It's the same as it was...

Me. They should make peanut butter pretzels but with chocolate inside instead of peanut butter.
Him. Then they would just be inside-out Flipz.
Me. Oh my gosh, they'd be Flipped Flipz!!!
Him. See, this is why we don't let you talk.
Me. *laughs for 5 minutes*

Things I love today

I realize that I am way overdue for an update on my life, new marriage, honeymoon, etc. But for now- here's Etsy items that make me happy.

I love that everytime my honey does something impressive in a video game he looks at me to see if I was watching. I never am but I'm still glad he does it.

A place to be.

Waking up by myself, wrapped up and warm in a cold cabin, I think "I'm just gonna lay here and let the day come to me." Enter Wilson. A quick nuzzle with his wet nose and then a search for the best spot to take an early morning nap. One of the best things about Wilson- he doesn't hover, he just loves. There's something to be said for loneliness. There's something magical about silence and cold and stillness.

Just a Saturday morning in the woods. No list of errands, nobody to keep happy, no wedding to plan. Nothing to do but find pictures and shapes in the pine boughs against the foggy sky.

On friendship.

Me. It's a bummer that your friend Escolante won't be here for the wedding.
Him. Ya.
Me. When does he get back from Afghanistan?
Him. A couple months.
Me. Do you miss him?
Him. Of course not! That's not manly.
Me. ...I really can't figure out a better way to say it.
Him. Let's just say I would prefer if he were not gone.

He just gets me.

Me. Taking your bra off is the greatest feeling ever.

Him. Better than taking your socks off?

Me. Better than taking your socks off and then flipping your pillow to the cold side.

Him. Whoa.

A lesson in marriage

Me. You know the key to a successful marriage is compromise.

Him. We're pretty good at that.

Me. No we don't compromise- we barter.

Him. They're the same thing.

Me. No they're not.

Him. Ok give me an example.

Me. Well ok let me think..... all right. Say I want to spend all day at the fair and you do not. A COMPROMISE would be if I say, "Ok well how bout we spend an hour or two at the fair and then go out to dinner at your favorite restaurant. Then we'll both be happy." A BARTER is if you say, "We can spend all day to the fair BUT I get to go fishing all day tomorrow."

Him. So it's a compromise when you say it and it's a barter when I say it?

Me. Those were completely different!

Him. They were just worded differently. The first one was nice and the second one wasn't.

Me. Ok different example! Let's say there's a 2 miles between our houses. A COMPROMISE would be us both walking a mile and meeting in the middle. A BARTER would be me walking the 2 miles and then you giving me a present when I got to your house. 

Him. Or you walk it one day and I walk it the next.

Me. I don't think you would agree to walk the 2 miles, I think I'd have to do it.

Him. That's just cause you suck at bartering.

Me. That's why we should switch to compromising.

My Vintage Bedside

This is all I could ever ask for in the world. Falling asleep with a good book, waking up to fresh flowers.

Shit Ida Says.

Ida is my 70 year old cubicle mate from Oklahoma.

"I like your outfit today. It's very professional. Much better than all your hooker shirts."

Conversations

Me. This show is stupid. Everybody is sleeping with everybody. It's incestuous.
Him. Then why are you watching it?
Me. I used to like it. You know, I think my values are changing. Oh my gosh, I'm turning into you!
Him. Is that a bad thing?
Me. Honestly, I'd rather you turn into me. I'm awesome.

Frugality

When money is tight, I NEED a clean kitchen. I need to see the simplicity that a space can have. I need it to look good empty- so that maybe my bank account will look good empty. I almost appreciate the comfort of appreciating what I have, as opposed to what I need. Sure, I need a wedding band, my air conditioning fixed, an outfit that I haven't work 15,423,472 times, the latest gadget, and maybe a new car. But now that I can't have all that right now, the weight of decision making is lifted off my shoulders. Now I need to bake, to invent a dinner from the things in my cupboard, to watch my favorite movie, to finish my knitting project.

You'll find me using vinegar to wash my counters and prettying the things I have instead of buying something new. Which is how it should be.

