So, it's been a month since I last blogged which means I've pretty much killed off all 12 readers I had in my extensive membership. Oopsadoodle. I'm getting back on the blog train NOW though, so today's post will have an update of the past few weeks in the life of Colie and Kev. Details are supplied to you with the help of the OTHER love of my life, my trusty dusty planner.
May 31- June 6th: Kev and I spend Memorial Day weekend outside and eating about 32804 hot dogs each, and hold our last porch drinking and grilling on the sidewalk at our old place on Roscoe. Oh, Roscoe...scene of many parties, pettings of puppies, and pranks. Also the place where Kev popped the question to me a week after we moved in. It was also grad school finals week and the beginning of the Hawks being in the Stanley Cup. Kev about keeled over when he realized he was already taking his first finals 10 weeks after he started grad schools. These are the joys of a university with a quarter system. We also find out that the closing date on our fancy new condo has been pushed back indefinitely, due to the condo association not providing updated docs. Freakin A, we are bummed.
June 7th-June 13th: We send out frantic emails to postpone our painting party, as we will have no home to paint. It is also the last week of my school year, and I am plunged into a frenzy of report card finishing, room packing, and glue-stick padlocking to prevent the shady teachers using my room for summer school from stealing all of my glitter glue, markers, and googly eyes I have hidden in my cabinets. Oh, yeah, and the books too....cause I would be almost as upset about that. My work friends and I celebrate the end of the year with a Metra bar crawl (one bar and one beer at every train stop, then run back to the train to get on the next one), and the Hawks win the Stanley Cup at the exact moment I am felled by a sinus infection that leaves my head feeling like it is full of cement.
June 14th-June 20th: Classes start for summer session I. Due to the joys of the quarter system, each summer session is 5 weeks long and moves twice as fast. Kev takes an online class that makes him miserable and forces him to be chained to group conference calls with his strangers, I mean classmates, and I tiptoe around while he completes a giant marketing simulation that sounds complicated. We close on our new place June 14th and spend the last part of the week painting the with my parents. My dad primes and paints our new kitchen entirely on his own, and climbs on top of our refrigerator to do so. I've never seen the man more flexible. Our kitchen is blue, and the living room turns out a strange shade of grayish lavender pink. Whoops. We stagger around and pack, and somehow I manage to do my homework for my two summer classes. I am repeatedly thankful I decided to work on my masters some more instead of teaching summer school, as punk kids inside on a hot day would surely put me over the edge. On Sunday, June 20th, we hire movers (best money I've ever spent) who invade the Roscoe apt and our new place like hispanic worker ants and move us in under 3 hours. The movers discover I speak Spanish, tell me I have a beautiful body, and ask me if my husband is being good to me "en la cama." My sinus infection turns into some kind of goop that invades my lungs and leaves me hacking like a 90 year old pruny smoker, which is triggered often by running up and down the stairs as I move.
June 21-Present: We spend last week doing the 2380432908 chores that come with moving, setting up our new place, emptying our old. The cats move to our new place and alternately sulk around, get lost and cry, or hide behind boxes and attack us as we walk by. I mow through The Girl who Kicked the Hornet's nest, and decide I'm going to write twitter-sized reviews of every book I read from now on. I do about a billion more pounds of homework, since we are now in summer session midterms for session I, and Kev continually laments the amount of stuff we have filled our new place up with. Last weekend, we have a weekend of glory which involves sushi at a byob where I brought and consumed waaaay too much of the B, went to the cubs/sox game and sat 9 rows behind home plate with Kev's dad, went to a birthday party, got sunburned and rowdy at pride, and saw the Stanley Cup at the parade. This week, I'm going to try to finish unpacking and detox after last weekend's mayhem. I'm also still coughing and need a new planner. Sigh....
So, as you can see folks, I might have been a teensy bit busy, but I'm back. You can all sleep soundly tonight knowing I'm back, and if you are lucky, I'll even post some pics of our new place, and my awesome pics of Lord Stanley's cup at Pride. Also, I just realized our ONE YEAR WEDDING ANNIVERSARY is Sunday....holy crap, people. Holy crap.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Simple Questions
On Monday, I went out to lunch with a good friend of mine, who in the past few weeks has started dating another very good friend of mine. We all hang out in the same group, and a lot of things in their situation reminds me of how Kev and I got together. I was asking her about how things were going, and she responded. We chatted for a bit, then she asked me something that really caught me off guard.
"How are things with Kevin?"
Things with Kevin are great. He makes me happier than anybody, and, despite a lot of madness in our lives this year, I've never for one second doubted that we should be married or that I love him more than anything else. I realized, though, that none of my girl friends had ASKED me about him in a really, really long time. It felt really, really, good to have some girl chats about how big of a crush I still have on him.
Why is that? Since we've gotten married, nobody has asked me anything about my boy. Sure, people ask how he's doing, what plans we have, how things are going with grad school or the condo. All of those things are fine, but nobody asks for the real dirt. It's almost like people are afraid to ask, or just not interested. If I've learned one thing about being married so far, it's that doing it doesn't solve everything or automatically imply happiness. Our marriage is about choosing to be happy, finding ways to continue to show each other that we're interested in dating them, even though we know we've signed up for being eachother's plus one at every event from here on out. I still get excited about finding the perfect weekend plans for us. I still put thought into what I wear and enjoy pondering new ways to surprise him. Just because you get married, the dating part doesn't stop. I miss being able to tell my girls about something he said that puzzles me, or about some way he surprised me.
When you're in a new relationship, people get excited to hear about the details, and when you're really happy, you want to share some things. However, it seems like getting married has put an invisible veil between me and some of my girl friends. Now, when I dish about something fantastic that we did, people roll their eyes. They say "well you're married, of course you went on an awesome date or wore the sundress he likes best on you for no reason at all." It's not true, though. Living together, making decisions together, can kill the excitement, and cause a real potential for things to be not fine. And when they aren't, well, that's when you sit and wish someone would give you the opening to talk about your struggles. Just as when you're happy, you wish you could share that without sounding like you're bragging.
I was so, so, relieved my friend asked me about how things are going. Not because they are going horrible, but because I'm so happy. Sometimes I need to talk about how things are to remind myself about how great I have it. Friends, if you're reading this, don't be afraid to ask. Don't assume that just because we're married we are different and somehow untouchable and don't have good dirt to share about life. We're married, we're not different. Don't forget to ask.
"How are things with Kevin?"
Things with Kevin are great. He makes me happier than anybody, and, despite a lot of madness in our lives this year, I've never for one second doubted that we should be married or that I love him more than anything else. I realized, though, that none of my girl friends had ASKED me about him in a really, really long time. It felt really, really, good to have some girl chats about how big of a crush I still have on him.
Why is that? Since we've gotten married, nobody has asked me anything about my boy. Sure, people ask how he's doing, what plans we have, how things are going with grad school or the condo. All of those things are fine, but nobody asks for the real dirt. It's almost like people are afraid to ask, or just not interested. If I've learned one thing about being married so far, it's that doing it doesn't solve everything or automatically imply happiness. Our marriage is about choosing to be happy, finding ways to continue to show each other that we're interested in dating them, even though we know we've signed up for being eachother's plus one at every event from here on out. I still get excited about finding the perfect weekend plans for us. I still put thought into what I wear and enjoy pondering new ways to surprise him. Just because you get married, the dating part doesn't stop. I miss being able to tell my girls about something he said that puzzles me, or about some way he surprised me.
When you're in a new relationship, people get excited to hear about the details, and when you're really happy, you want to share some things. However, it seems like getting married has put an invisible veil between me and some of my girl friends. Now, when I dish about something fantastic that we did, people roll their eyes. They say "well you're married, of course you went on an awesome date or wore the sundress he likes best on you for no reason at all." It's not true, though. Living together, making decisions together, can kill the excitement, and cause a real potential for things to be not fine. And when they aren't, well, that's when you sit and wish someone would give you the opening to talk about your struggles. Just as when you're happy, you wish you could share that without sounding like you're bragging.
I was so, so, relieved my friend asked me about how things are going. Not because they are going horrible, but because I'm so happy. Sometimes I need to talk about how things are to remind myself about how great I have it. Friends, if you're reading this, don't be afraid to ask. Don't assume that just because we're married we are different and somehow untouchable and don't have good dirt to share about life. We're married, we're not different. Don't forget to ask.
Friday, May 21, 2010
A Little Problem
I almost got divorced this morning. Seriously, it was bad. In the process, I think I lost a lot of wife points, and am now plotting smart hockey things to say while feeding Kevin Beam-and-7ups when I see him this evening. I am in that much trouble. Yipes.
One of the fundamental problems in Kevin's and my relationship is our opposite approaches to the mornings. Kevin leaps out of bed, happy and well rested, and tackles 7 projects at once. He chats with the cats, tries to chat with me, and whistles a happy song as he thoughtfully chooses the appropriate attire to wear for the day.
Me? Not so much. I cannot emphasize enough how much I hate mornings. I am a total beast to deal with, and after hitting the snooze button as many times as humanly possible, I stagger out of bed, rifle through piles of clothes until I find the easiest thing to wear, and stumble around blindly, muttering about how miserable I am. I'm like the hunchback of Notre Dame and Medusa combined. It's simply awful. It's also a good thing I live so far from my work and have to leave earlier than Kev on weekdays, because I need a good hour of silence and staggering before I'm able to morph back into my usual awkward and giggly self.
In the past, we've had several discussions about the use of the snooze alarm. Kevin uses it maybe one time if he stayed up a little to late the night before. It's an emergency situation only tool. I, on the other hand, consider every time I have to wake up to an alarm clock an emergency, and accordingly hit the snooze at least four times. There's just one little problem-the alarm clock is on Kevin's side of the bed, and he's a big guy. I can't hit the alarm without him waking up. He is less than pleased with the whole arrangement, to say the least.
This morning, the alarm went off, and I drowsily asked Kevin what time it was.
"5:50," he replied, "Time for you to get up."
"WHAT?!" I responded.
"Yeah," he said. "I thought I would just set the alarm later to let you sleep longer since you've been so tired lately."
Now, I realize that in theory it sounds like a kind and thoughtful thing for Kevin to do. Knowing I've been super busy and exhausted, he thought an extra 20 minutes of uninterrupted sleep would give me a little boost- a chance to let my batteries re-charge a little longer, and attack the morning a bit more happily.
What Kev failed to take into account is that I am physically incapable of exiting the bed without a little doze. So, I asked him to hit the snooze KNOWING I had to get up right that second, which meant I did not get out of bed until 6. I have to leave the house at 6:25 to make the train ride up to my school. What followed was a prime example of bad behavior on my part. I stumbled, I cursed, I ranted, I raved, I even yelled at the cats for moving my shoes in the middle of the night. I left the house feeling panicked, and barely made the train. Worst of all, Kevin woke up after my fifth stage-whisper of a terrible curse word, and got out of bed to help me find my shoes, school's t-shirt, and lunch. I am officially a horrible person.
Marital Lessons Learned:
1) I should have the alarm clock on my side of the bed.
2) I should never be allowed to speak before 8 a.m.
3) The only thing that allows me to survive the mornings is my routine. I do not handle disruptions well.
4) Surprises are not meant for mornings.
Wish me luck as I attempt to smooth this all over. Maybe I should buy Kev some nachos, as well.....
One of the fundamental problems in Kevin's and my relationship is our opposite approaches to the mornings. Kevin leaps out of bed, happy and well rested, and tackles 7 projects at once. He chats with the cats, tries to chat with me, and whistles a happy song as he thoughtfully chooses the appropriate attire to wear for the day.
Me? Not so much. I cannot emphasize enough how much I hate mornings. I am a total beast to deal with, and after hitting the snooze button as many times as humanly possible, I stagger out of bed, rifle through piles of clothes until I find the easiest thing to wear, and stumble around blindly, muttering about how miserable I am. I'm like the hunchback of Notre Dame and Medusa combined. It's simply awful. It's also a good thing I live so far from my work and have to leave earlier than Kev on weekdays, because I need a good hour of silence and staggering before I'm able to morph back into my usual awkward and giggly self.
In the past, we've had several discussions about the use of the snooze alarm. Kevin uses it maybe one time if he stayed up a little to late the night before. It's an emergency situation only tool. I, on the other hand, consider every time I have to wake up to an alarm clock an emergency, and accordingly hit the snooze at least four times. There's just one little problem-the alarm clock is on Kevin's side of the bed, and he's a big guy. I can't hit the alarm without him waking up. He is less than pleased with the whole arrangement, to say the least.
This morning, the alarm went off, and I drowsily asked Kevin what time it was.
"5:50," he replied, "Time for you to get up."
"WHAT?!" I responded.
"Yeah," he said. "I thought I would just set the alarm later to let you sleep longer since you've been so tired lately."
Now, I realize that in theory it sounds like a kind and thoughtful thing for Kevin to do. Knowing I've been super busy and exhausted, he thought an extra 20 minutes of uninterrupted sleep would give me a little boost- a chance to let my batteries re-charge a little longer, and attack the morning a bit more happily.
What Kev failed to take into account is that I am physically incapable of exiting the bed without a little doze. So, I asked him to hit the snooze KNOWING I had to get up right that second, which meant I did not get out of bed until 6. I have to leave the house at 6:25 to make the train ride up to my school. What followed was a prime example of bad behavior on my part. I stumbled, I cursed, I ranted, I raved, I even yelled at the cats for moving my shoes in the middle of the night. I left the house feeling panicked, and barely made the train. Worst of all, Kevin woke up after my fifth stage-whisper of a terrible curse word, and got out of bed to help me find my shoes, school's t-shirt, and lunch. I am officially a horrible person.
Marital Lessons Learned:
1) I should have the alarm clock on my side of the bed.
2) I should never be allowed to speak before 8 a.m.
3) The only thing that allows me to survive the mornings is my routine. I do not handle disruptions well.
4) Surprises are not meant for mornings.
Wish me luck as I attempt to smooth this all over. Maybe I should buy Kev some nachos, as well.....
Friday, May 14, 2010
Reasons I Love My Job
Sorry for the delay in blogging, folks. The past few weeks have been jam packed with grad school fun, getting organized for the end of the year at work, and trying to maintain my marriage, sanity and health in between.
However, I feel like I'm slowly coming out of a fog, and I have something delightful to post to you about- kindergarteners.
