Oh- and they’d probably capture some interesting moments for sure.

My dad is still in Kuwait working full time, but my mom is currently staying here while they sort of figure out what they’re going to do (and all roads eventually lead right down the street. Actually. Not even really down the street. That would mean that you could ride your bike there or maybe even take a quick drive. Not walk outside and be in their driveway.).

Oh, and let’s not even get into the fact that I STILL HAVEN’T BLOODY GIVEN HER A GRANDCHILD.

I mean- it’s not like I wake up in the middle of the night and see her hovering over my side of the bed with a sonogram machine in hand “just to make sure” or anything, but still… between her and Jenny, and our seven years of childless marriage- yeah- I can’t really expect it not to come up.

I say all this for blogging material (hi mom!), but honestly it’s been nice. I spent three years away from my family, after being close in proximity for 25 years. I don’t think any of us anticipated that after three years we would be this close in proximity though, right? Because everyone close to me knows that it’s free game on here (haha). So hopefully my family can be good sports and know that I actually love how my sweet mom cuts up canteloupe for me and offers to mend my clothes, and make dinner, and go to church with us. It’s nice.

Let’s Call it a Night
I’m sure there’s more, but I just did a quick preview and wow- the odds of anyone reading this is pretty low. Even my dear old mom probably tuckered out at those freaking awesomely fierce arms (oh and I’m kidding by the way. They’re not fierce. I hope one day though!). My point is that I probably need to pull back the throttle on the lengthy post. Unfortunately I think it’s a little too late!

Eh.

I have a few more days until my summer class begins. I wonder if I can commit to posting once a week during my class? That’s not bad, right? Then I have a whole month off so I for see more consistent posting- and house cleaning- then.

That’s all for now, but as always, more to come…

The Road to Good Friends is Never Long.

2011-05-16T07:35:00Z

I was rejuvenated this weekend. Some of my friends from the old days of The Nest and I all reconnected on Facebook. Some of us are still posting all the time. Others have stopped posting. And others, like me, are on the sporadic side these days.

It felt good to talk to them and catch up. It’s interesting how much of a closeness I felt with some of them a few years ago. They were there for me when I moved to Kuwait, when I was homesick, when I had work woes, and celebrated with me when we returned. Lots of changes, all captured here, and read by my blog friends.

It continues to remind me how much I enjoy this little space of mine, and how much I appreciate the friendships forged because of it.

I turned in my paper tonight.

Thank goodness.

A week of freedom.

And then back at it again.

Ugh.

The good news is that after this upcoming summer class I have a whole month off before the fall starts.

I promised an update, and trust me, it’s coming.

I just had to pop in tonight and breathe a sigh of relief that I’m done with this class! I also wanted to share how blessed I am to know some pretty amazing women I’ve been able to cross paths with because of our blog-o-sphere. Pretty great if you ask me.

Thick Skin.

2011-05-05T05:02:00Z

I literally sat in dog puke for an hour last night.

It was only when I got up and Will looked at the couch and said, “I think a dog threw up a little on the couch!” that I realized that a dog had in fact thrown up.

And I had sat in it.

For at least an hour.

And had no clue.

It’s been one of those days all week…

(and I’m done with my class next week which means I owe you a really big giant update)

Why I Should be in Therapy

2011-04-11T13:41:00Z

Okay- before we go any further. stop what you’re doing, and go read the third bullet here.

No really.

Go do it.

Hey! I said do it!

You’re thinking, “Eh- there’s no need for me to go read that post. I hate reading linked posts. I know you’re type.

I’m your type. I get it.

But seriously- go do it.

...

Okay, now that you’re back and get that I’m completely crazy (you know… incase the above outburst wasn’t telling enough), here’s something that might make you laugh a little this fine Monday morning.

Monday

Tuesday

Wedneday

Thursday

I was running pretty late that day therefore did not have time to document that yes, I did bloody hell remember to unplug the straightener.

