Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Sick

Yesterday I stayed home from work. I don't get sick often, I've been here 10 months and it was my first 'sick day'. And it was earned. I woke up at 5am and was pretty much in the bathroom from then till 10am. I even threw up, twice, which I haven't done in years.

I just can't figure out what it was! Hubbs and I ate the same things and he was just fine. Everyone at work was teasing me that I must be pregnant, but nope. I did tell Hubbs yesterday that the nausea factor does make me dread pregnancy- and some people get it ALL 9 MONTHS. Which would be a nightmare.

So went to bed with a 100 fever, but woke up normal, with just a slight stomachache. Glad that's over with!

Monday, August 29, 2011

we're back!

We got home from Peru yesterday and are back into the swing of things at home. We had a great trip! The 4 day hike to Macchu Picchu was pretty hard, especially day 2 which was like being on a stairmaster, and alternating treadmill on the highest incline for 5 hours. That was a thigh burner for sure. But it was so worth the great views at the end, and so rewarding to know that we made it!


We were in a group with 5 French guys and a couple with the husband from S. Africa, and the wife from Hungary. We all got along really well and had a lot of fun together.

It's crazy to believe that all the planning, waiting for, and actual trip are over already. Last night we had a 'pin ceremony' with Hubbs trumpeting a little song as we pulled out our white 'next trip' pin and replaced it with a green 'Anne and Andrew trip' pin into Peru on the large map that hangs in our kitchen. We needed to put the white pin into Seaside, CA for our trip next week- but we didn't know exactly where it was :) After that, the next big trip is still TBD.

Hubbs starts his new job today, I hope it's going well! I'm so proud of him.

More trip pics can be seen here. My Nalgene bottle loved Peru so much, it decided to stay there :( but otherwise a successful trip!

Friday, August 19, 2011

almost time...

Here's that bare fridge...

Good wife fail. But there is beer, so maybe I'm still a good wife, eh?

Anyway, tonight we go to the hotel by the airport and tomorrow we leave for Peru! The hotel deal is great, you get one night stay and then we got 10 days parking for just over $100. You pay that much in parking alone, so it is nice to get a hotel room out of it and avoid the 4am drive to the airport :) of course being driven by a friend for free is even better, but we felt kind of obnoxious asking someone to drive us that early, so we will enjoy our night of cable tv :)

And I actually have a good non-peanut butter sandwich or ramen noodle lunch today, we went out to Maggianos last night. It's pretty pricey, but we had a gift card and they have a deal where if you get something off their pasta meal, they give you another choice to take home! Bonus! So I got some kind of chicken pasta thing last night, and I get another pasta today. The only bad thing was that I thought it said there was broccolini, but all I can see is noodles, basil and sun dried tomatoes. Where's my greens!?!

Anyway, one last day at work and then FREEDOM!!! whoo-hoo!

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Old Mother Hubbard

Since we are leaving for our trip Saturday morning, we have tried not to go grocery shopping. (that and we ran out of grocery bucks, again!) And man, our fridge is b-a-r-e. My poor Hubbs, this morning I texted him to tell him I had a mouthful of dry oats for breakfast, and he wrote back and said he had a spoonful of peanut butter. Nothing like a well balanced breakfast! Usually I pack our dinner leftovers to take to work for lunch and my co-workers will look up from their lean cuisines and say they'd like to move into our house- not anymore. As I sat down yesterday to lunch I warned them that they wouldn't be impressed with my bowl of ramen, and one lady said 'nope, and I wasn't yesterday either!' Apparently I have a reputation to uphold, haha.

So yeah, trying to eek by. The only fruit left in the house is 1/2 cup applesauce and two tiny jars of babyfood prunes I bought to use in brownies... I just can't send those in Hubb's lunch, the shame...

Last night we packed up our backpacks and today we have to get a few more things, mini toiletries, etc. I'm bummed because it said that Peru has an average of 1 day of rain the whole month of August, but when I just looked up the forecast it looked like 7 days in a row! :( so hopefully that won't be true. Mom is going to loan me a poncho so I don't have to buy anything else, I already bought a nice new windblocker jacket (mine is blue) that I think I'll like. And man, gear is expensive! It's worth it because nothing is worse than being unprepared, and cold, and wet - but it's hard to pony up the dough sometimes. Especially now that SeƱor Budget lives with us.

Yesterday I came home and my sweet, amazing Hubbs had cleaned our whole apartment. We had planned on doing it together that evening, but he didn't have anything to do that day so he did it. I felt kinda guilty, esp when he told me he spent 2+ hours alone cleaning our 6x5 foot bathroom. It was nasty.

This lady at work yesterday went out on her lunch break and got her husband a card 'just because'. I thought that was sweet. She's on her second marriage and said she wants to do things right this time. I like her, and I like that attitude. I don't want to take advantage of my Hubbs and all the sweet things he does for me either!