For the past few years, I had taught second and third grades, and the move to kindergarten was unrequested. At first I was really nervous about being able to teach them well, about trying to help them learn and grow and become decent human beings that wouldn't cry all the time or wet their pants a lot. For the most part, I've been somewhat successful, and I've really been surprised by how much I've enjoyed my lil' peanuts this year. Now that we are mostly reading and writing, I'm so impressed by how much they've learned in nine short months. I've also discovered another use for them.
You see, a few months ago, I had a friend named Katie who was going through a rough time. I also had a mail project to teach, and we needed to practice writing letters. So, I had my kiddos write Katie some letters to make her feel better. They sent her advice such as "Don't forget to take your dog for a walk," "We can share your toys together," and "I hope you feel better and more smiley." The letters have since been passed around to our group of friends, and have become legendary. Last weekend, my friends and I started planning a beginning of summer outdoor dinner party for 20, and I decided that rather than writing out invitations myself, I should once again put my kids to good use and have them write the invites.
Today, I spent some time with my kids asking them to help me. I told them I needed good writers and good helpers to create some invitations for a party, because Chef Colin would be too busy cooking to make sure people could come. I put the pertinent information on the board, and told them they needed to make sure all of the words were on their paper, and to add some decorations that would really make people want to come to a party.
Some of us really understood the directions and made Hallmark worthy notes, while others got carried away with the decorating and fanciness of it all. Still others seem to have missed the boat all together. I'll let you decide which are which. Hopefully, you will have equally festive and delicious parties in your future this weekend. Happy Friday!
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Backing Away from the Ledge
Kevin and I have been zombies lately, due to a potent cocktail mix of grad school, first time homebuying, and our usual crazy lives. After figuring out some financing, we are 6 weeks away from being homeowners.
The whole process has really been the first step in our 291 day old marriage, and I'm proud to say that despite some setbacks, we've come through it stronger. I'm a fiercely independent, opinionated and stubborn person, and it has taken some work to accept the fact that I'm going to have to lean on my husband for some things in order to make the best decisions possible for both of us. For example, today we were discussing the amount of the loan our parents have so generously offered us to help us with our down payment. After reiterating about 822938 times that I'm not comfortable borrowing from my parents without a strict repayment plan in place, Kev reminded me that A) this is the only way we can come up with the 7% down payment we need to buy our now non-FHA finance-able dream home, B) he has done the math one trillion times, and has remembered to budget date nights, going out with friends, and my target shopping sprees into the monthly mix each and every time and C) that I really should just stop bugging him about the numbers because he is a numbers guy and does these types of things every day for a career. A career that he has been successful at for many years, and that pays him the money to buy the condo to build our life in so that I can continue to pester him for many happy years to come.
Point taken. One of the interesting dynamics in our relationship is that we have many opposite qualities. I tend to be flighty, Kevin's neurotic. I'm creative, Kevin reins me in. I come up with about 487 life plans for us every day, Kevin reminds me that we need to eat dinner and take things one step at a time. Sometimes I worry I am going to drive him crazy with my incessant impatience for the next BIG EVENT. What I'm learning though, is that we can use these dualities to meet somewhere in the middle, to make a cozy happy life full of Glee singalongs, book chats, floor hockey feistiness, and gawking at other people's cute dogs. It's like the Black Eyed Peas say- we just have to meet halfway. (I know I'm going to get made fun of for that quote- I don't care though. Love them.) It turns out that these things that I used to think would drive us apart are now making us into what every good marriage should be- a team.
The whole process has really been the first step in our 291 day old marriage, and I'm proud to say that despite some setbacks, we've come through it stronger. I'm a fiercely independent, opinionated and stubborn person, and it has taken some work to accept the fact that I'm going to have to lean on my husband for some things in order to make the best decisions possible for both of us. For example, today we were discussing the amount of the loan our parents have so generously offered us to help us with our down payment. After reiterating about 822938 times that I'm not comfortable borrowing from my parents without a strict repayment plan in place, Kev reminded me that A) this is the only way we can come up with the 7% down payment we need to buy our now non-FHA finance-able dream home, B) he has done the math one trillion times, and has remembered to budget date nights, going out with friends, and my target shopping sprees into the monthly mix each and every time and C) that I really should just stop bugging him about the numbers because he is a numbers guy and does these types of things every day for a career. A career that he has been successful at for many years, and that pays him the money to buy the condo to build our life in so that I can continue to pester him for many happy years to come.
Point taken. One of the interesting dynamics in our relationship is that we have many opposite qualities. I tend to be flighty, Kevin's neurotic. I'm creative, Kevin reins me in. I come up with about 487 life plans for us every day, Kevin reminds me that we need to eat dinner and take things one step at a time. Sometimes I worry I am going to drive him crazy with my incessant impatience for the next BIG EVENT. What I'm learning though, is that we can use these dualities to meet somewhere in the middle, to make a cozy happy life full of Glee singalongs, book chats, floor hockey feistiness, and gawking at other people's cute dogs. It's like the Black Eyed Peas say- we just have to meet halfway. (I know I'm going to get made fun of for that quote- I don't care though. Love them.) It turns out that these things that I used to think would drive us apart are now making us into what every good marriage should be- a team.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Silver Lining
I haven't posted in a while, because things these days have turned out trickier than I previously thought. While we thought we had a condo, with accepted offer all set, it turns out that the condo didn't get FHA approved, which has made it more difficult for us to get financing. The eternal debate of "Should we buy or should we rent?" has been playing out in my mind for so long, it's become an old friend. Times are stressful. In the past week, while all of this has been going on, however, I've found that several things in my life that usually stress me out have brought unexpected joy to my life. Things are sneaky like that. So, to preserve my sanity, I am going to sort out my thoughts about some big topics in my life lately.
Grad School: Yes, I am still on track to graduate in under two years, and yes, I still have to leave work with the students two nights a week to make it to campus, but I've found that while I'm in class, I can just focus on the topics and discussions at hand instead of worrying about where we will live and our future finances. Doing my homework is currently becoming an escape from the endless pro-con list I am keeping. Better yet, I feel more productive, and I'm procrastinating less. I expect this phase to end abruptly once something more exciting comes into my life (37 school days left in my year!) but I'll also enjoy this dedicated student honeymoon while it lasts. Better yet, one of my classes is a children's literature course, so I have an excuse to retreat into my happy place, reading, for a good cause.
Budget: I never thought I would say this, because most things financial stress me out. Usually, I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing financially, and I tend to go through periods where I spend a lot of money (when stressed) and periods where I'm very frugal (when I'm not stressed about life, but stressed about money). Trying to buy a condo has forced Kev and I to take a cold, hard look at our finances. We've created a budget that we share and type things we buy into the various categories. (Love you, Google Docs). Seeing a plan in place makes me feel more confident that we can really do this, should the opportunity arise, and it's had the added bonus of forcing Kevin and I to make some healthy lifestyle choices. We're spending a lot less time and money at bars with our friends, and we've been saving the times we eat out for nights when we can splurge just for the two of us. In the past, Kev and I haven't always been very good at making time just for us, and sometimes I feel like I'm still in the 14 year old phase of only-going-on-dates-when-we-can-go-in-a-big-coupley-group-so-mom-and-dad-don't-find-out. By trying to save money, we've cut down on that and have spent some great time together.
Tackling this house issue has been the first big stressor our brand new marriage has faced, and I'm proud to say that we're doing well. I'm so glad I have someone on my side who understands just how stressful and crappy a lot of this process is, and I'm glad to know that when I pass on going out because it's too expensive, that I have a partner in crime to stay in with. I still don't know where this is all going to go, or where we'll be come June 1st, but I think I will be okay knowing that I will have some kind of home to share with my some kind of wonderful husband.
Awww.....
Grad School: Yes, I am still on track to graduate in under two years, and yes, I still have to leave work with the students two nights a week to make it to campus, but I've found that while I'm in class, I can just focus on the topics and discussions at hand instead of worrying about where we will live and our future finances. Doing my homework is currently becoming an escape from the endless pro-con list I am keeping. Better yet, I feel more productive, and I'm procrastinating less. I expect this phase to end abruptly once something more exciting comes into my life (37 school days left in my year!) but I'll also enjoy this dedicated student honeymoon while it lasts. Better yet, one of my classes is a children's literature course, so I have an excuse to retreat into my happy place, reading, for a good cause.
Budget: I never thought I would say this, because most things financial stress me out. Usually, I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing financially, and I tend to go through periods where I spend a lot of money (when stressed) and periods where I'm very frugal (when I'm not stressed about life, but stressed about money). Trying to buy a condo has forced Kev and I to take a cold, hard look at our finances. We've created a budget that we share and type things we buy into the various categories. (Love you, Google Docs). Seeing a plan in place makes me feel more confident that we can really do this, should the opportunity arise, and it's had the added bonus of forcing Kevin and I to make some healthy lifestyle choices. We're spending a lot less time and money at bars with our friends, and we've been saving the times we eat out for nights when we can splurge just for the two of us. In the past, Kev and I haven't always been very good at making time just for us, and sometimes I feel like I'm still in the 14 year old phase of only-going-on-dates-when-we-can-go-in-a-big-coupley-group-so-mom-and-dad-don't-find-out. By trying to save money, we've cut down on that and have spent some great time together.
Tackling this house issue has been the first big stressor our brand new marriage has faced, and I'm proud to say that we're doing well. I'm so glad I have someone on my side who understands just how stressful and crappy a lot of this process is, and I'm glad to know that when I pass on going out because it's too expensive, that I have a partner in crime to stay in with. I still don't know where this is all going to go, or where we'll be come June 1st, but I think I will be okay knowing that I will have some kind of home to share with my some kind of wonderful husband.
Awww.....
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Whoa!
As I've mentioned before, we've been looking to become first time homebuyers, and we're getting pretty close to moving into a new, big kid place. I don't want to write too much about said place, for fear that I will jinx it, except to say that it is conveniently located by awesome public transit, it's still close to our family and friends, and it has a kitchen and dining room that will be awesome for our dinner parties. However, there is one truly amazing thing about our new place, and that is Sven.
Our lovely realtor, Kevin and I have visited the condo complex several times, looking at various units, weighing the pros and cons, and trying to figure out what the best for us will be. Each time we visit, we pass through a gorgeous front courtyard, where we are immediately shadowed by a small black cat. He has white paws, a dapper red collar, a perpetual scowl, and quiet feet that stalk us up multiple floors, across decks, and underneath trees. The first time we visited, he followed us to the front door of a building, then quickly darted around the side of the home, only to be waiting on the deck of the THIRD STORY UNIT when I opened the back door. Every time we visit, the cat is there waiting. He's like our home buying conscience, and he may be the fastest cat I've ever seen in North America.
When we returned to the complex a few weeks later for our second showings, the cat was waiting. At this point, I grew a bit concerned and checked the kitty's collar. It read
SVEN-OUTDOOR CAT- _____ ADDRESSS- DO NOT CALL OWNER IF FOUND NEAR HOME
I have a lot of questions for Sven. Does his owner just let him out each morning as he leaves for work? What does Sven do all day? Does he go back home when he is hungry? Does he have a cat door? Does he worry about getting hurt- we live in a big city! How far from home has he ventured? Will he taunt our cats when we move in? I'm utterly mystified as to how he became an outdoor cat in one of the biggest cities in the world, and I plan on stalking HIM once I move into his hood. Watch out, Sven. The tables are about to be turned.
Our lovely realtor, Kevin and I have visited the condo complex several times, looking at various units, weighing the pros and cons, and trying to figure out what the best for us will be. Each time we visit, we pass through a gorgeous front courtyard, where we are immediately shadowed by a small black cat. He has white paws, a dapper red collar, a perpetual scowl, and quiet feet that stalk us up multiple floors, across decks, and underneath trees. The first time we visited, he followed us to the front door of a building, then quickly darted around the side of the home, only to be waiting on the deck of the THIRD STORY UNIT when I opened the back door. Every time we visit, the cat is there waiting. He's like our home buying conscience, and he may be the fastest cat I've ever seen in North America.
When we returned to the complex a few weeks later for our second showings, the cat was waiting. At this point, I grew a bit concerned and checked the kitty's collar. It read
SVEN-OUTDOOR CAT- _____ ADDRESSS- DO NOT CALL OWNER IF FOUND NEAR HOME
I have a lot of questions for Sven. Does his owner just let him out each morning as he leaves for work? What does Sven do all day? Does he go back home when he is hungry? Does he have a cat door? Does he worry about getting hurt- we live in a big city! How far from home has he ventured? Will he taunt our cats when we move in? I'm utterly mystified as to how he became an outdoor cat in one of the biggest cities in the world, and I plan on stalking HIM once I move into his hood. Watch out, Sven. The tables are about to be turned.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Music Night
Today is a big day in the land of kindergarten. We have our very first music night, and the kiddos couldn't be more thrilled about it. In fact, we've already had a great day, since my parents (a doctor and a nurse) came and visited us for Community Helpers week, and even gave them band-aids and pencils. Kids at this age are all about two things: official looking outfits, and the swag that they can get from people wearing them. Needless to say, the visit was a success, due in part to my mom bringing x-rays from work of a kid who swallowed a penny. I think I've safely scared them all into only putting food in their mouths.
Something about today inspires a post about my job, I'm not sure why. Perhaps, since I teach in a state where budget cuts are a real and terrifying thing, it is another reason to be thankful for the job I do have. I think it goes beyond that, though. Seeing all the kids in their best black and white outfits, nervously hopping around antsy-pantsy as they wait for the big performance always makes me smile. I love them all the more for being tone deaf, for making up their own lyrics, for biffing a dance move here or there. Even though they try so hard to be self-important mini-adults, the music night always shows them for what they are-kids. Little kids, one of whom will probably fall off the bleachers. It also shows me for what I am- a person who likes to fix things and pick them back up.
Spring break is coming, and I would be lying immensely if I said that I wasn't pining for it to come soon. While I look forward to a week of wearing sweats, going for runs, reading for large portions of the day, and indulging in an adult beverage or two at an inappropriate time of day, I'll also think about my lil' peanuts, and hope that they are getting into just the right amount of trouble with a fantastic partner in crime while we're off.