Which is sort of funny, because you’d think on days I was running around like a mad man, I’d be more cognizant of the need to triple check my plugged in items- considering most people running late almost always fail to do something important.

Like unplug their straigtener.

What great logic I have…

Friday

Now- don’t be fooled. I know at first glance you’re thinking, “Hey! That’s the exact same picture!” Only it’s not. Trust me, it’s not.

Let’s take a closer look, shall we?

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Mission Failure.

Friday

Happy Friday!

2011-04-08T13:53:00Z

I woke to Boz violently gagging at 1:42 a.m. this morning.

Turns out the kid had barfed everywhere.

Oh sorry- not everywhere. That would imply that there was no place for me to step, or that I needed a fire hose to adequately clean my house.

That was not the case.

He did, however, puke six different times, in six different places.

That was fun.

Especially in the middle of the night.

It was like an early Easter egg hunt.

Only there was most definitely no chocolate bunny at the end of the trail.

Happy Friday!

Happy Couples Miss Their Reunions Too

2011-04-03T04:26:00Z

My high school reunion was last weekend.

I was actually looking forward to it. Not to the point that I was obsessing over every carrot stick I ate or getting a spray tan or considering an edgy new hairstyle or anything- but nonetheless I was looking forward to going and seeing everyone.

I can literally recall, as if it was yesterday, hugging all my classmates and jokingly saying, “See you in ten years!” thinking that would be forever away.

But here it was, this past weekend.

It’s a little hard for me to believe.

I had a great time in high school and made so many great memories. I was really looking forward to catching up with everyone.

Only- I didn’t go.

Not because I failed to invent Post-its (if you get the reference, you’re laughing right now), but because I just didn’t go.

Plain and simple.

And now I’m hoping I don’t regret it.

So here’s the story-

I don’t know about you guys, but it seems as though anytime there is a crucial event, holiday, or milestone in mine and Will’s life you can almost always put money on the fact that we’re going to get into a gigantic argument.

I have no idea why, but that’s pretty much our standard M.O.

Now- I should probably qualify (or quantify?… qualify? quantify?.. Which one is it? AHH!) that Will and I aren’t big argue-ers. For the most part we’ve been married for seven happy years and don’t get into doozy arguments all too often. In fact, we don’t really even argue all that often.

But when we do?

It’s on a day in which the whole day is devoted to being happy. For example- Thanksgiving. They don’t just say, “It’s Thanksgiving!” Nope. They say, ”HAPPY Thanksgiving!” It’s not “Hey it’s Christmas!” It’s MERRY Christmas!”

You get my point.

Which is really ironic.

Maybe it’s because there’s so much pressure on the day and you’re running around like a crazy trying to make everything absolutely perfect for you and your family? That’s what I’ve always thought to be a contributing factor. Why don’t Will and I fight on random Tuesdays? Because there are no expectations for a perfect Tuesday, that’s why!

Anyway- I think you know where I’m going with this.

I had gotten up, worked out, and returned home to shower and slowly get ready for the day.

Only Will and I got into a giant fight. You think I would have remembered that this was a possibility.

Yet- I didn’t.

Ugh.

Failure.

Had I remembered, perhaps I would have thrown a penny in a fountain or thrown salt over my shoulder.

Only I didn’t.

Bummer.

So I ended up going over to my mom’s (oh- sorry, haven’t given an update in a while. She’s back from Kuwait right now. And I’ve seen my sister like three times in the last three weeks. How great, right?) and laid around and figured I’d go home and get ready after a few hours. Only, it turned to 3 and I didn’t get ready. Then hit 4. And I was still in a funk. Then 5… and then I figured eh- I don’t get to see my family much and we would have had to leave at 5:30 to get there in time- which wasn’t going to happen. So- no reunion.

Thankfully (Thankfully? Maybe not...) with the invention of Facebook I can still keep up with everyone so it’s not totally awful, but it still would have been good to go.