In other news, we've started watching Dexter. I knew it was a show where a guy kills bad guys, but for some reason I thought it was kind of a comedy. False. Some parts were pretty disturbing. But Hubbs wanted to watch a 'guy show' after already sitting with me thru Arrested Development (which he didn't like- wha??!) and Sex and the City (which he also didn't like- wha?!? no, not really, it makes more sense that he didn't like that)But seriously, Arrested Development was like the.best.show.ever, many a quote are still made.

Anyway, I can't wait to go on our trip!! I'm so excited :)

Monday, August 15, 2011

Parents for the Weekend

Hubbs and I 'babysat' this weekend for the kid I used to nanny from 2.5 to 7 years old. He's 13 now. I say 'parents' but it was more like I was the mom and Hubbs took the role of cool older brother. I still had to do all the stuff like making dinner, clean up, reminders to brush teeth and I could see the two of them out there playing catch, hours of ping-pong and playing video games. I felt like next time his mom is just going to ask Andrew to come babysit and leave me at home!!

It was weird to see him all grown up. I remember him being so small and used to snuggle with me and tell me he loved me. Now he's taller than me, and 'snuggling' just wouldn't be appropriate anymore :) It was such an odd nostalgic feeling. He's practically all grown up!


It was neat to see Andrew in that context. I've seen him with his nieces and nephews and he will be a great dad. And I *hope* we raise our kids to be more helpful, and they will definitely have chores. I'm not doing everything myself! All that playing and cleaning up was exhausting. A long couch nap was had by both of us on Sunday. But it was fun.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Fail- aversary

So, last week was my 1st year anniversary with my Hubbs. I gave him a box of goodies for his present, mostly little stuff: fruit snacks, twix, a running watch, a couple travel games and some cds I burned. Andrew for the past several months has kept a running list of songs he likes on a notepad in his car, whenever he'd hear something he liked he'd write down the name or a sentence from it... anyway, one day while he was out running I snuck in his car and feverishly wrote down all the songs. He actually came back and saw me in there, but I said I was just looking for something. Smooth, real smooth. Anyway, so I went online and found the songs and burned him 4 cds of what I was sure were gems. False. Over the past few days he has told me that a couple of the songs were covers, or live versions (which seem to always be bad), or only half a song. But last night in the car, I heard something that really put my cd burning skills into shameful perspective. There I was listening to the cd while he was out pumping gas and 'Hey There Delilah' came on. Except, wait, that doesn't sound like the Plain White T's?... no, in fact it was some lame-o kareoke version of some no name girl singing it with the real song quietly in the background. What?!?! I was laughing so hard I was crying as I opened the door and had him come listen. Complete cd fail. Then last night we started playing one of the new games, a travel version of Clue with cards. We played 2 rounds and both were over after the first round of questions. Wow, so suspenseful. Needless to say I felt like a big gift giving failure, although he said he appreciated the thought and would take a 'make-up' cd :)

Anyway, finally some pictures from our year anniversary mini get-away:

walking downtown

on the beach - we saw 3 couples get married on the beach in the 2 hours we were there! congrats fellow August 6th-ers!


fireworks for our anniversary (I mean the Coast Guard festival)


copying the statue ourside our B & B

can't hide from me babe!

my new present

with our wedding date 8-6-10

the happy couple!





Thursday, August 11, 2011

Book Club Goes to the Movies

Last night our book club girls (-1) went to see

Based, of course, on the book 'The Help' by Kathryn Stockett. It was good. They never seem to be as good as the book, but they did a really good job, and we all enjoyed seeing such a great story brought to life. I wonder how it would be to be watching the movie as an African-American woman. As someone who might have had a grandmother, or great-grandmother who once lived that life. But I can't know.

It's cool they are turning so many of the books we've read into movies. So far we've read, and then seen: The Secret Life of Bees, Water for Elephants, and now The Help. It's funny how the lead character is never someone you imagined, but everyone has really done a great job. What book will become a movie next?!?

It was really fun to get together and hang out in addition to our 'monthly meeting'. We usually read a book a month and then rotate houses for dinner. Our husbands tease us for talking about the book for 5 minutes and life for the next few hours. But it is a great time. I'm really thankful God has provided me more women to share life with. Last nights topic of conversation seemed to be a lot on 'the first year of marriage- good vs bad'. I love that I have friends who are so open and honest, it really makes me feel like 'yes! I am normal!' and I appreciate that! I can't wait to grow more with Hubbs over the years, it will be so fun to see how our marriage changes and grows.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Exercise