Something about today inspires a post about my job, I'm not sure why. Perhaps, since I teach in a state where budget cuts are a real and terrifying thing, it is another reason to be thankful for the job I do have. I think it goes beyond that, though. Seeing all the kids in their best black and white outfits, nervously hopping around antsy-pantsy as they wait for the big performance always makes me smile. I love them all the more for being tone deaf, for making up their own lyrics, for biffing a dance move here or there. Even though they try so hard to be self-important mini-adults, the music night always shows them for what they are-kids. Little kids, one of whom will probably fall off the bleachers. It also shows me for what I am- a person who likes to fix things and pick them back up.
Spring break is coming, and I would be lying immensely if I said that I wasn't pining for it to come soon. While I look forward to a week of wearing sweats, going for runs, reading for large portions of the day, and indulging in an adult beverage or two at an inappropriate time of day, I'll also think about my lil' peanuts, and hope that they are getting into just the right amount of trouble with a fantastic partner in crime while we're off.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Married Fight (or She Married a Weirdo)
(Yes I know it's been forever since I've blogged, as Colie "subtly" hinted)
So we've been married for a while now, but there is one thing that we fight about all the time. It's one of those topics that people cannot fathom why we fight about it, but it's something that I am always on the short-end of! And what could drive to fight this every time, and get me to write about it? Well....it's yogurt.
See, Colie and I grocery shop together most of the time and we agree on 99% of the things to buy for the house. We both love to cook, so we end up at grocery stores fairly often. We tend grab a few things from Whole Foods if we want to make something that night, or head up to local Mexican grocery store when we really want to make some amazing stuff (or just get produce that's 5x better than anything else but 33% of the cost). Our "big" grocery runs where we load up for a few weeks is done at Jewel, and that's where we buy our yogurt.
Here's the thing, we will usually buy 10-14 individual servings of yogurt and both will take them for lunch most days. But even buying that many, I always am the one that gets stuck running out of flavors that I like while Colie still has 3-4 cups! Here's why: I like really "boring "yogurt flavors: strawberry, blackberry, raspberry, cherry. I don't like all the "fancy" flavors that try to make things taste like cake or pie (I don't think they taste anything like them at all). But guess who does!
So here's what usually happens - I'll buy my 5 "boring" flavor (I put boring in quotes because I don't think they are actually boring but I'm also told I'm weird) and Colie will buy 1 or 2 "boring" flavors but then buy the bizarre 'Key Lime Pie' or 'Strawberry Shortcake' and those things. The type that the one really annoying commercial highlights when the woman's on the phone with her friend and she's all, "OMG, I had triple-chocolate cake and key-lime pie and blah, blah, blah." and her husbands this mope looking through their fridge that has like 250 things of yogurt in it.
Man that's a tangent...
Anyways, so the morning, Colie gets up before me and will pack her lunch and she will just randomly grab a yogurt because she likes all of them and doesn't care which flavor she gets! So she has a 100% chance of picking something she will like. This isn't a big deal the first few days, but after a few days, I can tell that she is still picking at random! So in like 4 days, I'm stuck having to pick between two flavors I hate because she took the last Strawberry!! And trust me, I've brought this up, and we've discussed it ad naseum, but I know that in the morning a truck could crash through the front window and Colie would probably walk past without acknowledging it.
So we've been married for a while now, but there is one thing that we fight about all the time. It's one of those topics that people cannot fathom why we fight about it, but it's something that I am always on the short-end of! And what could drive to fight this every time, and get me to write about it? Well....it's yogurt.
See, Colie and I grocery shop together most of the time and we agree on 99% of the things to buy for the house. We both love to cook, so we end up at grocery stores fairly often. We tend grab a few things from Whole Foods if we want to make something that night, or head up to local Mexican grocery store when we really want to make some amazing stuff (or just get produce that's 5x better than anything else but 33% of the cost). Our "big" grocery runs where we load up for a few weeks is done at Jewel, and that's where we buy our yogurt.
Here's the thing, we will usually buy 10-14 individual servings of yogurt and both will take them for lunch most days. But even buying that many, I always am the one that gets stuck running out of flavors that I like while Colie still has 3-4 cups! Here's why: I like really "boring "yogurt flavors: strawberry, blackberry, raspberry, cherry. I don't like all the "fancy" flavors that try to make things taste like cake or pie (I don't think they taste anything like them at all). But guess who does!
So here's what usually happens - I'll buy my 5 "boring" flavor (I put boring in quotes because I don't think they are actually boring but I'm also told I'm weird) and Colie will buy 1 or 2 "boring" flavors but then buy the bizarre 'Key Lime Pie' or 'Strawberry Shortcake' and those things. The type that the one really annoying commercial highlights when the woman's on the phone with her friend and she's all, "OMG, I had triple-chocolate cake and key-lime pie and blah, blah, blah." and her husbands this mope looking through their fridge that has like 250 things of yogurt in it.
Man that's a tangent...
Anyways, so the morning, Colie gets up before me and will pack her lunch and she will just randomly grab a yogurt because she likes all of them and doesn't care which flavor she gets! So she has a 100% chance of picking something she will like. This isn't a big deal the first few days, but after a few days, I can tell that she is still picking at random! So in like 4 days, I'm stuck having to pick between two flavors I hate because she took the last Strawberry!! And trust me, I've brought this up, and we've discussed it ad naseum, but I know that in the morning a truck could crash through the front window and Colie would probably walk past without acknowledging it.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Best Ever
I'm not going to lie, I'm pretty sure I have the best job ever. I work at a big elementary school, and many of the families that my students come from can use a helping hand or two, so I feel like I make a difference every day. Also, teaching kindergarten this year has really let me hear some hilariously quotable quotes such as:
S: "my favorite country is Natalie."
Me: "Where is that?"
S: "You know, next to Scotland."
J: "Do you have kids yet?"
Me: "No, I have all of you!"
J: "Well, don't worry. Jesus will send them to you when you look ready."
But today's events really took the cake. You see, at our school, a class gets chosen every week to lead the pledge on morning announcements. The kids all get to introduce themselves, say the pledge in English and Spanish, and watch our principal make the rest of the announcements into the special microphone. This week is our class's turn. Because I don't have an assistant, I had to send four of my kiddos down to the office, and called the secretary to let her know they were on their way. After a few minutes, she called back and said that they hadn't arrived, but that she would check on them.
Where did she find them? Outside. While this is mildly terrifying in and of itself, in context it is quite funny.
She found them saluting the flag with military precision, in a straight line, slowly enunciating each word, and saying the pledge. To the flag of the United States of America.
Apparently kids really are literal thinkers.
S: "my favorite country is Natalie."
Me: "Where is that?"
S: "You know, next to Scotland."
J: "Do you have kids yet?"
Me: "No, I have all of you!"
J: "Well, don't worry. Jesus will send them to you when you look ready."
But today's events really took the cake. You see, at our school, a class gets chosen every week to lead the pledge on morning announcements. The kids all get to introduce themselves, say the pledge in English and Spanish, and watch our principal make the rest of the announcements into the special microphone. This week is our class's turn. Because I don't have an assistant, I had to send four of my kiddos down to the office, and called the secretary to let her know they were on their way. After a few minutes, she called back and said that they hadn't arrived, but that she would check on them.
Where did she find them? Outside. While this is mildly terrifying in and of itself, in context it is quite funny.
She found them saluting the flag with military precision, in a straight line, slowly enunciating each word, and saying the pledge. To the flag of the United States of America.
Apparently kids really are literal thinkers.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Crash and Burn
March started a few months ago, and with it came the start of my running season. You see, unlike my friend Maria, who trained for and ran races pretty much year-round when she lived in Chicago, I have strict rules about running. It should be done when there is no ice on the ground. It should be done with as few layers on as possible. It should be done with two ultimate goals in mind: 1) to improve slightly time-wise and 2) to look good in a bikini. Since I live in Chicago, this makes my running season from March-October.
So, on March 1st, I laced up my shoes, dusted off my Nike +, and headed out to run before my book club. (We read The Glass Castle, in case you are interested) I battled out a few miles, noted how jiggly I felt during the whole process, and then saw my friend Lindsay's apartment in the distance and realized how invigorated I would feel when I was done.
Boy, was I wrong.
Ten feet from Lindsay's door, I skidded on a patch of ice and ate it. I'm not talking about a little stumble here, people. This was a full-fledged, fall down, skid on the ground, and pray my husband wasn't parking the car somewhere close by extravaganza. I mention this now because I have parent teacher conferences coming up, and I will be sporting both a very professional teacherly dress (sans Keds, thank you very much) and a maroon scrape the size of a Sacajawea dollar on my knee. Yipes.
In spite of all this, I signed up for two runs yesterday: the Wrigley Start Early 10k and the Soldier Field 10 mile. After making excuses for the last few days and sulking, I'm ready to head out after work today for what will hopefully be a much less painful 3.5 miles. Wish me luck. Hopefully, the only evidence I'll be wearing from this run tomorrow will be some poppin' hammies.
So, on March 1st, I laced up my shoes, dusted off my Nike +, and headed out to run before my book club. (We read The Glass Castle, in case you are interested) I battled out a few miles, noted how jiggly I felt during the whole process, and then saw my friend Lindsay's apartment in the distance and realized how invigorated I would feel when I was done.
Boy, was I wrong.
Ten feet from Lindsay's door, I skidded on a patch of ice and ate it. I'm not talking about a little stumble here, people. This was a full-fledged, fall down, skid on the ground, and pray my husband wasn't parking the car somewhere close by extravaganza. I mention this now because I have parent teacher conferences coming up, and I will be sporting both a very professional teacherly dress (sans Keds, thank you very much) and a maroon scrape the size of a Sacajawea dollar on my knee. Yipes.
In spite of all this, I signed up for two runs yesterday: the Wrigley Start Early 10k and the Soldier Field 10 mile. After making excuses for the last few days and sulking, I'm ready to head out after work today for what will hopefully be a much less painful 3.5 miles. Wish me luck. Hopefully, the only evidence I'll be wearing from this run tomorrow will be some poppin' hammies.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Mom's in the House
My mom is in grad school for nursing. She shares my work-and-school pain, and to make matters worse (for her) she's going to take a lot longer to finish her degree than I will mine. Hurray for teachers! For one of her projects, she has to work with a family that shows many health risks and try to help them improve their habits. Because I work at a very high-risk school, she came to me asking for help. I forwarded her email to our school nurse, matched her up with a family, and went back to slogging through my own homework.
A few days ago, I got an email written only as a Catholic mother can. It was actually a forwarded email response that she had sent the mother of the family she is working with:
"Meeting at 3:00 in the office sounds great. Now we just need to hunt for a nice, quiet place to work."
No "Dear Colie" No "Do you know of any places we could work?" Just a sad plea for help. Naturally, I took this to mean that she wanted to work in my classroom.
I should say here and now that I love my mom. She's funny. She's smart. She usually doesn't give unsolicited advice. She let me shave my legs when I was in fifth grade. All excellent qualities. However, as soon as I replied that she could use my room once my students left, I panicked. Since then, I've been on a cleaning frenzy. Every pile of papers on my desk had to go. The tables had to be Cloroxed. The shelves of toys had to be reorganized.
Forget that I'm a successful, well-regarded teacher with a high academic success rate. Mom's coming, and if my room is dirty, I will SO be grounded.
A few days ago, I got an email written only as a Catholic mother can. It was actually a forwarded email response that she had sent the mother of the family she is working with:
"Meeting at 3:00 in the office sounds great. Now we just need to hunt for a nice, quiet place to work."
No "Dear Colie" No "Do you know of any places we could work?" Just a sad plea for help. Naturally, I took this to mean that she wanted to work in my classroom.
I should say here and now that I love my mom. She's funny. She's smart. She usually doesn't give unsolicited advice. She let me shave my legs when I was in fifth grade. All excellent qualities. However, as soon as I replied that she could use my room once my students left, I panicked. Since then, I've been on a cleaning frenzy. Every pile of papers on my desk had to go. The tables had to be Cloroxed. The shelves of toys had to be reorganized.
Forget that I'm a successful, well-regarded teacher with a high academic success rate. Mom's coming, and if my room is dirty, I will SO be grounded.
Monday, March 1, 2010
It's A Small World After All
We had a little scare at our casa this weekend.
Friday night we stayed out super late causing mayhem and eating tacos with some friends, and so we slept in Saturday morning. For some reason, Kev likes to sleep with his itouch next to the bed, and before I was awake he rolled over and read his email. Then he paused. Then he nudged me out of bed and towards CNN.
Chile had been struck by an 8.8 magnitude earthquake, and my sister has been there since mid-January studying abroad. We spent a few hours checking emails, talking to my mom, and stalking facebook, until, finally, news came through an indirect source that my sis was okay and safe with her host family in their home, which had been undamaged, though the family suffered severe damage to other properties that they own.
Now, I don't think I need to bore you with how stressed, worried and sad I was on Saturday afternoon waiting for information. I am not a very patient person when it comes to these types of things. I love my sister dearly, and I am so very thankful that she is safe.
What continues to amaze me, in the aftermath, is just how quickly information came to us. Although my sister is half a world away, in a place where it is warm (unlike the frozen tundra I live in), emails from other girls in her program quickly reached us saying that my sis was with her family and unhurt, and people quickly posted pictures on their blogs of the damage. CNN was using Twitter to chart people's reports of damage, and to figure out which areas of Chile were the most severely impacted.
It seems that the internet has made it a small world after all. Though I know only a handful of people read this, it comforts me to know that we've staked our own small claim on the gigantic internet community, and that underneath all of the superficial emails and websites I spend hours on, that real information, that really makes life better, is passed on. I talked to my sister on AIM this morning, and I will never, ever again take this type of communication for granted. I'm thankful that though my sister is farther than she's ever been from me, we're communicating more regularly than usual. I have much more than her safety to be thankful for. I can also feel blessed that she lives with a family where internet is available, and that she has a working computer. I can be thankful that when we were concerned, a whole community of people reached out on my facebook page to post prayers, positive energy, and questions about my sister.
For all I curse technology when it doesn't work right, I now know exactly how amazing it can be when it does.
Friday night we stayed out super late causing mayhem and eating tacos with some friends, and so we slept in Saturday morning. For some reason, Kev likes to sleep with his itouch next to the bed, and before I was awake he rolled over and read his email. Then he paused. Then he nudged me out of bed and towards CNN.
