Thursday, March 31, 2011

For the love of my husband

My fingers have been flying over the keys more than usual. If only it were for my blog!
Work has been very busy this week and that's what's been keeping me away. But for the love of John, I am taking a few precious minutes to write a post.

Things they are a-changin' round here. 
At work, multiple new policies are being meted-out. None of us here will really be happier when they are put into effect. More paperwork, and more paperwork and yet MORE paperwork. More I's to dot and T's to cross. Here donkey- carry this sack too. And all we can say is "hee-haw". Oh, and no raises for you, and start paying more for your benefits. "Hee-haw".

I am seriously going to research how I can put my BSN to use by working from home. If a legitimate opportunity that pays well and doesn't rely on sales-pitching materializes, I just may take it.

On John's work front, his last day at his current employer will be April 30th. He has just lost the passion and enjoyment at his job. Some things have happened lately that made it apparent he is supposed to move on. He will be making a go of getting our eBay side business off the ground and hopefully turn it into full-time employment. Right now we could really live off jut my salary, so we have a little wiggle-room to take an income hit for a little while. It will slow down the debt snowball, but we are getting very close to the end of that, thank goodness! Still hoping to be done by the end of the year.

John's work change is also bringing about a spiritual change of sorts. We will also be leaving our current church and trying another here in town. I am a little anxious- I have been going to our church for 14 years. It has been my spiritual as well as social gathering place. I am accustomed to a certain style. The new church we will be trying is radically different. Very small. Sings hymns. BUT- I do know the Pastor and really enjoy the bible studies we have attended that he led. I am excited about sitting under his teaching. I am only nervous about our ability to feel at home and make new friends. It's kinda like being the new kid at school in a way. 

When I lived in Tallahassee and California for small stretches, I always found it a little more difficult to make friends than when I was younger. Hard to find a church that felt like home. Hard to setup a social network. It's easier when you are still in school- because you spend a great deal of time together and kinda have friends by default. As an adult, we are all busy with jobs, kids, homes and maybe continuing education. When you have friends whom you have kept from childhood into adulthood, they understand when you are busy. You have that foundation to rely on. When you make friends as an adult if you don't make an effort to spend time together regularly, the friendship kinda dies. 

I will still have my ladies' group. I will likely still have the friends I have now at our current church (which the hubby points out really and truly is not that many), but I guess it's the discomfort of having to make new friends that worries me. It's not always easy to find a kindred spirit. It is infinitely more difficult to find "married" kindred spirits. Then you are trying to get 4 people to mesh. 
But alas, we will be taking that journey. Who knows, maybe the grass will be greener on the other side?

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

SWW 03-30-11

So What if I...

  • Have a husband who watched a KitchenAid Mixer on QuiBid for at least 30 minutes. He was not bidding. He was just watching the bids drive up. He is eBay/auction/selling obsessed. Good thing since that's his new job soon :)

  • Want to trash my new cell phone. Texting on that thing is a nightmare.

  • Drool over iPhones, Droid X and Samsung Galaxy. I have large screen envy.

  • Wrote a seething customer review of my current phone on cnet. It wasn't the only one. Wish I would have seen those first!

  • Wore a dress today even though my legs are bit prickly. One of the joys of being blond is that you can hide it better :)

  • Ate fast food for lunch before going to my nutrition class :)

  • Put off buying groceries for 5 days just because I want to show a big surplus in our grocery budget this month.

  • Just got chastised by a coworker for being a bad doggy mommy because we don't have the kiddos on heartworm preventative. We only do flea meds. And at that only the OTC kind.
  • Was enrolled in the wrong nutrition class by the medical staff and no one knew it til I showed up for class. I was perturbed since I had to take off work for this. But- they made it right be releasing me from taking that class. Now I only have to take 2. And the are refunding me $100! I told them they can have an hour of time whenever for a $100 refund :)
My appointment for my first fill is Friday at noon. Say goodbye to eating and hello to a thinner me!


As always, this theme brought to you by Shannon

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

SWW 03-23-11

This week I'm saying so what if...