I guess I write all this because I figure most of those who (still) read this blog are married people. The point of this story is that it was really stupid of me not to get off my lazy butt and go to my reunion. So what that Will and I were grumpy? We would have been fine by the time we got to my reunion- and most importantly, in the grand scheme of our entire marriage we were perfectly fine. You know? Married people argue! So what. It happens and you get over it. I was really ridiculous to let it stop me from going to something so important, right? Ugh, Brittny, silly girl!

So the point of this post is that Will and I are a normal married couple (ha, as if you didn’t know that already) and we argue and do stupid stuff like not going to a high school reunion because of a grumpy mood. But I think the point of this post is also- just freaking do stuff, because if you don’t, well, it’s just silliness.

Oh- and one more point (points! lots and lots of points!)- go to your freaking reunion. Now I have to wait another 10 years. Geez-a-lou!

And having said that I also realize I owe you guys an update! I think I mentioned ages ago that my parents bought a house one door down?

Yes- I most definitely need my own reality show now. I joke that everyone has one these days. I just need to start baking cupcakes or selling pawn shop items or take on truck driving on dangerous roads… anyway- I most definitely owe you a life update soon. However, I’m currently in Colorado (ha- see? another confirmation to do an update) so I’ll do that very soon!

More to come…

Analyzation Frustration

2011-03-23T03:21:00Z

I have not forgotten about you sweet blog! Quite the contrary.

Contrary?

Who says contrary?

I mean, besides 80 year old librarians and Mary Poppins.

Quite the contrary.

Nice.

I wonder if I’ve ever said, “quite the contrary” on this blog before?

If I was feeling proactive, I’d do a search.

But I’m not.

Plus I’m pretty sure I haven’t. I mean- I’ve posted about this and this and even this on here. There’s no way I’m saying something all formal and serious like “quite the contrary” on this blog.

I know what it is, though.

It’s school.

You start graduate school and all of a sudden start annoying the crap out of everyone around you-

To include yourself.

All of a sudden you become a deep critical thinker, analyzing each and every thing. From the way the news anchor says “could,” to the way the back of the ceral box reads. Everything suddenly has deeper meaning and absolutely can’t be taken at face value.

“You’re telling me you’re hungry… but are you really hungry? What is hunger? Do you speak of spiritual hunger? Academic hunger?...”

See? Annoying. Turns out Will was just hungry. In the very literal, “Whataburger with cheese and a large fry” sort of way.

BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT “I’M HUNGRY” MEANS.

And then you start saying stupidly long ridiculous words you’d never normally say in casual conversations with friends. Words like loquacious or nefarious. Who the hell says loquacious when they’re talking about football coaches!?

No one!

And then at some point you realize, “Hmm… someone just saw me blow a giant bubble with my watermelon Hubba Bubba bubble gum. Something seems incongruent here.”

Incongruent!?!

There you go again!

Let’s put it this way- if I’m not annoying you yet, I’m annoying everyone around me. And if I’m not annoying those people yet (and trust me- I am. I really, really am)? Well, I’m annoying myself. Moreso than normal.

I’m not sure what hurts the most- introducing incredibly unnecessary words into my previously limited vocabulary as well as analyzing every.single.thing.ever-

or knowing I have over a year left of this scholastic pain.

Definitely the last one.

I am indubitably convinced it is the latter.

Down at the Lake

2011-02-28T03:36:00Z

I had set P’s last entry to auto post. Largely because- 1. I’m in school and knew I wouldn’t have time to put something thoughtful together the night before I had something due and was about to board a plane and 2. I’m lazy.

I was all geared up to go this whole week. My mind was focused on nothing but P and cupcakes and lots of fun.

And then I got the call Tuesday’s morning.

Will’s grandpa had passed away.