Chile had been struck by an 8.8 magnitude earthquake, and my sister has been there since mid-January studying abroad. We spent a few hours checking emails, talking to my mom, and stalking facebook, until, finally, news came through an indirect source that my sis was okay and safe with her host family in their home, which had been undamaged, though the family suffered severe damage to other properties that they own.
Now, I don't think I need to bore you with how stressed, worried and sad I was on Saturday afternoon waiting for information. I am not a very patient person when it comes to these types of things. I love my sister dearly, and I am so very thankful that she is safe.
What continues to amaze me, in the aftermath, is just how quickly information came to us. Although my sister is half a world away, in a place where it is warm (unlike the frozen tundra I live in), emails from other girls in her program quickly reached us saying that my sis was with her family and unhurt, and people quickly posted pictures on their blogs of the damage. CNN was using Twitter to chart people's reports of damage, and to figure out which areas of Chile were the most severely impacted.
It seems that the internet has made it a small world after all. Though I know only a handful of people read this, it comforts me to know that we've staked our own small claim on the gigantic internet community, and that underneath all of the superficial emails and websites I spend hours on, that real information, that really makes life better, is passed on. I talked to my sister on AIM this morning, and I will never, ever again take this type of communication for granted. I'm thankful that though my sister is farther than she's ever been from me, we're communicating more regularly than usual. I have much more than her safety to be thankful for. I can also feel blessed that she lives with a family where internet is available, and that she has a working computer. I can be thankful that when we were concerned, a whole community of people reached out on my facebook page to post prayers, positive energy, and questions about my sister.
For all I curse technology when it doesn't work right, I now know exactly how amazing it can be when it does.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Nerd Couple
I am beyond excited. Today Kev has an appointment with his academic adviser to register for his classes for grad school. He's in a great program that's going to get him closer to his life's goals, this degree will eventually provide him with the means to move higher in his career, and he generally likes school, much as he would hate for his high school friends to call him out on it.
While I'm happy for him for all of these reasons, a part of me (I won't say how big) also can't wait to have some sympathy- he'll now know exactly how gross it is to go to class twice a week after working all day. Instead of teasing me about procrastinating my homework, he'll have to do homework too. Sweet revenge for the last four months is coming soon, and I am ecstatic.
I realize this is a less than flattering announcement, but I don't care. I'm just being honest. I realize in all likelihood he will be more gracious and productive during his grad school years than I am, and that's okay. I'm willing to be the smaller person, and admit it. Despite being a teacher, I really still do think that homework sucks. Hurray for being a pair of nerds.
While I'm happy for him for all of these reasons, a part of me (I won't say how big) also can't wait to have some sympathy- he'll now know exactly how gross it is to go to class twice a week after working all day. Instead of teasing me about procrastinating my homework, he'll have to do homework too. Sweet revenge for the last four months is coming soon, and I am ecstatic.
I realize this is a less than flattering announcement, but I don't care. I'm just being honest. I realize in all likelihood he will be more gracious and productive during his grad school years than I am, and that's okay. I'm willing to be the smaller person, and admit it. Despite being a teacher, I really still do think that homework sucks. Hurray for being a pair of nerds.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
No Security Blanket
Kev is out of town on business this week, and while I consider myself a respectable, independent adult who is capable of living and working on my own, I'm getting a little ragged around the edges.
For starters, I haven't slept the last two nights. I am a person who requires a lot of sleep, and I'm not very nice to the kiddos at school when I don't get it. The last two nights, I just haven't been able to get comfy. I keep hearing strange noises, the radio is either too loud or too soft, the pillows are shedding down everywhere, and the dial on our alarm clock is just too dang bright. The bed feels enormous, and I keep worrying that I'm leaving the doors open or that the cats will find a mouse and bring it to me (it happened to Kevin once and I'm still terrified). I've been stumbling around in a stupor and brought the wrong notebooks to both of my grad classes. I finally decided to pack up my laundry, get my hair cut, and stay with my parents tonight. I'm starting to look like a hippie at a fest.
To top it all off, this morning I realized I left my house without my planner. Ordinarily, I am a very disorganized person. My classroom tends to have stacks of papers and books and my house is usually teetering on the edge of disaster. However, I cannot live without my planner. It has daily to-do lists, color coded by class, work, or home jobs, and it has running schedules and dates for pretty much everything. I have a lot of plan time at school on Thursdays, and I was really counting on my planner to keep me honest about how much I had actually gotten done. I also have gobs of homework for grad school this weekend. Ew. Leaving home without it has caused me to waste a lot of time trying to remember what was on my list, and I'm getting cranky about it.
Kev comes home tomorrow. Hopefully his pilot puts the pedal to the metal. Things are starting to get ugly.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Book Update!
On a separate note, I just finished reading Committed by Elizabeth Gilbert, and after I have some time to really marinade my ideas about it, I'll be sure to write a quick review. However, in pondering next books to read, I found a new post on The Book Lady's Blog announcing a mini-book club over the internet. If you're interested, click the button below, and have The Sparrow read by March 30th to get in on the action. I may even have Kev read this with me and do a dual post- he's into these types of books. Hurray for reading! What else is there to do when there's this much snow still lurking around?
These Are My People
I feel like a real grown-up now, because Kev and I are discussing buying our first home. We're looking for a condo that gives us more space, a second bedroom to do all our grad school nerdery in, and makes both of our commutes to work a little easier. We've settled on a neighborhood and are starting to figure out how it all works.
Kevin is very comfortable with this process, whereas I am terrified. I know little to nothing about finance, mortgages, credit scores, and the like. Usually, when I am wondering about something financial, I just run it by Kevin. My brain excels in the gray areas: the interpretive, the creative, in word play and language and building connections between words and concepts. Kevin's, on the other hand, is a firmly black and white mind. He likes to know the given formula that makes something the way it is, the bottom line, and the certainty that one plus one always equals two. In fact, upon arriving at our bank to meet with somebody about pre-qualifying for financing, Kevin closed his eyes, took a deep breath in, and with a smile on his face announced "These are my people." He was nearly giddy when discussing the prizes we may one day trade our rewards points in, and he beamed with pride when I asked clarifying questions about the cold, hard numbers.
I'm convinced this means that our kids will someday be either the next Einstein or the next Glow Stick Tool. Either way, yikes.
Kevin is very comfortable with this process, whereas I am terrified. I know little to nothing about finance, mortgages, credit scores, and the like. Usually, when I am wondering about something financial, I just run it by Kevin. My brain excels in the gray areas: the interpretive, the creative, in word play and language and building connections between words and concepts. Kevin's, on the other hand, is a firmly black and white mind. He likes to know the given formula that makes something the way it is, the bottom line, and the certainty that one plus one always equals two. In fact, upon arriving at our bank to meet with somebody about pre-qualifying for financing, Kevin closed his eyes, took a deep breath in, and with a smile on his face announced "These are my people." He was nearly giddy when discussing the prizes we may one day trade our rewards points in, and he beamed with pride when I asked clarifying questions about the cold, hard numbers.
I'm convinced this means that our kids will someday be either the next Einstein or the next Glow Stick Tool. Either way, yikes.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Swing Into Valentine's Day!
Kevin and I have never been very "into" Valentine's Day. While I love the excuse to have a date night, we try to do that weekly anyway, we love to cook together, and he is fantastic at showing me he loves me. Case in point: After the Chicago area got hit with a foot and a half of snow, he shoveled out my entire car AND parking spot while I was at class. I got off the El and found my car ready to go so that I could sleep in and not have to do it at 6 a.m. before work. What a guy!
Although our celebrations tend to be fairly low-key, we do have one tradition that endures. Every year, I have a class Valentine's Celebration with my kids at school. I buy them something fabulous to decorate for a mailbox, I buy them candy and valentine's from Walgreens, and we spend some time sneaking valentines into eachother's boxes. This year, I found some totally rocking Batman and Disney Princess valentines and pencils. Turbo sweet. In return, I almost always come home with a manila envelope chock-full of teats and cards that the kids are certain I will love. Kevin and I spend the night after my party opening all of the valentines and giggling.
I'm always intrigued by the choices that the kids make when they are choosing valentines for me. Why, for instance, did one of my second graders last year warn me that he picked a card for me that was "inappropriate" for school? When I opened his envelope last year, I found a card with the Grim Reaper on it. Not sure how I'm supposed to take that.... I also get a lot of cards with Bratz Dolls, and a lot of Fun Dip. Often I get temporary tattoos, and sometimes I even get a flower or two. This year, I got all of those things, and something even more interesting...a Webkinz.
In case you aren't in the know, a Webkinz is a Beenie Baby type toy that comes with a secret password. If you go to the Webkinz site, you use this special password to create a virtual world for your pet. By playing online games, feeding your pet online, and doing other basic tasks, you can earn points to upgrade your little pet house. Cool if you are an elementary school student, right?
Which begs the question: Did I receive this gift because the parent was concerned that we didn't have a class pet and wanted to give us a project to do together? Did she know it was a Webkinz and instead thought she just bought me a cute stuffed animal (note: I am 25. This is still not acceptable) Or did she find it discarded by one of her children and regift? I'm just not sure what to do. I'm praying she doesn't ask me anything about it. I mean, I'm already hopelessly addicted to FarmVille. I don't think I have room in my life for another virtual world. Yikes....
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
1 Month with RA
It's time, my friends.
For the past month, I've been avoiding a blogging subject, partially because I was adjusting and partially because I didn't have the words. Now, I do. In December, on the Tuesday before Christmas, I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. While I won't get into specifics, the gist of all of it is that my overly helpful immune system has decided to attack my joints, which has been affecting the strength and movement I have in my hands and wrists. For awhile, I wasn't sleeping very well and I was waking up even grouchier than usual with what Kevin has termed my "grandma hands." Luckily, I have good insurance, a great doctor, and have started a dose of very mild immunosuppresants to tell my nosy system to back off.
At first, during all of the testing, I was pretty down. I was worried that I would no longer be able to run or play floor hockey, and on a daily basis I was frustrated by how long it took me to turn on the bathroom faucets, my near inability to open water bottles, and the waking up in the middle of the night to throbbing hands. However, after talking to my doctor, I realized that it's up to me what physical activities I can do, and that while I might have good days and bad days, there are very few things I can do that will make my illness better or worse.
The reason I'm blogging today, however, is not to wallow in my chronic illness, nor to discuss it's impact on my marriage (which, so far, has been minimal, aside from some teasing) It's because I realized today, that I've seen some positive changes in the past month. For starters, I'm feeling better. I'm hoping this is because of the meds, and that I won't have to switch to a more hardcore med (the next strongest med would force me to quit drinking because of it's negative effects on the liver, and we all know that I am just not ready to go through life as a teetotaler). More importantly, though, is the fact that I've become more focused. I'm responding to emails faster, taking care of bills sooner, eating better, and working out longer. I'm not procrastinating my grad school mountains of homework, and I'm trying to be overall more responsible. I spent so much of my time ignoring how much pain I was in, and forcing myself to tough it out. Now, I kick myself. I know my body well enough to know it was telling me something was amiss, and I can't help regretting how much time I wasted feeling less than my best.
I've learned a powerful lesson with all of this. Ignoring something won't make it go away. When I was feeling at my worst with RA (and I feel blessed, because I was diagnosed early in the progression of the disease, and have no permanent damage thus far-my form is much more mild than many of the others in the RA community) I would worry that I had bone cancer, or would be disabled from the mystery condition. In making the appointment and accepting the diagnosis, there has come a sense of peace. Yes, this sucks, but I can handle it. Yes, I will have bad days but I will also have great ones. Yes, I can live my life in a way that makes me happy, I just have to be more in tune and proactive about not letting myself get stressed and overwhelmed. I also have to be a strong, confident and happy wife, because I refuse to let this impact my relationships or experiences with the people I love, especially my husband.
In short, I'm more willing to chase down my goals. In May, I'm running the Wisconsin Half-Marathon, I'm working on my book challenges and my master's, and I'm pondering a possible trip down to South America to see my amazing sister who will be studying in Chile from February-July. Kevin and I are pondering the eternal question: To buy or to rent? and I'm lounging on the couch with my cats when I don't feel like doing any of those things. I'm not sure where my RA will take me tomorrow, let alone in the next few years, so I'm living the way all those "wellness experts" (what are those, anyway?) say you should: in the moment and with no regrets.
For more information about the medical side of Rheumatoid Arthritis, click here.
For a fabulous blog about life with RA click here.
To learn more about a community of support for people with RA and their families, click here.
For the past month, I've been avoiding a blogging subject, partially because I was adjusting and partially because I didn't have the words. Now, I do. In December, on the Tuesday before Christmas, I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. While I won't get into specifics, the gist of all of it is that my overly helpful immune system has decided to attack my joints, which has been affecting the strength and movement I have in my hands and wrists. For awhile, I wasn't sleeping very well and I was waking up even grouchier than usual with what Kevin has termed my "grandma hands." Luckily, I have good insurance, a great doctor, and have started a dose of very mild immunosuppresants to tell my nosy system to back off.
At first, during all of the testing, I was pretty down. I was worried that I would no longer be able to run or play floor hockey, and on a daily basis I was frustrated by how long it took me to turn on the bathroom faucets, my near inability to open water bottles, and the waking up in the middle of the night to throbbing hands. However, after talking to my doctor, I realized that it's up to me what physical activities I can do, and that while I might have good days and bad days, there are very few things I can do that will make my illness better or worse.
The reason I'm blogging today, however, is not to wallow in my chronic illness, nor to discuss it's impact on my marriage (which, so far, has been minimal, aside from some teasing) It's because I realized today, that I've seen some positive changes in the past month. For starters, I'm feeling better. I'm hoping this is because of the meds, and that I won't have to switch to a more hardcore med (the next strongest med would force me to quit drinking because of it's negative effects on the liver, and we all know that I am just not ready to go through life as a teetotaler). More importantly, though, is the fact that I've become more focused. I'm responding to emails faster, taking care of bills sooner, eating better, and working out longer. I'm not procrastinating my grad school mountains of homework, and I'm trying to be overall more responsible. I spent so much of my time ignoring how much pain I was in, and forcing myself to tough it out. Now, I kick myself. I know my body well enough to know it was telling me something was amiss, and I can't help regretting how much time I wasted feeling less than my best.