  • I am sitting here on the floor jiggling my leg around because it's falling asleep, but not moving to any of the 4 open chairs. Sometimes I like to sit on the floor
  • I probably would not be blogging today except I cannot let this theme fail. And my husband told me I have to. He's my biggest blog fan. 
  • I took the whole day off work to go the chiropractor
  • I've eaten a bean-laden soup for 2 meals in a row. Watch out! :)
  • I'm frustrated that my blogger cursor is not moving to the next line when I hit enter. It makes a new bullet point but I'm having to click down to the next line
  • I'm now seeing how "fat" pregnant women probably feel. My blubbery belly has gotten so rotund that i feel uncomfortable. Not fun. Yay for MD appt this Friday!
  • I belted out "Sweet Caroline" in my car today
  • I have started every point this week "I" or a form of it. Selfish much?
Have a great Wednesday! Friday is only two days away!

As always, this theme brought to you by Shannon

Monday, March 21, 2011

Weekend Update 03-19-11

Lover-ly weekend!

Friday afternoon I had a "date" with my mom. I FINALLY got a chance to get some sun! The water was so gorgeous- a lovely turquoise and navy mix. I so wish I would've brought my camera! I got my first sunburn of this year! Not too bad though. I was also treated to lunch at Landshark Landing, a little cafe that's part of Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville Hotel. The view, the company and the atmosphere were excellent. The food- nasomuch. Several of our items were just plain cold. But taste was not bad. Not sure if we would go there again.

Friday night the hubby and I ate pizza and watched a movie from our collection. I can't even remember which one! Oh yes, SpiderMan 2!

Saturday came early after Friday ending a bit late. We went yard-saling again. I have been trying not to buy too many personal things these days. I got some still-in-package cucumber melon glycerin soap. Got John an Old Navy 1/2 zip sweatshirt for next year.
My favorite resale buy was a Singer 401A Sewing Machine. Bought for $10. Hope to resale for around $100 if eBay estimates prove true. We got that and yet ANOTHER wire dog crate at an estate sale. Thankfully we sold 2 other dog crates and a kids bike trailer this weekend.

Then we had a nice long nap. So good after such an early morning. What was left of Saturday was spent cleaning, washing the car and the front door area of my apartment and my dirty neighbor's, doing laundry, taking eBay pictures and reading. Saturday night hubs had the guys over for UFC. I went to Wendy's and ate and read. And then read some more at home.

Sunday morning was interesting and unexpected. More on that later.
Sunday afternoon was unexpected and VERY enjoyable!
Some friends of ours who just got married 3 weeks ago came over. We had something they needed to borrow. Then they treated us to steaks at Longhorn Steakhouse in Gulf Shores. The food was soooo tasty and the company was fabulous! John ordered a Parmesan-crusted chicken breast that was TO.DIE.FOR! So so yummy! Then we walked along the beach at sunset. So nice. Then we came back and played a board game and had brownies and milk. It's so refreshing to spend good time with friends. Especially "couple friends".

Do you remember my New Year's Resolution to read more? Well, I completed a self-improvement book last week-
Some of the scenarios in here I've thankfully not had to deal with. But it was good for reference.

Then Saturday before last I picked this up at a YSL for $1.

 I was vaguely familiar with the author's name and have read several books by the author who recommends the book on the cover. Let me tell you, it was a dollar well spent! The genre did not turn out to be exactly what I normally read for pleasure, but I enjoyed it immensely. It is a mystery/action/romance. Mostly I read Christian inspirational romance. This one did describe some pretty intense violence. I looked at the author's other works. Apparently he writes some horror and sci-fi  fantasy types also. Not really sure I'd enjoy those. But I may try another one of his mysteries.
I read this book in 8 days. That's pretty quick for me. I would have done it sooner given the time. It was definitely a good read.

But seeing his other works and reading this one made me wonder: Can you be a Christian author and write horror novels? What do you think? This book did not have any cursing or sexual immorality, but it did not really have a prevailing "faith" influence either. The recommending author definitely writes Christian-based novels. I have heard of Ted Dekker in Christian circles. But I wonder about the authenticity of his faith if he can write such gruesome things. On the other hand, I do enjoy series such as LOTR. What's your opinion?

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

SWW 03-16-11

I have only two "So Whats" this week:

  • So What if my pretty little princess slobbers like a St. Bernard at the dog park and then somehow manages to sling it onto her snout?
Gross. But cute.
  • So what if I used the rapid-fire to catch Ernie and John making out at the dog park








Love Ernie's little smirk here. Like "he he he, I got you!"
 So what are you saying "So What" to today?