I tried a new video this morning:
I've heard a lot of good stuff about this workout on this fitness girl's blog so I asked for a dvd for my bday and tried it this morning. Instantly the lady bugged me 'look how good your thighs look,' a rediculous looking 'thigh dance', and personally I prefer the word 'butt' to 'seat', but it did seem like a good workout. Now the only trouble is to figure out when to do it. You'd think as someone with a minor in exercise science I would have no problem designing myself an exercise program, but it's actually tricky. Hubbs has said he would run with me, so we are planning on 3x a week, and so on the other 2 days I would like to strength train, but then what about this workout? I'd like to do it more than once, but I still need one day off a week. So I'm not sure... I only got the 30 min dvd b/c I don't have an hour in the morning, but I'm thinking if I like it, maybe I'll get the hour long one for Saturdays. The 30 mins today just flew by. So far I think I'll like this dvd, it was expensive though- $25 a pop and by the time tax and S & H are added it was $35. Luckily I didn't pay cause it was a present, but if I get anymore it seems it'd be better to buy them 2 at a time, or a set.

Anyway, on to the best news of all, Andrew got a job!!! Remember the suit? It worked its magic (and Andrew is awesome anyway). He was offered the position yesterday and he is very excited. We are very thankful.

Monday, August 8, 2011

1 Year of Bliss


We stayed here last weekend. The Village Inn Bed & Breakfast just outside of Grand Haven. They gave us the room at the very top, the Treetop Room, that was once the 'bridal suite'. You had to be careful not to knock your head on the slanted ceiling, but we liked it, it was very cozy. This was our first time in a B & B. The hosts were really nice, and the breakfast was yummy. In the morning we came down for breakfast (8:30- too early for vacation though!) and sat with the other guests. It was kind of nice to meet a few people and chit chat over breakfast. After breakfast they loaned us some bikes and we rode 14 miles around the lake. It was a good ride, but a very poorly marked trail that led to some directional spats, but it was ok.

The day before, we arrived after it had just stopped raining. We chose Grand Haven for our 1 year because it was where we first said 'I love you', that had been in September. Apparently the first week in August is the Coast Guard festival- so it was super busy. It was fun because we got to see things like a giant arts/crafts market, a carnival in the streets, fireworks- but it was busy and not quite the relaxing lazy beach and shopping weekend I had imagined. So maybe next year we'll go somewhere else, but all in all, a good anniversary getaway and an amazing first year together!

Our 2nd year goals:
- read our "for women only" and "for men only" books
- attend another marriage conference
- a big trip, current options: New Zealand, Alaska, Preikestolen, Australia
- save for a house
- be more involved in our church


Chains do not hold a marriage together. It is threads, hundreds of tiny
threads, which sew people together through the years.
Simone Signoret

There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved.
George Sand

Being married is like having somebody permanently in your corner,
it feels limitless, not limited.
Gloria Steinem

A good marriage is a contest of generosity.
Diane Sawyer

Happy marriages begin when we marry the ones we love, and they
blossom when we love the ones we marry.
Tom Mullen

Let the wife make her husband glad to come home and let him make her sorry to see him leave.
Martin Luther

To keep your marriage brimming, with love in the
wedding cup, whenever you're wrong, admit it;
whenever you're right, shut up.
Ogden Nash

Friday, August 5, 2011

Job Hunt


This handsome stud has an interview today. Last night we went out and got that suit (hat was just tried on for fun, but I like it!). Too bad jobs aren't given on good looks alone, but actually Hubbs is really great at what he does, and everyone that hes done his clinical rotations with has LOVED him so that is really promising. We'll see!

Tonight we leave for the west side of the state for our 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY mini getaway!! I can't believe it's been a year already! Times flies when you're having fun. We are going to a beach town where we first exchanged 'I love you's, awwww.... and on that note I'm sharing a quote I think is beautiful:

Love alone lightens every burden, and makes rough places smooth. It bears every hardship as though it were nothing, and renders all bitterness sweet and acceptable. -Thomas A. Kempis

Thursday, August 4, 2011

Pebbles in my Shoe

To go along with yesterdays post, a few things that irritate me:

- that I risk my life every morning getting to work as I have to get on the expressway at the exact same spot where people are exiting onto another expressway and I have to cross through like frogger every single day

- that my center stone on my engagement ring is loose again after we just took it for it's 6 month check up. Seriously Jared, you have one job, secure diamond to band, is it that difficult?

- my wedding gift blender only blends things to a certain smallness before stopping, and then as I'm drinking my shake I keep getting large clumps of frozen strawberries falling towards my face

That's about it for now. I am saving for a Vitamix, they are just so dang expensive! Hubbs said at work all his co-worker lady friends were talking about expensive purses their husbands got for them. They were shocked when he said he'd never get me a purse that expensive, but then also shocked to find out that I have no interest in said purses, and instead would rather spend $500 on a blender :) to each their own!