I've learned a powerful lesson with all of this. Ignoring something won't make it go away. When I was feeling at my worst with RA (and I feel blessed, because I was diagnosed early in the progression of the disease, and have no permanent damage thus far-my form is much more mild than many of the others in the RA community) I would worry that I had bone cancer, or would be disabled from the mystery condition. In making the appointment and accepting the diagnosis, there has come a sense of peace. Yes, this sucks, but I can handle it. Yes, I will have bad days but I will also have great ones. Yes, I can live my life in a way that makes me happy, I just have to be more in tune and proactive about not letting myself get stressed and overwhelmed. I also have to be a strong, confident and happy wife, because I refuse to let this impact my relationships or experiences with the people I love, especially my husband.
In short, I'm more willing to chase down my goals. In May, I'm running the Wisconsin Half-Marathon, I'm working on my book challenges and my master's, and I'm pondering a possible trip down to South America to see my amazing sister who will be studying in Chile from February-July. Kevin and I are pondering the eternal question: To buy or to rent? and I'm lounging on the couch with my cats when I don't feel like doing any of those things. I'm not sure where my RA will take me tomorrow, let alone in the next few years, so I'm living the way all those "wellness experts" (what are those, anyway?) say you should: in the moment and with no regrets.
For more information about the medical side of Rheumatoid Arthritis, click here.
For a fabulous blog about life with RA click here.
To learn more about a community of support for people with RA and their families, click here.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
More Reading Fiber
I've always loved to read. As a kid, I used to not only read voraciously, but I also used to play with my books, building forts so that I could literally protect myself from the outside world and my noisy hoard of siblings to read. As I've gotten older, this initial love has turned itself both into a comforting hobby and a profession. Now, in addition to reading confidently myself, I work every day to inspire the same love in my kiddos at school.
However, I will say that starting grad school (for a master's in reading instruction no less) has gotten me into some very, very bad reading habits. Namely, I've been reading a lot of crap. Very enjoyable, very vacation-y, crap. While I love these young adult-ish books, I also need to get my reading back on track. With less time to read for fun due to all my course reading, I was choosing to read "snack" type books- they fed the urge to read, but didn't really sustain my soul's need to read interesting, meaningful, and think-y books. So, it's time to find books that will balance my reading pyramid a bit.
In an attempt to balance my reading "diet", I'm joining two reading challenges for 2010: the Book Awards Reading Challenge (http://bookawardschallenge.blogspot.com/), in which I will have to read 10 books winning 10 different awards in 2010, and the 2010 Pub Challenge, in which I will need to read a minimum of 10 books first published in the U.S. in 2010. (http://1morechapter.com/pub/?p=57). While this blog is more of a chronicle of being a freshly married, veteran teacher who likes to read, run, and cause mayhem with her husband (also a contributer) than a book blog, I will be posting on my progress in these challenges with brief reviews and thoughts. Thanks to my friend Rebecca at The Book Lady's Blog (thebookladysblog.com) for the inspiration!
However, I will say that starting grad school (for a master's in reading instruction no less) has gotten me into some very, very bad reading habits. Namely, I've been reading a lot of crap. Very enjoyable, very vacation-y, crap. While I love these young adult-ish books, I also need to get my reading back on track. With less time to read for fun due to all my course reading, I was choosing to read "snack" type books- they fed the urge to read, but didn't really sustain my soul's need to read interesting, meaningful, and think-y books. So, it's time to find books that will balance my reading pyramid a bit.
In an attempt to balance my reading "diet", I'm joining two reading challenges for 2010: the Book Awards Reading Challenge (http://bookawardschallenge.blogspot.com/), in which I will have to read 10 books winning 10 different awards in 2010, and the 2010 Pub Challenge, in which I will need to read a minimum of 10 books first published in the U.S. in 2010. (http://1morechapter.com/pub/?p=57). While this blog is more of a chronicle of being a freshly married, veteran teacher who likes to read, run, and cause mayhem with her husband (also a contributer) than a book blog, I will be posting on my progress in these challenges with brief reviews and thoughts. Thanks to my friend Rebecca at The Book Lady's Blog (thebookladysblog.com) for the inspiration!
Friday, January 1, 2010
Stereotypical New Year's Post
Last night we rang in 2010 with Wii bowling, shocking amounts of champagne, and high-volume storytelling with our friends. We also debated whether we are going to say "two thousand and ten" or "twenty ten" when referring to this year. Let me know which camp you fall into- our group was pretty much split.
As most are doing today, I've been thinking lately about the transition between 2009 and 2010. Last year, I failed miserably in a Twister tournament, found an amazing St. Patrick's Day (Polish Pride) t-shirt, dressed up like a hot dog and passed out condoms, got married, began my adventures in teaching kindergarten, threw some fantastic dinner parties, went skiing, and ended the year with some doctor craziness (more on that later). What I cannot remember for the life of me in all of these moments big and small are my New Year's Resolutions for 2009. So, with the help of my trusty blog, I've decided to set three small goals a month during 2010. I tried this strategy with eating before the wedding, and it worked for me. I'm a procrastinator, and an inattentive person to details, so I figure announcing my goals each month here, and jotting some notes about them might help me keep myself more accountable to.....myself.
So, without much further ado, my 2009 goals:
1) Work out 4 times a week. 3 of these times must be in the gym, one may be 30 minutes of Wii Fit at home.
2) Eat a fruit or vegetable at every meal.
3) Spend 15 minutes a day cleaning the apartment.
I'll report back February 1 to let you know how this went. In the meantime, it's time to sprawl on the couch with my current read (Blonde, by Joyce Carol Oates) and listen to Kev save me from the bad guys by playing hours of Modern Warfare.
As most are doing today, I've been thinking lately about the transition between 2009 and 2010. Last year, I failed miserably in a Twister tournament, found an amazing St. Patrick's Day (Polish Pride) t-shirt, dressed up like a hot dog and passed out condoms, got married, began my adventures in teaching kindergarten, threw some fantastic dinner parties, went skiing, and ended the year with some doctor craziness (more on that later). What I cannot remember for the life of me in all of these moments big and small are my New Year's Resolutions for 2009. So, with the help of my trusty blog, I've decided to set three small goals a month during 2010. I tried this strategy with eating before the wedding, and it worked for me. I'm a procrastinator, and an inattentive person to details, so I figure announcing my goals each month here, and jotting some notes about them might help me keep myself more accountable to.....myself.
So, without much further ado, my 2009 goals:
1) Work out 4 times a week. 3 of these times must be in the gym, one may be 30 minutes of Wii Fit at home.
2) Eat a fruit or vegetable at every meal.
3) Spend 15 minutes a day cleaning the apartment.
I'll report back February 1 to let you know how this went. In the meantime, it's time to sprawl on the couch with my current read (Blonde, by Joyce Carol Oates) and listen to Kev save me from the bad guys by playing hours of Modern Warfare.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Rock You Like a Hurricane
Tonight is one of my favorite celebrations of the holiday season- Kevin's company holiday party. This is now my third year attending, once as his girlfriend, once as his fiancee and this year as his wife. We get to have a well known Chicago museum closed just for us, with dinner, cocktails and dancing in swanky evening attire. It feels like a totally glamorous wedding where you don't have to buy a gift.
....Until this year....
This year, Kevin and his social committee have decided that they would like to do something different for this party, and thus, an 80s theme was born, complete with an option to wear 80s formalwear to the event. So, in the spirit of all things hilarious, and ready to make an idiot of myself, I have borrowed an '83 peach, lacy, ruffly prom dress with bows and a wider girth than my wedding dress was. Now, if you've been paying attention to this blog at all, you know this is not quite "me". I tend to be more of a hoodie and converse kind of gal. i just hope I can properly rock out to Dirty Diana and Like a Prayer in all that taffeta.
My dashing husband will be rocking a mullet wig. We're either going to make him employee of the month or the village idiot. I just hope we end up looking something like that couple....
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Cheap and Glorious
No, this isn't a post about sex. Just making sure you aren't disappointed later.
What this is a post about is far more mundane, but also fabulous in its own way. While thinking about the direction I want to go with this blog, I've been looking at a lot of other marriage blogs, and I have to say, a lot of them are boring. Once, I even found myself reading about (I kid you not) do it yourself guest baskets for your guest bathroom full of tiny guest samples of lotions. I've also found many, many posts about babies, cooking, house re-doing. What I haven't found a lot of are blogs about what it's really like to really, honestly go through the process of keeping the girlfriend hotness while becoming the wife. Even though I just got married, I didn't morph into Martha Steward when I said "I do" and I don't plan on it. However, I've broken down and made a cheesy list about something I'm interested in hearing about from other people. I promise, no potpourri needed.
Back when Kev and I first started dating, we spent (and still do) a LOT of time and money out with our friends at the bars. Being in the vast minority of people in our circle of friends who were dating, we were often forced to be wingman a lot for some sad cases. (Example: Waitress comes to table, friend says "What do you have on special, besides, of course, you?" ....dead silence)
However, with a condo to save up for and grad school nerdery pressing in on us, we've lately been forced to cut down on our spending for fun things, which has forced us (in a good way) to start getting more creative about our date nights, and I know many co-workers who are struggling with the same thing. Below, find a list:
Cheap and Glorious Dates
1) Sweatpants, bottles of cheap champagne, and videogames. (Note: this is best not attempted while playing Mario Kart for the Wii.)
2) Cooking something complicated with many steps and spices
3) (stolen from my friend Erica) Tournament of board games (winter) Tournament of sports (summer) in a best of 5 best of 5 format (e.g. best of 5 at each event gets to claim winner to the event, must win 5 overall to be champion: twister, yahtzee, trouble, catchphrase, and twilight the boardgame)
4) Drinking Jeopardy (partner beats you to the answer? wrong answer? drink)
5) Playing with puppies. Anywhere.
6) Sitting on the stoop, making up stories about the people that walk by.
What else goes on this list? It's winter....
What this is a post about is far more mundane, but also fabulous in its own way. While thinking about the direction I want to go with this blog, I've been looking at a lot of other marriage blogs, and I have to say, a lot of them are boring. Once, I even found myself reading about (I kid you not) do it yourself guest baskets for your guest bathroom full of tiny guest samples of lotions. I've also found many, many posts about babies, cooking, house re-doing. What I haven't found a lot of are blogs about what it's really like to really, honestly go through the process of keeping the girlfriend hotness while becoming the wife. Even though I just got married, I didn't morph into Martha Steward when I said "I do" and I don't plan on it. However, I've broken down and made a cheesy list about something I'm interested in hearing about from other people. I promise, no potpourri needed.
Back when Kev and I first started dating, we spent (and still do) a LOT of time and money out with our friends at the bars. Being in the vast minority of people in our circle of friends who were dating, we were often forced to be wingman a lot for some sad cases. (Example: Waitress comes to table, friend says "What do you have on special, besides, of course, you?" ....dead silence)
However, with a condo to save up for and grad school nerdery pressing in on us, we've lately been forced to cut down on our spending for fun things, which has forced us (in a good way) to start getting more creative about our date nights, and I know many co-workers who are struggling with the same thing. Below, find a list:
Cheap and Glorious Dates
1) Sweatpants, bottles of cheap champagne, and videogames. (Note: this is best not attempted while playing Mario Kart for the Wii.)
2) Cooking something complicated with many steps and spices
3) (stolen from my friend Erica) Tournament of board games (winter) Tournament of sports (summer) in a best of 5 best of 5 format (e.g. best of 5 at each event gets to claim winner to the event, must win 5 overall to be champion: twister, yahtzee, trouble, catchphrase, and twilight the boardgame)
4) Drinking Jeopardy (partner beats you to the answer? wrong answer? drink)
5) Playing with puppies. Anywhere.
6) Sitting on the stoop, making up stories about the people that walk by.
What else goes on this list? It's winter....
Friday, October 30, 2009
Big Kid
Today is the "observed" Halloween holiday at my school, and my kids have been screamingly excited about it for weeks. By screamingly, I mean they literally get up and dance when we do calendar every morning, as our pumpkins get closer to the big candy corn I put over the end of the month. My students in my afternoon literacy groups are just as excited. So, naturally, we celebrated today with a good old fashioned corny grade school party. We did the mummy wrap, we ate cupcakes and cookies at 10:30 in the morning, we had a parade wearing our Halloween costumes (I was a birthday party), and we watched the first ten minutes of Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin. To top it all off, we played freeze dance with a mix CD that our music teacher let me swipe. While many of the classic Halloween songs were on there, I was out of my seat faster than you can say "who you gonna call?" when the Ghostbusters theme came on. Watching my stellar dance moves, one of my kindergarteners looked at me studiously and pronounced that I was "really just a big kid."
I've been feeling this way a lot lately, particularly in relation to being married. While I do a lot of grown up things like go to grad school, chase down goals in my career, and babysit friends' kids, I don't really feel any older or fuller of knowledge now that I'm a wife. When Kev and I would attend friends' weddings, I always thought that those couples looked a little more serious, a little more bonded, and a little more responsible than I. However, I've come to realize that marriage is the best kept secret ever- if people knew that it feels like having a sleepover with your best friend EVERY SINGLE DAY they would be rushing down the aisles.
A friend of mine brought her 6 month baby to work today, a baby whom I adore and babysit quite often. The baby even looks like me, and many of the kids and newer coworkers at school asked me if she was mine. While my heart was tugged by this tiny creature in a plush butterfly costume, I know I'm not ready for kids yet because I'm busy having too much fun. I love feeling like I have a partner in crime, and I don't think it's immature to admit that I love kicking Kev's behind in Jeopardy for hours on end, eating mac n' cheese when we feel like it, and drinking champagne just because we can. When I was younger, I was jealous of the big kids because they got to stay out trick-or-treating until 10 o'clock, when all the scandalous things happen. Now I do that every night and it's just plain awesome. Turning into a big kid was definitely worth the wait.
I've been feeling this way a lot lately, particularly in relation to being married. While I do a lot of grown up things like go to grad school, chase down goals in my career, and babysit friends' kids, I don't really feel any older or fuller of knowledge now that I'm a wife. When Kev and I would attend friends' weddings, I always thought that those couples looked a little more serious, a little more bonded, and a little more responsible than I. However, I've come to realize that marriage is the best kept secret ever- if people knew that it feels like having a sleepover with your best friend EVERY SINGLE DAY they would be rushing down the aisles.