As always, this theme is brought to you via Shannon at
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Fashion faux pas at the dog park

So, we did not do all that much this weekend. We did yard sale for the first time in awhile. That was fun. I got a purse for 50 cents and 5 DVDs to add to our collection for $10. But mostly we got things to sell.

Sunday afternoon we took the kids to the dog beach downtown. We were having a nice time, enjoying the late afternoon sun, laughing at the antics of all the dogs, admiring the breeds, questioning lineages of strange looking pooches, making small talk with other owners and such.

Then, in walked a fashion disaster, her boyfriend, and 3 poochies. It was like a car accident. You shouldn't stop to watch but you can't help yourself. We heard a gentleman next to us comment "Are those water balloons?" John turned his head in propriety, but then we just both had to look and chuckle. The lady's outfit kept her from being a lust object even though she was showing all but her most initmate parts.

I kept telling John- "I have to get a picture of her. I just can't believe it. I'm gonna have to start a 'People of Dog Parks.com' website for her." It was so horrific. So then I pretended to take pictures of John while trying to catch her in the background, sitting on a bench. Here's what I got:
John was to the left in the pic. But I cropped it down to this.
Oh my goodness. Pink hair, pink bandana. Piercings. Tattoos. Shell jewelry. Leopard print bra (you could see the whole bra in the back), too small tank top, short Hawaiian print skirt, silver strappy heeled sandals, and the finishing touch, using her boobs for an iPod holder. It. was. a. SIGHT!
This was her attire to a sand-pit dog beach!

She was friendly though. Very nice. Just tragically attired. She had three fluffy mixed breeds. One named "Mr. Wicked," two whose names I did not catch, but one who was obviously her "daughter".
Poor poochie
Anyway, it was a funny day. I just had to share.

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

A very special weekend update, our 1 year!

In order to be fair, I'll put briefly what we did up through Sunday afternoon-

Friday- (after work) I cleaned and cooked dinner, took it up to the church, went to church, held cute little Gavin again and realized that it's hard to keep a chunky squirmy 7-month-old quiet during a sermon and then gave up and took him where he could crawl and coo.

Saturday- We had breakfast at church, then morning church, then lunch, then a nap, then showering, some cooking, and heading over to our good friend's house for a wing-fest. We had such a great time. We stayed there til after 1am talking about some really serious issues. It was heavy, but enlightening. Lol. We just have some things to pray about, but God is making His plan clearer.

Sunday- Got up and posted this wonderful post for my love that I'd typed up previously, dropped the pups off at grandma's, went to church in my new blue dress that was a hit with the hubby but forgot to take pics, took a nap, got up and got ready for dinner at The Melting Pot, which is where the real fun begins... Prepare for picture overload.

The hubby had these for me on our bed Sunday when we came home. So pretty! I love pink roses.
The card was from the kids. For the "birthday" of our anniversary. It said "thanks for making it to 1"

What I wore- I had another outfit in mind but the weather turned too cool. Poo-poo. And I can't believe I'm showing you these cause I look chuuuunky. But que sera...for now. 

Ok, so we thoroughly enjoyed the restaurant. Highly recommend it. In fact, we are going back in April. Check out their website, they are having a promotion for a free cheese fondue for 2 in honor of "National Fondue Month/Day". But you have to make a reservation.

Our booth was on "Lover's Lane". A remote, private little hallway with only 3 booths with extra-high sides and L-shaped seating so that you sit next to each other and still are face to face. And the lighting is VERY dim. It felt almost naughty. Lol. Our server was fantastic.
In our booth