It was a crazy day which included having to rearrange my travel plans. That turned out to be a fun event (ha!). Not only does American Airlines not give benevolence rates, but they also charged me a freaking kidney and first born to change my flight.

Insert expletive here --->

Anyway, I felt so terrible for letting P down, but I also knew I had to be there for Will and our family. I just couldn’t have a good time knowing what was going on back home. I had focused my mind on fun and craziness and had to switch gears to focus on loving Will and just being “there.” Definitely not one of those weeks you plan for.

The funeral was yesterday. I’ve mentioned Will’s Grandma Bea in the past. She died a few years ago and wanted her ashes scattered at a pond where she and Bill went fishing. It was an intimate and special place for both of them.

Grandpa Bill had been sick for several months now, and we all knew he’d be passing soon but it was still sad to hear the news. He had spoken with his daughter the day before he died and had a special message for each of us which she shared yesterday. It was emotional and really special to hear.

After the service we went to the lake and scattered his ashes the same place where they scattered Bea’s. I had never known anyone who had been cremated, so it was a different experience.

It was so weird to see Bill’s ashes in the lake. He had lived 87 years and had so many adventures and stories and at the end was nothing but ashes sinking and falling on the sand below. I know death is something we all know will happen to us, but it’s so visceral to be reminded of it and actually see a life go by and disappear in an instant. It definitely makes me so thankful for the life God has given me. He has blessed me beyond anything I could ever deserve and so often I fail to thankful and truly stop to give myself over to him to have His way in my life. Yesterday was a good reminder of how I need to live my life to please God and not to be so caught up in worries and stressors and the vapor that is life. At the end all we are is a lump of bones, and what we do today is what matters. Life is short.

It’s sad that it takes a funeral to be reminded of what a blessing life is, but I’m thankful for how God spoke to me. I challenge you to do something today to make tomorrow better. I know I will be doing the same.

So- we “take two” on the Chicago trip. I’m headed out later this week. I promise to provide lots of pictures and updates!

Happy Birthday P

2011-02-24T13:13:00Z

So today is the day.

The day all these silly posts have led up to.

The day P turns 21.

The day where I feel pretty darn old.

It’s finally here.

I remember the day in 1989 when we were living in Germany and I got home from school and heard the news that I was going to have a baby brother or sister.

I remember walking down the stairs to see the light on in the kitchen and finding my mom eating potato salad- which is what she craved throughout her pregnancy with P.

Hmm- P? What are your thoughts on potato salad? Mom craved Suzy Qs with me and to this day whenever I can find them (which is very rare) I have this unexplainable impulse to buy three and eat them before I even leave the parking lot. For some reason I can’t see you doing the same with potato salad.

…

Moving on…

I remember the day when P was born- “way” back in 1990. It’s weird to think that I can actually remember that, but I do. I was in school and one of my mom’s friends came to pick me up because “it was time!” She was born with a low white blood cell count and had to stay in the hospital an extra few days and I clearly remember going to see her in that tiny little incubator. She had these little foiled heart-shaped warmers on her back to keep her temperature regulated. I remember having to scrub, scrub, scrub my hands at the hospital before I was able to touch her tiny back- and I remember being amazed that I had a little baby sister. I remember thinking how much I was going to love her and play with her and take care of her and be her best friend forever. When I look back I liken it to Elvira on Tiny Toons. Do you remember that? The girl was always on the lookout for a pet and always telling potential animals- in a scary high pitch shrill, mind you- that she would love them and squeeze them and hold them forever and ever and ever! Yep, I was pretty excited to have a little sister. Poor thing. She never had a chance.

I was like her second mom, she was always on my hip and with me all the time and I was fine with that. Granted, as you know from previous posts she drove me crazy sometimes, and I’m sure I did the same to her. We’ve fought. We’ve cried. We’ve laughed. And we’ve been mad. But who hasn’t when you’ve cared for someone? I’ve watched her make friends and change friends and change schools and change boyfriends, and she’s watched me do the same. We went from superficial closeness to a deeper friendship as we’ve gotten older. We don’t hold back and share everything, our fears, our deepest secrets, our insecurities, and our worries. And it’s okay. Because we’re safe to share those things with one another because we know it’s okay. It’s home. And it always will be.