Sunday Grilling

I could be a vegetarian if only for the fact that I'd never have to cook meat again. I am not good at cooking meat. And my well-meaning, advice-giving people do not help.
"Cook it till it's done."
"Cook it till it's squishy but not too squishy."
"Cook it till juice runs out but not too much."
"I don't know- you can just tell."
No! I cannot! I was not blessed with this sixth sense you possess that tells you when meat is medium-rare. And the worst part about it is that you can't cut it open to check otherwise it doesn't matter if it's done because it will be as dry as a my callused heel.
I realize that I'm overreacting but after the 3rd time of putting Justin's filet mignon back on the grill, he finally looked at me and said, "Oh yeah, that's perfect." To which I replied, "It looks exactly the same as it did last time." I can't tell if he was just humoring me or if I honestly can't tell the difference in doneness. I may never know.

Pillow Talk

I would like to give you the script from the conversation I had with my honey as we're about to go to sleep.

Me. "What are we going to get your mom for her birthday?"

Him. "A bird."

Me. "I don't think she'd like that very much since we ate the last bird she had." (It was a chicken.)

Him. "Then I don't know."

Me. "Oh we should get her a duck!"

Him. "No."

Me. "I want a duck."

Him. "No."

Me. "Please! I'll name it Louise. And then Ally will be happy cause that's her middle name!"

Him. "No."

Me. "But I'll name it Marty! Marty the Mallard."

Him. "You're already changing the name, you're obviously not attached to it."

Me. "I'm just going through the types of ducks I could have."

Him. "You're not getting a duck- you can have a dog."

Me. "You know, growing up I had a dog, a goat, 5 birds, 10,000 rabbits, a guinea pig, and 2 iguanas."

Him. "And what happened to them all?"

Me. "Well. Died of old age, gave it away, flew away or died, ran away or ate their babies, ran away, and gave away."

Him. "So what you're saying is you take really good care of your animals?"

Me. "Good night."


He should be a lawyer.

Wait a minute, Mr. Postman!

Good gracious. Wedding planning is so much work! Then again, I'm the insane person who has more or less finished everything on my wedding checklist in less than a month. I just don't like leaving things unfinished- don't hate. But everything's better now. The date is set. The envelopes are stamped. The dress is gorgeous. The diet on the other hand...well let's just say that I've had better. In the grand scheme of things, my intention is to thoroughly use up this body that was given to me because you only live once. Probably.

Anyways, things have been busy here, but that's no excuse for my absence. A much better excuse is that I don't really have anything interesting to say. Recently, I found a florist. I purchased 50 bucks worth of stamps. Oh, and I listened to a rendition of "You're Beautiful" by James Blunt sung by a cowboy and a very tall black guy on a home karaoke machine. I laughed till I cried and then I laughed some more.

I just finished an amazing grilled dinner of steak (only 3 ounces for me- see I'm getting better!) and artichokes. And now I'm going to sit on my sunken-in couch and watch a cheesy, cop TV show with my raspberry milkshake (OK not that much better) and my soon to be hubby. Love you all! Thanks for your patience!

September 5th, 2010

Forever and ever, amen.

Sorry for the mini absence but things have been a little exciting around here. That's right, my big goofball boyfriend proposed and I said yes! I'm a sucker that way. It's a little strange because I honestly already feel married to him so it's a little bizarre I have to plan a wedding. It's also awesome because it never quite felt right calling him my "boyfriend" to people because he's always been more than that. So now he's my fiancé. Which happens to be my new favorite word and I say it ALL the time and always with a French accent.

This blog may come in handy with the wedding planning. I can get everyone's input. First order of business: location. Qualifications: free, medium-large, outside, good scenery. Suggestions?

Much Ado About Nothing

I commute an hour and a half most days. I work out at the gym by myself. I sit alone in a cubicle doing tasks that don't require neurons. My best friend lives two hundred miles away and my boyfriend is always tired after work. Consequently, I have too much time to think. So I've found myself searching for ways to keep my mind busy: mystery television, audio books, music I can sing too, crossword puzzles. Without lectures and term papers, my brain is restless and unsatisfied. Like a child asking why the sky is blue or counting the tiles in the hall. Constantly reaching for new knowledge but never quite obtaining it. Once that pen is back in my hand and I'm sitting under the fluorescent lights of the library, my mind will gasp with joy and swim in a sea of facts and theories.

Good morning

And I use the term "morning" loosely because I woke up at 10:00. I know, I know. It's shameful! But I really have no reason to get up on my days off. It's a weird feeling for me. I'm used to waking up to go to class, to study, to work, to catch the bus, etc. I'm just gonna go with the excuse that I'm catching up on sleep for the last eight years and stocking up on sleep hours before grad school. Which, by the way, I'm so excited about.