With flash, but DH looks a little...tired?
It was our anniversary after all!
DH reading his mushy card. I got one too. It made me teary.
Hubby's gift. Monogrammed cuff links.
Then we chowed down...
The table is set for a wonderful evening
1st course- Spinach Artichoke Cheese fondue
1st course dippers- bread, apples, veggies and chips
Then a salad, then the main course. Yes, that's raw meat on the left. Beef, duck, steak and chicken. Veggies. And dipping sauces. Takes about 2 minutes to cook each piece of meat.
Final course, chocolate peanut butter "The Original" fondue. Pic taken after we decimated it.
Was so excited totally forgot to take a pic of the beautiful dessert dippers. Cake, cheesecake, brownies, bananas, Rice crispy treats and strawberries. So.very.yummy.
Then we drove on out the to the near-frigid beach and enjoyed our hotel room. 
View from our balcony at night
We goofed off and watched cable while our food settled enough to eat some year-old wedding cake.
John made use of our progressive rapid-fire self timer. In these pics I was a whale. So I cut me out.
A different face for each frame
He made all these faces in like 3 seconds
I <3 this man
More goofing
 Then finally, enough room for cake...
What it looked like a year ago
Bout to unwrap it (done earlier in the day at home)
3 layers of tin-foil and 4 layers of plastic wrap later...
Here it is! Black icing bleeds as you can see :)
It kinda fell apart. And we ate it off the lid to the ice bucket in our room since we forgot plates :) But it still tasted pretty decent.
Monday- I did not take any pictures. We slept late, checked out of our hotel room at like 11:10, took a walk on the beach, got a free Smoothie King smoothie, had the car washed and vacuumed to kill time, ate lunch at a Chinese/sushi/hibachi buffet, went to PT (I went with John), took a 3 mile walk and watched a movie at home. A really cute one I can safely recommend, called "You Again".

It was a wonderful time. Relaxing, low-key, and together. I love it when we spend whole days together without any responsibilities. Cannot believe another milestone has come and gone!

SWW 03-09-11

So what if I...
  • laugh at my husband when he tries to use his right arm. He grunts and makes faces and has the range-of-motion and strength of an 80 year old right now. It's funny to see because I know it's not permanent. (PT started this past Friday!)
  • don't "throw the fight" for him just because he's weakened. He should not even try to "dominate" me right now. I don't push or tug on his right arm to win, but I don't take it easy either. He starts it, and this may be my only chance to ever "win".
  • spend all day at work "clarifying" a bazillion things for other people and making 3 or 4 phone calls to find out the simplest of facts. My job would have a lot less work if other people would just do their jobs in a timely manner.
  • am addicted to Publix's scones. They are so yummy. I love it when the Publix man drops off a "day old" load to my hubby's work!
  • accidentally went out on the balcony of our hotel room in nothing but the hubby's shirt with only one button fastened. Lucky for me it was early in the morning and no one was out really. And I was just opening the door real quick so I could listen to the ocean.
  • if the weather here today is total crap. I kinda like rain. Only I prefer to watch it from my windows AT HOME :)
  • am hurrying up and ending this blog post so I can type up the next one detailing our anniversary weekend!
So what are you saying "So What" to today?

As always, this theme is brought to you via Shannon at
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Sunday, March 6, 2011

Happy First Anniversary to my only love

Babe, I am posting this because I want everyone to know what you mean to me. They can endure enjoy the mushiness right along with you :)

It's hard to express in words how wonderful our life together has been so far. Many times I can only express it in tears. Thanks for always asking what my tears are for.

At bible study last Tuesday, Pastor Don reiterated the verse that speaks about how God knew us before we were formed in the womb. That everything was known before we took fleshly form. He knows our beginning from our end, and every detail between. For many years I wondered about the detail of who my husband would be. Thanks for ending the wondering and starting the wonder. The wonder of marriage is great. My heart has opened to a whole new kind of love, and it's because of the Lord blessing me with you. 

Some people told us "the first year of marriage is the best and the worst". They told us it would be tough, a big adjustment, and a lot of work. All of that has been true at times, but for me, it has been much more joy than pain. The best year, not the best and worst year. Thank you for being flexible and making it that way.

Thank you for helping me to understand God's love better. Marriage has made me feel a love greater than I've ever known. When I ponder that God's love for us is infinitely greater in comparison to this, my human mind cannot compute it. If my love for you brings me to tears, then what does his love bring Him to? To sending His son to die for us. Too great for words.

Thank you for opening your heart. I know before that you were not so inclined to be "mushy." To say "I Love You", even to family. I feel proud that I have brought that out in you. I love that you have increased it in me. I can't say for sure, but I don't think many other couples say "I Love You" as much as we do. And they all tell us we kiss too much :) Is there such a thing?

Thank you for providing. As a team, we've been able to accomplish goals I never could have accomplished so quickly alone. God has certainly blessed our efforts. Thank you for being wise with our money. I know our situation is still not exactly what we want, but I know you and I are taking steps towards that changing. I have faith that in God's timing it will. I respect your plans.