So here’s to the first 21 years with P- I’m really thankful for them and so blessed to have a sister than I can be unbelievably close to. Friends are overrated, right P (haha)? And here’s to 21 more. And 21 more after that. And 21 more after that! I want us to be in some nice retirement village drinking mimosas and sneaking peanut butter patties past the nurses one day.

So friends- today we tip our hats (ahem- and glasses. Big, big glasses) to miss P. She’s a big girl now. Cheers to her and cheers to what might possibly be one of the more fun weekends in our 21 years together.

Happy birthday P Dub. I love you.

Chicago here I come!!

21 Days of P: Day Twenty- The Chicken Finger Freak Out (and Diving Right In)

2011-02-23T13:53:00Z

As you may recall, Will and I made the move to Kuwait during the late spring of 2005. When we got there, we lived with my parents and sister in an apartment. Defintiely not ideal living situations for 5 people! Not to mention the fact that when we moved there, I was still unemployed. The summer of 2005 was interesting. At the time, it was a mix of fun and pain, but now that I’ve been removed from the situation for several years, I look back and think it was such a great time in my life. Something I needed and learned from and appreciated. Something I wouldn’t trade.

The summer of 2005 was full of a lot of navigating. Learning the ropes of living in Kuwait. Getting familiarized with the culture, the area, all the different cool things that existed in this new world…I learned about the dust storms and kitchen fans (check out this post), running out of water, and all sorts of other things. Seriously, if you get bored, you ought to check out the summer of 05 archives. Good times.

I learned a lot, and it was nice to get to learn it with my sister. Because I was unemployed and had no Kuwait license yet, P and I were homebound during the day. All day. For months. Literally- the only time we would get out of our apartment complex would be on the weekends with our family, and then at the bottom of our building to get bread from the bakery. So- it’s not like I need to tell you this, but- we didn’t get out much. I would shower and that’s about it. Poor Will. Literally days of no makeup or doing my hair. Sexy.

P and I became pretty good at staying home all day, everyday. We even had a system. Will would get up at like 4 in the morning to be able to leave for work, so I would get up with him, go back to sleep, we’d wake up, have breakfast and watch Home And Away- this incredibly porpular Austrailain show. I would clean the apartment. We’d have lunch- which often consisted of thin crust cheese pizza from Pizza Hut. Then we’d freak out over how much we were eating and go work out. Sometimes we would swim, but that ended quickly because the building owner would watch us and it would creep us out. We’d spend time on the patio outside too, looking at life go on while we were stuck inside. Then we’d make dinner. We tried to actually take time to make real meals for our family since we were home all day and they were at work for 11 hours straight.

I remember one time in particular we were having a bad day. I don’t remember why, but I remember being pretty bummed, mainly because I wasn’t able to find a job. I was on edge. I was irritable. I was not ready for anything to go remotely wrong. Plus I had just cleaned the house. We had decided to make homemade baked chicken strips with our own breading. So- we put the chicken in a big gallon size bag that had lots and lots of breadcrumbs in it. P was in charge of coating the chicken. She began coating the chicken, and then ended up just shaking the bag to try to coat it evenly. Only the bag wasn’t sealed. And chicken and breadcrumbs when every where. And I seriously freaked out. In fact, I think there was a time in which P and I actually named that day, “The Chicken Finger Freak Out.” Because I remember literally screaming. I don’t think I screamed a word- I just screamed and I think I totally terrified P.