On a happier note, I got to hang out with these beautiful ladies (Xena Warrior Princess and Posh Spice) from a few Halloweens ago)) last night at the new mexican resteraunt. My friend was back for a visit (she moved to CA when her hubbs joined the Army) and the 3 of us reunited for dinner. We 3, (plus one more now in NYC) were in a ladies prayer group together over several years, before everyone moved away. Good times, miss those nights! And those ladies!

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Grumps and Rules

A friend posted the other day that she wished she was more of a Tigger and less of an Eeyore. I have to agree that unfortunately I have more of an Eeyore personality as well. My hubbs teases me when I'm glass-half-empty by saying, in his Eeyore voice, 'it probably doesn't even matter'. I'm not sure why I am this way. My family was very positive and affirming growing up, I have a great life and know that I am a beloved child of God. But often, I am a grump.

Last night I was waiting in line at the Salvation Army. I had been waiting several minutes in line watching two cashiers slowly tally up the cartloads full of plates, knick-knacks and clothes. I had two things. A middle aged/older lady comes behind me and asks if I'm next in line. I say yes. She then asks if I mind if she goes in front of me. Now usually I have a tender spot for older people, but not this time. There was no explanation, just an implied sense that I should let her go ahead. So I said 'yes I do mind'. And then alternated feeling bad and stewing the rest of the time. I had already been waiting and only had 2 items, she just got there and expected to go right to the counter? Sorry lady, not today. It was more her entitlement attitude that bugged me, why is she above lines? And how does one attain such status?

Anyway, in other news, Andrew and I are fast approaching our 1 year anniversary. The other day I teased him that we should for the next year not say 'babe' and instead use only our names. I was mostly teasing, but in some ways it would be kind of nice. Once I heard that the most beautiful word a person can hear is their own name. Sometimes I go weeks without hearing my name from Andrew, not that I don't like being his 'babe' or 'baby' but I like being me too.

The potential drawback of this rule would be that my fear of calling him the wrong name would be back in full force. I've only done this once, and I don't think he even noticed, but I live in fear of this. Talking about this subject reminds me of one very unfortunate ex-bf who I did this all the time to. Most frequently I called him 'dad' which he often didn't even notice since his name was 'Dan'. But over the year or so I called him almost every name in my family. Most humiliatingly- 'Harmony' which was the name of our dog, and once, 'grandma'. Yes, that happened. I do have a kind of scatterbrain/early alzheimer's way with words, and usually I'd be getting ready to tell him something about said person, so I think that was why, but I do not want this to happen again!

So maybe we'll just keep doing what we're doing with our marriage, it seems to be working so far! ;)

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

my 30th birthday

Since we had a bbq, volleyball, badminton get together with friends on the weekend- my actually birthday was spent with my honeybuns. (well the first half was spent at work, wa-wah!)

I came home to a delicious homemade taco dinner. After dinner, I opened my presents: I got lots of socks for the upcoming Peru trip, waterproof matches, gear sacks, earrings, a picture frame, gift cards, and some very nice cards. I saved Andrews present for last. It was a card leading me on a scavenger hunt through our apartment! At each stop I would find a sweet rhyming post-it clue and a present. I ended up with 2 visa check cards, a 5-year journal and a city pass to 5 places here:


Toronto!!! Guess we have another trip coming up :) I haven't been there since the 7th grade field trip, so that should be really fun!

The next phase of my bday we went out for ice cream at a place where they have my favorite:

Eskimo kisses ice cream. Coconut icecream with fudge rivers and chocolate truffles. Delicious! I told Andrew I wanted to get a ginormous waffle cone and eat it all. But I ended up getting only one scoop, and deciding I don't really like waffle cones b/c you scrape your tongue trying to lick it out of there. Lessons learned! It was delicious though. We played a round of Farkle and then went home to watch the Bachelorette finale. It was a great relaxing birthday!

Monday, August 1, 2011

30... Flirty... and Thriving

Ok, so maybe just 30 and thriving... So, today I am 30. I'm ok with this so far. Ever since 13 going on 30 debuted in 2004 I was looking forward to 30. It seemed so glamourous and grown up. And I couldn't help but notice many of the celebs actually got better looking with age!

Anyway, I remember being afraid to turn 20 because I thought all the fun and craziness of my teens would be gone. And my 20s were great, and still packed with fun and craziness! Taking a look back, I realize in that decade I accomplished a lot of things: massage certificate, bachelors degree, paralegal certificate, learned to snowboard, traveled to India, Singapore, Venezuela, Mexico x2, Costa Rica, Honduras and got married to the love of my life! Pretty good things indeed!

The 30s are looking very promising. In this decade I hope to experience many new adventures such as parenting, being a homeowner, perhaps another degree(?), new hobbies and much more travel- starting with our trip to Peru this month! Yes, I think 30 will be just fine :)