Thank you for growing. I know your desire to be a mature, Godly leader of our home. I know your heart has opened to becoming a father someday. I will be beaming when that day comes. Thank you for reading God's word and being in a men's small group. Thank you for your desire to be involved in a young marrieds group.

Thank you for smiling and laughing. Your genuine smile is one of the best things I can see. Your laughter does me good like a medicine. Your soft full lips are my delight. We wouldn't be "us" if we didn't smile and laugh together often. How would we make it through the sad, tough or awkward times? :)

When I think about even the possibility of being without you, I'm often brought to tears. I know we've discussed that God can get us through anything and we can only trust Him for everyday, but I also know it would be the hardest thing of my life if tragedy should strike. I thank God for our health. I thank you for working towards better health. I love to share walks and bike rides with you. I love the conversation we have as we stroll along at twilight.

Thank you for affirming me. I know you try hard to let me know that you find me beautiful even when I'm not happy with myself. I'm sorry sometimes it doesn't sink in. I'm grateful you accept me even now, a year after our wedding and several pounds later. I'm glad I'm still "your favorite."

I love that you are quick to help if I ask. I am learning that I do need to ask. I'm so fortunate that you like to cook, and that you're good at it. I know many women have all the responsibility of making meals. I appreciate your willingness to help with house work when I need it. I know it's not your favorite :) I especially enjoy only having to take out the garbage on rare occasions :)

I am touched and filled with pride when you are gracious. During your surgery and recovery you were so truly thankful to all the staff and nurses. You told me many times what good care I was giving you. It was my pleasure.

Thank you for waking up without complaint to kiss me goodbye each morning, and to call out again "I love you" as I walk out the door. It kinda makes it hard for me to leave the house, especially with you and our dogs snuggled up so sweetly. But don't stop.

Our life is not a fairy-tale. The toilet doesn't clean itself. Personal chefs don't cook our dinners. We don't vacation 4 times a year. But our life is still great, way better than most. We share a love and friendship that not everyone is so fortunate to have. In this world today, I feel so favored to have that. As so many are struggling, we are thriving. As so many are separating, our journey is just beginning. As so many feel hopeless, we look forward to our future.

A future that I am so privileged to share with you. May I always show you the love and respect that you deserve and that God commands me to. I will try to always remember that you are my husband second, and His child first.

To many more years together, with all my love.

Sarah

Friday, March 4, 2011

Watchu Got in Dat Bag

Taking a cue from Shannon over at "Life after I Dew" (who apparently took her cue from others blogs too), I'm doing a "Purse Post". Spilling the beans on what type of woman my purse says I am.

This purse is a basic black Kathy van Zeeland. I was excited to find it at a yard sale for $10! And yes, that is a faux Coach scarf tied to it. Thought it was real at first, but upon closer inspection, doubtful. Good thing I only paid a quarter for it! So yes, I mixed brands. But I like the pop of color from the scarf.
It's a good basic black, but still fun :) One of my favorites.

The view from the top. I'm a pretty organized person. I like that the inside is not black. Makes it easier to find things for sure. The opening is a tad awkward due to it's small size.

The contents. Don't judge today's nutrition for lunch :) We are purposefully eating poor in order to be out of debt ASAP :) And I like Ramen. Weird, I know.
Keys, lunch, flat wallet that mom bought me, checkbook, my little black cosmetics pouch and what I always keep in it (VS lipstick pallet with brush, down to 3 colors from use, Covergirl pressed powder, Almay concealer stick, retractable blush brush, Wet N Wild blush, Burt's Bees Pomegranate lip balm, and random red lipstick I hardly ever wear), Trident gum in original and strawberry, 1 gum wrapper (unusual that there's any trash in there), 3 pens, notebook I never use, hand lotion, hand sanitizer, and my other coin purse which I fill with the randoms of: mini nail file, clippers, tweezers (OCD brow tweezer here), 2 mini safety pins, 2 band-aids, mint and pill holder for Motrin (which I always carry because it's the only thing that fights off hubby's migraines).
I usually have sunglasses and my cell phone in there too. But it's overcast today so I left the sunnies in the car. And I was using my phone to snap the pics :)

After seeing this, what are 3 words you think describe me?

I think this would be a fun link party. But I am too cheap to pay for that service. Feel free to leave a link to your post in the comments if you join in!

PS- 5 minutes til I leave work! Excited for the weekend!

Sarah