I told you about my Life List, right? Aka Bucket List (which I had already made WAY before that movie came out, just sayin'). Well I showed my list to my honey when we first started dating and he picked out a couple and he promised to make them happen. For instance:

3. See all 50 states. (Still working on that one. 8 down. 42 to go.)

10. See a new place by train. (Check!)

12. See a whale in the wild. (Guess who's going whale watching this weekend for their 2 year anniversary!)

17. See the Grand Canyon. (Check!)

30. Go to Scotland. (Still waiting on this one...)

40. Go spelunking. (Check!)

So I'm about to check another one off the list this weekend. Which feels pretty good. It's like I'm being productive with my life even though I'm waking up at 10 o'clock some days.

Plans for today:

...Make the Brown Butter Cookies that everyone seems to be crazy about. It's the fourth site on Google when you search for them! Right after the Brown Butter Cookie Company. Whoa.

...Go to the gym to work off the cookies I will eat.

...Hang a curtain rod.

...Run errands.

...Knit.

Disclaimer: These are in no particular order and I probably won't even do most of them. It's just how my life is. No pressure.

I am blessed

...because I love my honey more and more everyday.

...because my sister is always there when I need her.

...because my best friend accepts me wholly and completely.

...because my mother is the perfect mom.

...because my father breaks his back to make sure we have a good life.

...because my brother is kind and strong.

...because I have a bed, roof, car, clothes, and food.

To put it simply: my cup runneth over.

A Blank Canvas

I'd like to spin you a tale this evening. It begins, as so many stories do, with an impulse buy. A lovely mirror, 75% off....



I'm sorry. I really have no excuse. My brain went, "Ooo blue! Shiny! Sale! Dragons! Justin likes dragons...." Plus, when you're in a bizarre store of incense, wooden necklaces, and chubby Buddhas laughing at monkeys dancing on cymbals, this mirror looks completely normal. I realized this the second it entered my stark white apartment. Sidenote: Justin informed me that he likes medieval dragons only. "Only nerds like Chinese dragons." Duh. How did I not know that dragons not having legs and living on a different continent make them nerdy? I'm such a fool.

So anyway. It started with a mirror. And a where to put the mirror. Well Justin vetoed the living room (and I felt it was important for him to maintain that illusion of power), so I went with my domain. La cocina. The kitchen. Well the mirror was too small to take up the whole wall so that resulted in a project. And then another project. It's my process- leave me alone.


This is a bulletin board that I stole from my bedroom. Now I have a blank wall in my bedroom. Sometimes you gotta make sacrifices. Since I'm gonna paint the wood, I lined the cork. Please ignore the real estate magazine. It's a long story that amounts to very little. So there's the before picture...


...and the after. Purely ethereal.

Then I had to semi balance the mirror so I painted the edges of a white board blue and nailed it to the other side.

My kitchen is getting so crafty! I mean just look at this photo...


Bowl: painted by yours truly. I'm really into the color orange right now, can you tell? Breadbox: an exclusive Jac-refurbish. Salt and Pepper shakers: painted by Jess Mex. (btw Jessi that's my new nickname for you. Take it. Love it. Live it.)

Oranges inside of orange bowl.

It doesn't look so bad, if I do say so myself. Well, maybe if that funky lookin' mirror wasn't there...

So Sorry

...for the absence. I've got great plans though and I'll be updating in the next couple days. Happy Easter!

Happy Planting!

My garden is planted and I love it. These little fellows are all my friends. Hopefully I don't kill them, cause I think they'd disown me as a friend. I'm so proud of myself for following my own advice. I couldn't afford to join a farm share program this year and the weekly loot is usually too big for me and my anti-vegetable boyfriend anyway. So I customized my garden to fit our needs.


Green Bell Peppers and Jalapeno Gigante. I have a feeling I'm going to have to put these in a bigger pot. The jalepenos are for salsa and poppers. I don't like peppers (one of my few dislikes) but my honey will eat them with anything. Sometimes he'll cut them in half, put salsa in it, and just eat it like that. Then I don't kiss him for a good week while his breath recovers.



Zucchini and Lemon Thyme. The thyme smells SO good. I think it'll be good on fish. Now I just have to wait till the sharks start biting Justin's line. (sidenote: Don't do it sharkies! I don't want you to die! I hope you'll be scaring surfers for a very long time.)