It was one of those moments where I had just reached my limit and the breadcrumbs flying everywhere was more than I could handle. And P was there. She was there to help clean up the mess and she was there to laugh about it with me. She was there to make me realize it was going ot be okay. She was just always there when I needed her most. Somewhere around that same time, during the height of my frustration of living with my parents in a matchbox and being uneomployed me and P did something silly. I remember we had gone out with my family that night and it was sweltering outside. We were hangingout downstairs by the pool for some reason. P and I got restless and bored and were already in a goofy mood. Plus we were hot, so we ended up both getting a running start and jumping into the pool together, clothes and all! What a sight. That just helped keep things in perspective for me. Things don’t always go as planned, but you just hav eto dive in and go with the flow. And I was lucky enough to have my sister right there with me.

21 Days of P: Day Nineteen- My Kindred Spirt

2011-02-22T13:50:00Z

In the summer of 2002, the summer before I met Will, I broke up with my boyfriend of 2 ½ years.

It was a pretty rough time. I remember P was so great and was my best friend and we got so close that summer. All my friends had already gone off to college and so that summer aside from my church friends- who were also friends with this guy- it was really me and P.

We had a lot of fun that summer. We’d hang out at the pool, make late night Dunkin Donuts runs, I even recall eating ice cream out of the container and picking all the delicious toppings out with or hands (classy). Just a lot of silly fun.

There’s even a video floating around there somewhere which would most definitely seal my fate for never being able to run for public office. Nothing risqué, but pretty freaking hilarious.

We are just a lot of fun when we’re together and she will never know how much she helped me through that breakup. I know it seems silly to say that my 12 year old sister helped me- a 19 year old- get through that time, but she did. I think the glaring giant age difference between us made a lot people scratch their heads as to how we could be so very close. I mean, it’s practically a decade. When I was driving she was learning to write cursive. When I was going to college she had just started junior high. We were on entirely different planes, but it didn’t matter. We would still laugh and joke and kid and drive others around us crazy with all our inside jokes.

You know when you’re just made to be close with someone? That’s how it’s always been for me and P. We are like kindred spirits, two bodies linked by our one connection together, our “sisterhood.” It just can’t be explained sometimes, and anyone that is close to their sibling or a longtime friend definitely gets that.

21 Days of P: Day Eighteen- I Can’t Drive 55

2011-02-21T13:47:00Z

In the fall of 1999 I got my learner’s permit- and the whole world seemed to begin to open for me.

It was just me, my purple mini van, and the open road… oh- and the responsible adult (AKA my mom or dad) in the front seat with me.

Learning to drive was… fun.

Of course- I say that now with rose colored glasses. The truth is that it was awful and painful, I’m sure. I remember on more than one (um read: ever freaking time) occasion I would yell to my mom or dad- “Do YOU want to drive!? Then stop telling me how to do it!?” I also remember hating to turn. Like turn the car to the left or right. Especially when semis were nearby. I would totally freak out. It was fun for everyone in the car, I’m sure.

My little sister, being the comic relief that she is, would further perpetuate the matter by bringing her pink Barbie bicycle helmet along and wearing it while I drove. Yes. She actually did. Just to stir the pot and annoy me. Kid sisters are the BEST!

Anyway- what P forgot was that a day was coming in which she would turn 16 and have to learn how to drive too. What’s interesting about that is that P turned 16 while in Kuwait, and couldn’t get her license there so she never really drove much. She decided, however, the summer before last that it was time for her to get her license. So- Will took on the brave job of teaching P how to drive- parallel parking and all. He was pretty great about the whole thing. Will has a touch with that sort of stuff. Unfortunately, most of this training took place during the day while I was at work so I had to miss out on all the parking fun. I didn’t even get to wear a bicycle helmet to pay her back! Bummer. I really would have enjoyed that. So- after only about a week of crash course driving lessons Will took P to get her license- and she succeeded! There’s actually a whole long drawn out story involving a cracked windshield, grumpy cop, and my sister bawling (which she never EVER does)- but we’ll glaze over all that to simply say- she got her license. Good times.