A friend of mine brought her 6 month baby to work today, a baby whom I adore and babysit quite often. The baby even looks like me, and many of the kids and newer coworkers at school asked me if she was mine. While my heart was tugged by this tiny creature in a plush butterfly costume, I know I'm not ready for kids yet because I'm busy having too much fun. I love feeling like I have a partner in crime, and I don't think it's immature to admit that I love kicking Kev's behind in Jeopardy for hours on end, eating mac n' cheese when we feel like it, and drinking champagne just because we can. When I was younger, I was jealous of the big kids because they got to stay out trick-or-treating until 10 o'clock, when all the scandalous things happen. Now I do that every night and it's just plain awesome. Turning into a big kid was definitely worth the wait.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Being Needy
I'm very spoiled in the fact that Kev almost never has to travel for work. A few times a year he has to go to conferences or sales ride alongs, but it's usually pretty rare and pretty far between. However, this month Kev has been gone a lot- two business trips, and now this weekend he is going to visit his siblings at college, and sadly, I can't take the time off of work to go with. Last night, Kev told me "I know you'll miss me, but I also know you're fine without me." To tell you the truth, he was right. Rather than stay bummed about not going to Minnesota, I decided to crash some good friends' moms' weekend and head on out to Iowa to do something I've always wanted to do: squish wine grapes with my feet. I am so pumped about this (even though I have to bring thank you notes and grad school homework in the car) and the fact that I have Monday off of school (thank you Jewish holidays) that rather than missing Kevin tonight, I'll be plotting the perfect vineyard outfit and figuring out how to pack the tiniest bag possible. Pictures will be forthcoming.
I have friends on all different aspects of the traveling-apart spectrum in a relationship. I know some that have never spent a night apart, and others who routinely take long vacations with others, or travel often for work. I like to think that Kevin and I are in the middle. I want him with me for all the best days of my life, and when I'm happiest is when I miss him the most. However, I also know that cracking a bottle of wine and filling each other in on time apart can be just as good for the marriage as therapy. Hopefully, this time it will be wine that I personally contributed to.
On a side note- does one get a pedicure pre grape stomping? Does one go in without toe polish? Obviously I will be doing some feet prep before exposing them to the grapes, but should I wear flip flops in order to take the shoes off easily? Closed toe to keep my feet clean? Who knew channeling my inner Lucille Ball could be so difficult? Pictures to come...
I have friends on all different aspects of the traveling-apart spectrum in a relationship. I know some that have never spent a night apart, and others who routinely take long vacations with others, or travel often for work. I like to think that Kevin and I are in the middle. I want him with me for all the best days of my life, and when I'm happiest is when I miss him the most. However, I also know that cracking a bottle of wine and filling each other in on time apart can be just as good for the marriage as therapy. Hopefully, this time it will be wine that I personally contributed to.
On a side note- does one get a pedicure pre grape stomping? Does one go in without toe polish? Obviously I will be doing some feet prep before exposing them to the grapes, but should I wear flip flops in order to take the shoes off easily? Closed toe to keep my feet clean? Who knew channeling my inner Lucille Ball could be so difficult? Pictures to come...
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Gettin' it Together
Kev and I have spent the last few weeks getting organized. We had some scary talks about budgets, buying a place someday, and grad school plans. I even applied, and got accepted, to start my master's. I've been feeling very grown-uppy and it's not all bad.
One thing I have been terrible, horrible, no good very bad about is working out. Somehow, once the wedding was over, the gym lost all of its appeal. So did running. So did everything fitness related. Kev and I have been making some great dinners (well, mostly Kev, I'll be honest he's a fabulous cook) and I just haven't had the urge to work out. When I was discussing this with my married coworkers, they were like "well of course not, you were nesting" Is this common? Once you get married does it make it harder to be motivated to work out? All I know is, I ran two miles last week and it about killed me-and last summer I was training for half marathons! I start class next week, and with it, I'm going to find a way to start a new fitness regime. I REALLY need to get more disciplined with this one. I can tell you right now it won't be fun either...well maybe a little fun
One thing I have been terrible, horrible, no good very bad about is working out. Somehow, once the wedding was over, the gym lost all of its appeal. So did running. So did everything fitness related. Kev and I have been making some great dinners (well, mostly Kev, I'll be honest he's a fabulous cook) and I just haven't had the urge to work out. When I was discussing this with my married coworkers, they were like "well of course not, you were nesting" Is this common? Once you get married does it make it harder to be motivated to work out? All I know is, I ran two miles last week and it about killed me-and last summer I was training for half marathons! I start class next week, and with it, I'm going to find a way to start a new fitness regime. I REALLY need to get more disciplined with this one. I can tell you right now it won't be fun either...well maybe a little fun
Friday, September 4, 2009
I'm Not Hiding
Today I was accused by a good friend of being mad at her, which I'm definitely not. The truth is, I haven't been avoiding anybody, I've just been really, really busy. You see, I'm a teacher, and for the first time ever I am teaching kindergarten, which has yielded some gems of conversation including the following:
"Mrs. G. what color is bald? My mommy has brown hair, I have brown hair, Zach has black hair and my daddy has bald hair." ~asked while coloring family portraits
"I can't wait to go out and play on the drunkie bars" ~he meant monkey bars
"V? what?" ~spoken by TWO students who had never heard of that letter before.
My kiddos are ridiculously cute, and while we're having a good time, it makes me so relieved that we don't have kids ourselves-mostly because I recuperate each night by falling asleep at nine o'clock at night. Poor Kevin. My sleeping habits are like those of a ninety year old woman these days. I'm hoping to use this weekend more as a recovery zone.
Side note, while juggling my new position, figuring out if I'm starting grad school (damn transcript mixup) and trying to stay awake for Top Chef, I recently found out from my mother that I'm in the doghouse. Apparently, my grandmother and her sister find it appalling that I still haven't sent thank you notes for the wedding (it was two months ago TODAY and I have 200 to write) and a birthday card that I received LAST WEEK. Apparently I'm using my three day weekend to write the notes and rescue my poor mom from the guilt trips she's getting from HER mother. Sigh....
"Mrs. G. what color is bald? My mommy has brown hair, I have brown hair, Zach has black hair and my daddy has bald hair." ~asked while coloring family portraits
"I can't wait to go out and play on the drunkie bars" ~he meant monkey bars
"V? what?" ~spoken by TWO students who had never heard of that letter before.
My kiddos are ridiculously cute, and while we're having a good time, it makes me so relieved that we don't have kids ourselves-mostly because I recuperate each night by falling asleep at nine o'clock at night. Poor Kevin. My sleeping habits are like those of a ninety year old woman these days. I'm hoping to use this weekend more as a recovery zone.
Side note, while juggling my new position, figuring out if I'm starting grad school (damn transcript mixup) and trying to stay awake for Top Chef, I recently found out from my mother that I'm in the doghouse. Apparently, my grandmother and her sister find it appalling that I still haven't sent thank you notes for the wedding (it was two months ago TODAY and I have 200 to write) and a birthday card that I received LAST WEEK. Apparently I'm using my three day weekend to write the notes and rescue my poor mom from the guilt trips she's getting from HER mother. Sigh....
Monday, August 10, 2009
So, you're, like, married?
Well, we’ve been married for 37 days now, and we’re still going strong. While this number isn’t impressive compared to the dozens of wonderful and happily married couples I know, it feels really good to be married.
Whenever I talk to my friends now, however, a new refrain has become increasingly common. “Well,” they’ll say when discussing plans, “I know Kevin wants to do _____ but let me know if he’s allowed to.” Or, from one of my girls, “You wouldn’t understand why I want a relationship so badly, you’re married. It’s always been easy for you.”
Quite frankly, I’m a little mystified by all this. Yes, Kevin and I are married, which means we have made a pledge to walk through life together, and to put each other first. I’m in the process of getting a new last name, our finances are now together, and if Kevin gets hit by a bus tomorrow, I’m now the one who makes the big decisions should they be necessary. However, we’re still US. We spend more time at a dive bar near our home than strictly necessary, we still irritate each other in the same ways, we still spend an absurd amount of time during the day sending over the top emails to our friends, and we still have champagne, sweatpants, and videogame date nights.
I love being married- the small rituals that make up our day to day lives, experimenting with cooking, hanging out with all of the fantastic people in our lives. I don’t love the assumption that now that I’m married I’m fundamentally different- less willing to spend time away from Kevin, less understanding of my friends’ struggles and successes in the dating world. I’m awkward, blunt, clumsy, sometimes immature, absurdly social, and perpetually late for everything, just as I always was, and none of that is likely to change any time soon. Luckily, I have found and married a partner in crime that is more than happy to deal with it. And for all of the rest of my friends and family- I love you, I will be here for you, I will not hide Kevin from you, and we’re happy.
Whenever I talk to my friends now, however, a new refrain has become increasingly common. “Well,” they’ll say when discussing plans, “I know Kevin wants to do _____ but let me know if he’s allowed to.” Or, from one of my girls, “You wouldn’t understand why I want a relationship so badly, you’re married. It’s always been easy for you.”
Quite frankly, I’m a little mystified by all this. Yes, Kevin and I are married, which means we have made a pledge to walk through life together, and to put each other first. I’m in the process of getting a new last name, our finances are now together, and if Kevin gets hit by a bus tomorrow, I’m now the one who makes the big decisions should they be necessary. However, we’re still US. We spend more time at a dive bar near our home than strictly necessary, we still irritate each other in the same ways, we still spend an absurd amount of time during the day sending over the top emails to our friends, and we still have champagne, sweatpants, and videogame date nights.
I love being married- the small rituals that make up our day to day lives, experimenting with cooking, hanging out with all of the fantastic people in our lives. I don’t love the assumption that now that I’m married I’m fundamentally different- less willing to spend time away from Kevin, less understanding of my friends’ struggles and successes in the dating world. I’m awkward, blunt, clumsy, sometimes immature, absurdly social, and perpetually late for everything, just as I always was, and none of that is likely to change any time soon. Luckily, I have found and married a partner in crime that is more than happy to deal with it. And for all of the rest of my friends and family- I love you, I will be here for you, I will not hide Kevin from you, and we’re happy.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Housewifery, thwarted
Since returning from Puerto Rico, with all the wedding madness subsiding, I've found myself with a lot of extra time on my hands, and have decided to try some cooking projects this week, as it makes me feel more sane than watching my cats chase flies and nap all day. Here's a quick gchat conversation with Kev prior to me running some errands:
Colie: I'm going to the grocery store to get you cookie ingredients- anything you want me to pick up?
Kev: Kosher Salt
Colie: Got it
Kev: Oh, and some Butfers
Colie: I think they are out of those at Jewel, but you can check and see if they are in stock at the JERKSTORE
Kev: OH SNAP!
Now, what Kev wanted me to say was "Hmm, dearest, what is a Butfer?" to which he would enthusiasticly reply "POOPING hee hee hee" with that high pitched Grandma laugh he gets when he thinks he's being hilarious.
Really, forever???
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to go bake some cookies- the real, mix up dough kind, not the mommy-hates-me-and-buys-it-premixed variety. Happy Friday!
Colie: I'm going to the grocery store to get you cookie ingredients- anything you want me to pick up?
Kev: Kosher Salt
Colie: Got it
Kev: Oh, and some Butfers
Colie: I think they are out of those at Jewel, but you can check and see if they are in stock at the JERKSTORE
Kev: OH SNAP!
Now, what Kev wanted me to say was "Hmm, dearest, what is a Butfer?" to which he would enthusiasticly reply "POOPING hee hee hee" with that high pitched Grandma laugh he gets when he thinks he's being hilarious.
Really, forever???
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to go bake some cookies- the real, mix up dough kind, not the mommy-hates-me-and-buys-it-premixed variety. Happy Friday!
Monday, July 20, 2009
Photo Extravaganza!
I promise to give more of a scoop about wedding weekend, honeymoon and the like, but since I have to go to 6 pack attack class at the gym to get my rear in gear following a fried food and rum filled 12 days in Puerto Rico, please enjoy a brief sampling of photos instead.
On the left, you can enjoy one of my favorite wedding gifts, courtesy of the Holland sisters. Yes, those are really attractive photos of Kev and I. Yes, we wore them in Puerto Rico.
On the top right, you can see that my new mother-in-law (yes I have one now!) rented us a party trolley. We packed it full of people and champagne, and it was awesome. We even convinced him to do a few extra laps before we all had to go in for the receiving line-much needed.
During the course of getting ready, and choosing my accessories, my mom insisted that I MUST wear heels, as it would give me good posture and "complete the look." The heels lasted until just before the first dance...here's me kicking them off for some outdoor photos before the reception started.
Last but not least, once of my favorites, courtesy of our fabulous photographer, Harold Crane. We look so much more glamorous than we really are. Was all the wedding planning madness worth it? Absolutely.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Holy Crap...We're Married!!!!!
Wow...
After a few really, really, really, really crazy weeks we are Married.
We are leaving tomorrow morning for Puerto Rico for 12 days, and I could not be more excited. We'll try to write about everything the past few weeks in those 12 days while we're doing nothing but having fun.
We're there for 12 days and have about 5 days worth of stuff to do, so we're really excited to walk around and experience the Puerto Rican world, it helps that Colie is fluent in Spanish (which also means I hope she doesn't ditch me).
I have never looked forward to ANYTHING the way I am looking forward to this trip.
After a few really, really, really, really crazy weeks we are Married.
We are leaving tomorrow morning for Puerto Rico for 12 days, and I could not be more excited. We'll try to write about everything the past few weeks in those 12 days while we're doing nothing but having fun.
We're there for 12 days and have about 5 days worth of stuff to do, so we're really excited to walk around and experience the Puerto Rican world, it helps that Colie is fluent in Spanish (which also means I hope she doesn't ditch me).
I have never looked forward to ANYTHING the way I am looking forward to this trip.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Cats and Dogs
With any wedding in the works, an important weekend arrives. A weekend where the strength of bonds are tested, friends and family gather round, and events are planned to truly celebrate the happy couple. The bachelor and bachelorette parties.
Now, while I’m not a huge fan of penis-wear and lewd comments, I do love a good bachelorette party, and mine last weekend was no exception. We had a wedding movie, wine and nail painting night in, a boat cruise with cheesy dance music, bar golf, showers of wildly inappropriate things that my mother (yes, you read that right) watched me open, and a recovery picnic at the lake. I’ll forever be grateful to my bridesmaids, who started planning back in March or April, and had an entire weekend jam packed with fun things. They cooked, opened their apartments to lots of drunk girls, and made sure all I had to do was sit back and have fun. Apparently, they sent out surveys, emails and had planning sessions. They were fabulous, and it made me even more grateful than I already was to have them in my lives.