Rosemary. It's like an edible Christmas Tree! Yummy.


Topsy Turvy Tomato. NOT to be confused with an Upsy Downsy. Or an Upsy Turvy or a Topsy Downsy. They really do have Upsy Downsies. I saw it wit me own eyes! I got the device from my aunt for Christmas and it's working so far. I have to hang it higher before it grows too big. Plus it'll get more sun up higher. I love that the leaves turned right side up! Or upside down? Either way, they turned. This is a Roma tomato- perfect for salsa and spaghetti.


Basil, Greek Oregano, and Cilantro. Staples of life. Except the only thing I use cilantro in is salsa. Are you noticing a trend with the salsa?


Orange Watering Can. My pride and joy. It matches my curtains. It makes me happy to water- which is VERY important for the success of my garden.



And finally- here's the layout. That's the end of my teal lounge chair in the bottom of the photo. Also, please ignore the half-dead Benji on the left. He's had a hard life of neglect. No longer though. He's gonna come back with gusto! Or I'm gonna chalk him up to a 3 year relationship that has run it's course.

This week, I flew a kite with two young boys. Well, not so much flew as launched and then chased after it when one of them dropped the string. And then tackled the younger one when he wouldn't stop grabbing the tail mid-launch. All in a days work.



I started another knitting project. It's going to be a little duckling for Easter. (Sidenote: I have no idea when Easter actually is so it might not be finished till next Easter.) Hopefully it'll look like this. But you never know. Gotta roll with the punches. Could end up looking like an Easter egg with a beak- which is cool too.



I bonded with this former monster. We understand each other better now. He's a lot like my boyfriend: fueled by attention and video games.



I tried out a new look for Saint Patty's Day.



So did my counterpart. By the way, I love this photo. It's like the comic and the straight man. And please excuse my honey's out of control facial hair. He's in the middle of Beardarino. It's a competition (which is MORE than enough to motivate him) to see who in our town can grow the best beard in so many months. The winner gets a belt buckle and their wife or girlfriend gets a plaque proclaiming them "The World's Most Patient and Understanding Partner." Not really on that second part.

A place to put my rye.

When you've got nothing to do during the day except count down the days, weeks, and months till school starts again- you find little things to entertain yourself. And on the weekends, when you can't stand being in your apartment anymore but can't afford to do anything exciting- you go to estate sales with your boyfriend's mother. It was on a particularly ordinary Saturday morning in some strangers house that I found this:

...for four bucks. I immediately thought to myself, "Yes! That is what my life needs- a bread box! I could put bread in it! And paint it blue so that I may have another blue item in an overwhelmingly brown and white kitchen." And I promptly purchased it.

The next Wednesday, my quickly turning fanatic fisherman boyfriend needed some new weights (too many snags- teehee). So I decided I would go with him to the fishing store and we would stop by Home Depot to pick up paint for my new bread box. We arrived and he asked me what I needed and that's when it all went downhill. "Spray paint," I replied.

Him. "You can't use spray paint!"

Me. "Why not?"

Him. "Because it won't look good."

Me. "I spray painted my picture frames and those look fine."

Him. "Ya they look okay. But there's a better way to do it."
Me. "Ok well what's that?"

Him. "Well first you have to sand it down."

Me. "Ok let's get some paper."

Him. "My dad has some- just go over my parents house. And then you're gonna need some primer. I think you can get that mixed in with the paint. Then you have to stand in this line over here so that they can mix you a little can of dark blue paint. And you're gonna need paint brushes and a new knob for the box...."

Me. "Nevermind- let's go home."

Then I called him a fun-sucker and he felt bad.

Now I don't fault my overenthusiastic boyfriend. He is merely a perfectionist. Whereas I wanted to spend about five bucks and one or two hours to fix up my four dollar find.

The next day, while I was home alone and bored, I went to Michaels. I bought a stencil, some white paint, a new knob, and planned to use the spray paint I already had from my frames. It wasn't the right color but whatever. As long as I didn't BUY spray paint I figured my roommate/boyfriend/future-baby-maker couldn't get TOO disappointed in me. I spent a little more than five bucks but not much. The end result:

And my honeys reaction... *drumroll*


"I like your breadbox."


Woo! It may not sound like a lot- but that's high praise coming from a cynic.