While I may have had the jazziest, danciest, and all around plaidest weekend of mayhem on record, I can’t help but notice how different my party planning process was from the boys. Kevin announced he wanted to go to his family’s house on Lake Geneva the same weekend I was having my events, and a week before the party was to start, one of the groomsmen sent out an email telling people to let him know what kind of booze they were bringing to the lake “to avoid duplicates.” The boys showed up, cruised on the boat, played wiffleball drank cases of beer and ate cases of meat. Kevin also had an amazing weekend, and they guys were equally enthusiastic but it makes me laugh to think of the difference between boys and girls when it comes to event planning. Girls seem to need a big series of events to make it a celebration, while the boys are content to just chill with an extremely large quantity of beverage. At least now I know all I need to make a perfect night for Kevin is a cube of Busch Light and an outdoor spot to drink it in. 15 days til the wedding!
Now, while I’m not a huge fan of penis-wear and lewd comments, I do love a good bachelorette party, and mine last weekend was no exception. We had a wedding movie, wine and nail painting night in, a boat cruise with cheesy dance music, bar golf, showers of wildly inappropriate things that my mother (yes, you read that right) watched me open, and a recovery picnic at the lake. I’ll forever be grateful to my bridesmaids, who started planning back in March or April, and had an entire weekend jam packed with fun things. They cooked, opened their apartments to lots of drunk girls, and made sure all I had to do was sit back and have fun. Apparently, they sent out surveys, emails and had planning sessions. They were fabulous, and it made me even more grateful than I already was to have them in my lives.
While I may have had the jazziest, danciest, and all around plaidest weekend of mayhem on record, I can’t help but notice how different my party planning process was from the boys. Kevin announced he wanted to go to his family’s house on Lake Geneva the same weekend I was having my events, and a week before the party was to start, one of the groomsmen sent out an email telling people to let him know what kind of booze they were bringing to the lake “to avoid duplicates.” The boys showed up, cruised on the boat, played wiffleball drank cases of beer and ate cases of meat. Kevin also had an amazing weekend, and they guys were equally enthusiastic but it makes me laugh to think of the difference between boys and girls when it comes to event planning. Girls seem to need a big series of events to make it a celebration, while the boys are content to just chill with an extremely large quantity of beverage. At least now I know all I need to make a perfect night for Kevin is a cube of Busch Light and an outdoor spot to drink it in. 15 days til the wedding!
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Rings & License (1 out of 2 ain't terrible)
So last Saturday Colie and I head downtown to our (my) jeweler to pick out our wedding bands.
The door opens on the 4th floor of the Pittsfield Building, and we take a step out of the elevator and see a sign that says, "We'll be closed this weekend...blah, blah, blah." Son of a...
Side Story
On Friday Colie and I spent a good 20 minutes walking around the Lake County Courthouse looking for the ONE door that was open past 5:00 PM. Even the officers in the Jailhouse Visitors Area couldn't help us. Silly us, we've lived in the city for a year now, and expect the numbers of buildings to go in some sort of order. How is 8 N right across the street for 201 N?!?!
I was (naturally) starting to freak out because we couldn't find the Courthouse, and Colie said that she had called to double check that the website was correct, and Friday was the one night the Courthouse stayed open late. This was impressive because 1) this is something I would do and 2) this is NOT something Colie would do. So we did find it, and we're now one pen stroke away from being legally bound...holy crap!
SIDE STORY END
So back to Saturday and the ring. Here's the thing...I CALLED THE JEWELER SATURDAY MORNING AND GOT THE MESSAGE THAT THEY WERE OPEN!!! Now, she didn't say it, but I know she was thinking it, "I remembered to call and double-check, but did you? Nope. Moron." Karma was a cruel misstress this weekend.
I just got off the phone with the jeweler himself, and they're open on Saturday for us.
He better be...
The door opens on the 4th floor of the Pittsfield Building, and we take a step out of the elevator and see a sign that says, "We'll be closed this weekend...blah, blah, blah." Son of a...
Side Story
On Friday Colie and I spent a good 20 minutes walking around the Lake County Courthouse looking for the ONE door that was open past 5:00 PM. Even the officers in the Jailhouse Visitors Area couldn't help us. Silly us, we've lived in the city for a year now, and expect the numbers of buildings to go in some sort of order. How is 8 N right across the street for 201 N?!?!
I was (naturally) starting to freak out because we couldn't find the Courthouse, and Colie said that she had called to double check that the website was correct, and Friday was the one night the Courthouse stayed open late. This was impressive because 1) this is something I would do and 2) this is NOT something Colie would do. So we did find it, and we're now one pen stroke away from being legally bound...holy crap!
SIDE STORY END
So back to Saturday and the ring. Here's the thing...I CALLED THE JEWELER SATURDAY MORNING AND GOT THE MESSAGE THAT THEY WERE OPEN!!! Now, she didn't say it, but I know she was thinking it, "I remembered to call and double-check, but did you? Nope. Moron." Karma was a cruel misstress this weekend.
I just got off the phone with the jeweler himself, and they're open on Saturday for us.
He better be...
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Things that Last
We’re 38 days away from the wedding and the last minute bills are starting to pile in, particularly ring buying and finishing the payment for the photographer. While I started to hyperventilate about the amount of money we are going to spend on those things this weekend, Kev patiently reminded me that we knew all along we wanted to upgrade these things, since after the day is over, these are the things that we’ll still have to remind us of the promises we’re making to each other.
A few weeks ago, I had a conversation with my aunt, who is forty, exactly between my mom and I in age, and a generally fabulous person to talk to about everything. I was telling her about the cooking Kev and I do at home, and how our date nights have gradually shifted from big events out to making a ridiculously big meal with our cell phones and screens turned off. My aunt commented that she thinks it’s important we build traditions that center around being at home, since those are the things that will last throughout building a family (someday) and the various shifts in our lives. Now that she has her young children, she says that she and her husband are trying harder to make date nights things they can do at home, to make sure they continue.
Since that discussion, and while pondering the mere month between now and the very lasting commitment we are about to make, I’ve been thinking about the routines we used to have and the current rhythms that our lives have been taking. I can’t help but wonder if we are choosing home centered dates because we are appreciating the time we do have together more, or if we are so exhausted from the whirlwind that has become our shared life the last few months that we just need to flop. I think part of marrying somebody is being ready to say that you want that person to be a part of all your traditions, and that you want to build new patterns of being into your shared life. I’ve heard it said that many people get so focused on the wedding that they forget the marriage, and while I don’t see that being Kev and I, I do wonder how things will change after the wedding. As Kev discussed in the last post, we’ve gone from dating, to living together, to marriage, and while the core of what we are together has stayed the same, there have been changes along the way to the ways we choose to spend our time, or the things we find ourselves talking about. Through it all, I continue to be fascinated by him, and excited about our life.
Last night, one of our good friends asked us if he could still come over and hang out after we are still married. We’ve lived together now for almost a year, and honestly, while I know marriage is going to bind us together and hold us accountable to each other for the rest of our lives, it made me a little sad to think that our friends are worried about us changing post-wedding. I tend to think that marriage is going to increase the number of best parts about my life, and help us to keep our day to day lives in sharper focus-friends included. I’m hoping to keep all the things I love about my life the same, while having a fantastic partner in crime to experience it all with. Change is good, but I hope my life doesn’t become unrecognizable after the wedding, since I feel I already have great days most of the time. I hoe I come back to this post after we’ve been married for years and laugh at the worries I’m writing. I guess I’ll just have to let you know when I get there, though.
A few weeks ago, I had a conversation with my aunt, who is forty, exactly between my mom and I in age, and a generally fabulous person to talk to about everything. I was telling her about the cooking Kev and I do at home, and how our date nights have gradually shifted from big events out to making a ridiculously big meal with our cell phones and screens turned off. My aunt commented that she thinks it’s important we build traditions that center around being at home, since those are the things that will last throughout building a family (someday) and the various shifts in our lives. Now that she has her young children, she says that she and her husband are trying harder to make date nights things they can do at home, to make sure they continue.
Since that discussion, and while pondering the mere month between now and the very lasting commitment we are about to make, I’ve been thinking about the routines we used to have and the current rhythms that our lives have been taking. I can’t help but wonder if we are choosing home centered dates because we are appreciating the time we do have together more, or if we are so exhausted from the whirlwind that has become our shared life the last few months that we just need to flop. I think part of marrying somebody is being ready to say that you want that person to be a part of all your traditions, and that you want to build new patterns of being into your shared life. I’ve heard it said that many people get so focused on the wedding that they forget the marriage, and while I don’t see that being Kev and I, I do wonder how things will change after the wedding. As Kev discussed in the last post, we’ve gone from dating, to living together, to marriage, and while the core of what we are together has stayed the same, there have been changes along the way to the ways we choose to spend our time, or the things we find ourselves talking about. Through it all, I continue to be fascinated by him, and excited about our life.
Last night, one of our good friends asked us if he could still come over and hang out after we are still married. We’ve lived together now for almost a year, and honestly, while I know marriage is going to bind us together and hold us accountable to each other for the rest of our lives, it made me a little sad to think that our friends are worried about us changing post-wedding. I tend to think that marriage is going to increase the number of best parts about my life, and help us to keep our day to day lives in sharper focus-friends included. I’m hoping to keep all the things I love about my life the same, while having a fantastic partner in crime to experience it all with. Change is good, but I hope my life doesn’t become unrecognizable after the wedding, since I feel I already have great days most of the time. I hoe I come back to this post after we’ve been married for years and laugh at the worries I’m writing. I guess I’ll just have to let you know when I get there, though.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Marry Someone You Like
"Kevin, marry someone you like."
That's the advice I got from a very funny coworker today. The funny thing is, the more I thought about it, the more it really made a lot of sense.
I don't understand how people can marry someone after just a few weeks or months of knowing that person. I know that it does happen for some, and it just works for them - but it blows my mind. Those first few months of dating someone are so different than those next few months and years. The first few months are just constantly exciting, learning things about the other person, experiencing old and common things together for the first time.
Everyone's experienced that, and everyone's seen how time and comfort makes those things change. How that change happens, and how the two people respond, is what will shape that relationship. People will either grow tired or bored of the person, or they'll constantly find new things about the person that draws them in closer.
Colie and I have experienced them both over the course of knowing one another. After "semi-dating" in High School, to being friends in High School, to only talking occasionally in college, to dating, to living together, to being engaged. That's a lot of LIFE covered there!
That's why I really get the "marry someone you like" idea. We've been through everything together, and I'm still amazed at just how much fun we have together. All the quirks we each have, and how there are some that the other person just has gotten used to, such as:
We're off to the Hawks' game tonight, and desperately need to hear a lot of this:
Also...Detroit Sucks.
That's the advice I got from a very funny coworker today. The funny thing is, the more I thought about it, the more it really made a lot of sense.
I don't understand how people can marry someone after just a few weeks or months of knowing that person. I know that it does happen for some, and it just works for them - but it blows my mind. Those first few months of dating someone are so different than those next few months and years. The first few months are just constantly exciting, learning things about the other person, experiencing old and common things together for the first time.
Everyone's experienced that, and everyone's seen how time and comfort makes those things change. How that change happens, and how the two people respond, is what will shape that relationship. People will either grow tired or bored of the person, or they'll constantly find new things about the person that draws them in closer.
Colie and I have experienced them both over the course of knowing one another. After "semi-dating" in High School, to being friends in High School, to only talking occasionally in college, to dating, to living together, to being engaged. That's a lot of LIFE covered there!
That's why I really get the "marry someone you like" idea. We've been through everything together, and I'm still amazed at just how much fun we have together. All the quirks we each have, and how there are some that the other person just has gotten used to, such as:
- I say, "Can you close the light?" when I'm asking someone to turn the light off. I got it from my dad, and yes I know it makes no sense. Colie used to literally stop and just stare at me, but now she'll just crack a smile while thinking, "there is NO way our kids will pick this up from him."
- If we're watching someone on TV past 9 PM, Colie will fall asleep. Not a deep sleep, but that fading-in-and-out sleep that means she'll wake up at the slightest noise or touch. She can fall asleep during a Blackhawks' Playoff game...while we're currently talking! My grandpa's the only other person I know that can pull that off!
We're off to the Hawks' game tonight, and desperately need to hear a lot of this:
Also...Detroit Sucks.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Internet-less-ness...Week 2
So we've been without internet in the Apartment now for 2 weeks. Comcast has what's known in the business world as TERRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE.
Hopefully it will be back on tonight, so Colie and I can start blogging much more frequently.
Also, with less than 7 weeks until the wedding, all I can say is....PLEASE GET HERE!!!
Hopefully it will be back on tonight, so Colie and I can start blogging much more frequently.
Also, with less than 7 weeks until the wedding, all I can say is....PLEASE GET HERE!!!
Friday, May 15, 2009
My Other Loves
The past few days, I’ve been rather stressed out. Others can tell because my shoulders are so hunched that they appear to the casual observer to be earrings, rather than body parts. During times like these, I feel it helps to remember the things I adore in life, besides the obvious. I’m dedicating this post to some of the things that keep me sane in life.
Hockey- The Blackhawks and their young, quick team are in the Western Conference finals, ready to take on the Detroit Redwings. Although the game schedule poses a serious conflict with my wedding shower on Sunday, I intend to invest a LOT of time watching this series. The speed, the hits, the goals, the fast pace- I love hockey. On a less grandiose scale, the Friar Puck floor hockey team is quickly moving into championship position, and I have the bruises to show for it.
Reading-I am quickly accumulating an amazing stack of to be read books, and am always on the lookout for more. Kevin and I are planning a day specifically devoted to shopping for honeymoon books, and when summer comes, I plan to spend some major time next to the lake, completely absorbed.
UPS Package Tracker-I think this is one of the most amazing inventions ever. I bought a book for book club online, and within a day, I had a tracking number. A few weeks ago, I tracked my running shoes as they came from California to Chicago, with stops in between. Every time I buy something online, I obsessively track its progress to my stoop. Way to go, UPS.
Running- I love running, which is funny because I’m really not into participating in most athletics (except for floor hockey, above). I’m currently training for the Rock N Roll Half Marathon, obsessed with running blogs (yay, Maria), and praying that the weather starts cooperating so I can get more running in. Next weekend, I’m running the Soldier Field 10 mile, and I’m a bit nervous because all of the wedding/work madness is really keeping me from logging as many miles as I had hoped. Which brings me to my last love of the day…
Countdowns- I have 18 school days left until summer break. Summer will mean running, reading, and more time for all of the things I adore, and less wedding stress. The wedding is in 50 days and I can’t imagine how fast this last little bit of time will fly.
Hockey- The Blackhawks and their young, quick team are in the Western Conference finals, ready to take on the Detroit Redwings. Although the game schedule poses a serious conflict with my wedding shower on Sunday, I intend to invest a LOT of time watching this series. The speed, the hits, the goals, the fast pace- I love hockey. On a less grandiose scale, the Friar Puck floor hockey team is quickly moving into championship position, and I have the bruises to show for it.
Reading-I am quickly accumulating an amazing stack of to be read books, and am always on the lookout for more. Kevin and I are planning a day specifically devoted to shopping for honeymoon books, and when summer comes, I plan to spend some major time next to the lake, completely absorbed.
UPS Package Tracker-I think this is one of the most amazing inventions ever. I bought a book for book club online, and within a day, I had a tracking number. A few weeks ago, I tracked my running shoes as they came from California to Chicago, with stops in between. Every time I buy something online, I obsessively track its progress to my stoop. Way to go, UPS.
Running- I love running, which is funny because I’m really not into participating in most athletics (except for floor hockey, above). I’m currently training for the Rock N Roll Half Marathon, obsessed with running blogs (yay, Maria), and praying that the weather starts cooperating so I can get more running in. Next weekend, I’m running the Soldier Field 10 mile, and I’m a bit nervous because all of the wedding/work madness is really keeping me from logging as many miles as I had hoped. Which brings me to my last love of the day…
Countdowns- I have 18 school days left until summer break. Summer will mean running, reading, and more time for all of the things I adore, and less wedding stress. The wedding is in 50 days and I can’t imagine how fast this last little bit of time will fly.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Whoa! First Presents!!!
So I walked in the front door yesterday and there were presents awaiting us!
Our first shower gifts from Bed Bath & Beyond were just sitting my apartment, begging to be opened. Our first shower (yes, our families are throwing us two), is this Saturday so we were not sure of protocol - could we open it before the shower? We decided we should at least open the FedEx shipping box to see who they're from.....
The first one was from our two friends, and we were having dinner with her that night! We could clear our Conscience if she said it was okay we figured. So after a lovely night of tapas, we got home and tore them apart.
With a little over 2 months to go, seeing the gifts was a very real wake-up call that said, "HOLY CRAP - THE WEDDING IS REALLY REALLY REALLY CLOSE!"
Our first shower gifts from Bed Bath & Beyond were just sitting my apartment, begging to be opened. Our first shower (yes, our families are throwing us two), is this Saturday so we were not sure of protocol - could we open it before the shower? We decided we should at least open the FedEx shipping box to see who they're from.....
The first one was from our two friends, and we were having dinner with her that night! We could clear our Conscience if she said it was okay we figured. So after a lovely night of tapas, we got home and tore them apart.
With a little over 2 months to go, seeing the gifts was a very real wake-up call that said, "HOLY CRAP - THE WEDDING IS REALLY REALLY REALLY CLOSE!"
Monday, April 27, 2009
68 Days and Counting
Yes, you read that right. In a mere 68 days, I will be somebody’s wife. It seems to have snuck up on me with alarming speed, and, quite frankly, I’m exhausted. All of the sudden, I find myself worrying about the “enoughs”. I feel not tan enough for my fittings, skinny enough to eat my favorite foods, and coordinated enough to pull off slow dancing in front of all the significant people in my life. To top it all off, I’m trying to choose a grad school for the fall, am gearing up to tackle a new position at work next year, and I’m worrying about fitting in enough runs to PR in the Rock and Roll Marathon August 2nd. Sigh….
To top it all off, lately I’m hearing anti-wedding banter everywhere I turn. Girls at a recent after work happy hour announced their intentions to never have wedding showers, big, formal weddings, or weddings in which they would have to invite people they didn’t want to. Many of our friends, while trying to be supportive, end up looking slightly bemused at our never ending Google calendar of events, and proclaim that they never want a “production” for their weddings.
I, on the other hand, when I can let enough be enough, am more than happy when I think about our plans. What people forget when they think about our 250 person, Catholic ceremony, country club reception traditional wedding, is that Kevin and I do everything big. We hold hands, and we jump in. We have lives full of enormous south side families, friends that we’ve known for more than half our lives, and two insane kittens. Our lives are not the quiet lives of people content to live out their routines. We switch job positions, intermural sports teams, favorite bands, and go to items of clothing with alarming frequency. It’s who we are.
I guess what I need to remember in the middle of all the details, battles with my mom over wedding shoes (I WANT FLATS DAMNIT) and finalizing the linens, is that when it’s all said and done, Kevin and I will be married- partners in crime for whatever adventure we choose to jump into. For me, that’s more than enough. Everything else needs to come in second place for now.
To top it all off, lately I’m hearing anti-wedding banter everywhere I turn. Girls at a recent after work happy hour announced their intentions to never have wedding showers, big, formal weddings, or weddings in which they would have to invite people they didn’t want to. Many of our friends, while trying to be supportive, end up looking slightly bemused at our never ending Google calendar of events, and proclaim that they never want a “production” for their weddings.
I, on the other hand, when I can let enough be enough, am more than happy when I think about our plans. What people forget when they think about our 250 person, Catholic ceremony, country club reception traditional wedding, is that Kevin and I do everything big. We hold hands, and we jump in. We have lives full of enormous south side families, friends that we’ve known for more than half our lives, and two insane kittens. Our lives are not the quiet lives of people content to live out their routines. We switch job positions, intermural sports teams, favorite bands, and go to items of clothing with alarming frequency. It’s who we are.
I guess what I need to remember in the middle of all the details, battles with my mom over wedding shoes (I WANT FLATS DAMNIT) and finalizing the linens, is that when it’s all said and done, Kevin and I will be married- partners in crime for whatever adventure we choose to jump into. For me, that’s more than enough. Everything else needs to come in second place for now.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
RE: Clothes Woes
WHAT?!?!
I used to be a much more organized person, I believe it all started to go downhill when I lived in the city, and my apartment became Colie's weekend get-away. Suddenly, I had my own clothes and a lot of very tiny girl clothes all over the place. Yes she would take most home with her, but I would still find random pairs of sweatpants that do not fit me (there have been a few times when I've put my feet through a pair of black sweatpants only to find out that they're juussttt a bit short).
Now just yesterday, I got home from work and got three loads of laundry done in 4.5 hours and put most of them away. Now, Nicole beats my home most days by at least an hour so I'm not sure HOW all these clothes can pile up as frequently as they do. It seems that there's more than enough time for both of us to do them in such a way that there isn't 3 hampers full of clean clothes at a time!
I used to be a much more organized person, I believe it all started to go downhill when I lived in the city, and my apartment became Colie's weekend get-away. Suddenly, I had my own clothes and a lot of very tiny girl clothes all over the place. Yes she would take most home with her, but I would still find random pairs of sweatpants that do not fit me (there have been a few times when I've put my feet through a pair of black sweatpants only to find out that they're juussttt a bit short).
Now just yesterday, I got home from work and got three loads of laundry done in 4.5 hours and put most of them away. Now, Nicole beats my home most days by at least an hour so I'm not sure HOW all these clothes can pile up as frequently as they do. It seems that there's more than enough time for both of us to do them in such a way that there isn't 3 hampers full of clean clothes at a time!
Friday, April 17, 2009
Clothes Woes
We have a serious issue with clothing in our house. While neither of us is particularly stylish, we have clothes everywhere. Jeans lurk under coffee tables, baskets of white undershirts peep out from behind closet doors, and stray sweat absorbent articles are more prevalent then carpeting on our floors. There’s no way around it- our home perpetually looks like a yard sale.
Over Spring Break I decided to get in touch with my inner June Cleaver and really tidy things up. I did the deep clean that I normally reserve for post-party films of gunk FOR NO REASON AT ALL! I folded sports bras, washed hoodies, and left stacks of fluffy, warm, fresh breeze stacks of goodness for Kevin to come home and savor before filing them according to his indecipherable man system of drawers.
Well, he came, he savored, and now we have clean clothes in the same spots that the dirty ones used to reside in. And while I am just as guilty as he is of lackadaisical housekeeping, I wonder, what more could I have done? Maybe next time I’ll hide his whiskey in the bottom of a clothes pile, just to see if it inspires him. I’m going to St. Louis to run as part of a marathon relay team this weekend, and (hint, hint, hint) it would be glorious not to come home to the clothes baskets still sitting full of his clothes. Kevin, if you are reading this, please for the love of all things Jim Beam, do not make me hide your sauce.
Over Spring Break I decided to get in touch with my inner June Cleaver and really tidy things up. I did the deep clean that I normally reserve for post-party films of gunk FOR NO REASON AT ALL! I folded sports bras, washed hoodies, and left stacks of fluffy, warm, fresh breeze stacks of goodness for Kevin to come home and savor before filing them according to his indecipherable man system of drawers.
Well, he came, he savored, and now we have clean clothes in the same spots that the dirty ones used to reside in. And while I am just as guilty as he is of lackadaisical housekeeping, I wonder, what more could I have done? Maybe next time I’ll hide his whiskey in the bottom of a clothes pile, just to see if it inspires him. I’m going to St. Louis to run as part of a marathon relay team this weekend, and (hint, hint, hint) it would be glorious not to come home to the clothes baskets still sitting full of his clothes. Kevin, if you are reading this, please for the love of all things Jim Beam, do not make me hide your sauce.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Pretty much identical to Superman
Yeah, that's me. I saved some lives today, granted it wasn't as "impressive" as Superman swooping in to stop a train, but it's basically the same - I donated blood.
So for about the next week, I will look down with scorn upon those who HAVEN'T saved someone...until my asshole coworker who donated a kidney puts me in my place with THEIR story about it.
So for about the next week, I will look down with scorn upon those who HAVEN'T saved someone...until my asshole coworker who donated a kidney puts me in my place with THEIR story about it.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Wedding Banned
One of the many great things about being a second grade teacher is Spring Break. Due to the many “to-do” items on my long list and a ridiculously small amount of funding, I decided to stay home in Chicago and bum around. As I began to revise my to do lists and ponder what the ratio of being productive vs. laying around and reading would be for the week, I realized something- Kevin and I need wedding bands.
A few days later, we walked into “our” jewelry store in the loop, ready to browse. I adore, ADORE, adore my engagement ring from their shop, and they have worked with a majority of Kev’s family. As they pulled out rings, we found Kevin’s band fairly easily- plain white gold with a hint of finishing. I admit, seeing him wearing a ring really made me realize how close the wedding is- in a good way. He, on the other hand, deemed it sufficient to warn the ladies that he was taken, and decided to just wait patiently while I tried on a ton of rings. After a lengthy search, I found one I adored that matched his well and looked great with my engagement ring. Alas, it costs four times what his ring does, and is way out of our budget. Isn’t that the way things always go?
In the days that followed, we tried going to the mall to find something similar but cheaper, and found nothing. I searched the internet for ideas, and found nothing. I guess Kevin was right- I’m more expensive than I give myself credit for. I’m still not quite sure what I’m going to do, but I do know one thing- with 82 days until the wedding, I need to decide soon.
A few days later, we walked into “our” jewelry store in the loop, ready to browse. I adore, ADORE, adore my engagement ring from their shop, and they have worked with a majority of Kev’s family. As they pulled out rings, we found Kevin’s band fairly easily- plain white gold with a hint of finishing. I admit, seeing him wearing a ring really made me realize how close the wedding is- in a good way. He, on the other hand, deemed it sufficient to warn the ladies that he was taken, and decided to just wait patiently while I tried on a ton of rings. After a lengthy search, I found one I adored that matched his well and looked great with my engagement ring. Alas, it costs four times what his ring does, and is way out of our budget. Isn’t that the way things always go?
In the days that followed, we tried going to the mall to find something similar but cheaper, and found nothing. I searched the internet for ideas, and found nothing. I guess Kevin was right- I’m more expensive than I give myself credit for. I’m still not quite sure what I’m going to do, but I do know one thing- with 82 days until the wedding, I need to decide soon.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Too Much at 7:45 AM
So this morning walking to my office, I got a chance to see how wonderful the 1st Amendment really is. I get off the L, and walk a few blocks and have to pass through 3 blocks straight of 5 foot high pictures of aborted fetuses and people handing out flyers about how "God doesn't kill" and all that.
Now I support the Constitution and all that, but you've got to be kidding me with all this.
I'm fully aware that not everyone in the world shares my opinion on things, although they should - I rule, but why does this have to be before 8 AM? I'm glad that there are people out there who truly feel the call to fight for their beliefs, but please don't throw it in my face. I can't believe there are a lot of people out there who suddenly change their beliefs because you see something on a poster or read it on a bumper sticker.
Now I support the Constitution and all that, but you've got to be kidding me with all this.
I'm fully aware that not everyone in the world shares my opinion on things, although they should - I rule, but why does this have to be before 8 AM? I'm glad that there are people out there who truly feel the call to fight for their beliefs, but please don't throw it in my face. I can't believe there are a lot of people out there who suddenly change their beliefs because you see something on a poster or read it on a bumper sticker.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
We Passed!
If I have learned one thing throughout this wedding process, it is that things are complicated. K and I met, fell in love ten years later, decided to get married for a multitude of reasons, and figured that we’d have a beautiful wedding in a sun-filled church, per our values growing up and family tradition.
That last sentence is where things get tricky. K and I both come from a long line of south-side Catholics, which means we will have a lengthy, traditional wedding mass. To have said mass, we are required to go to a nine hour premarital counseling session. Yes, nine hours, which we completed last weekend.
Now, before you read further you should know that I don’t think it’s a bad idea to require counseling before marriage. With the divorce rate the way it is, and the amount of people that rush into marriage because they dream of having a wedding, I think it’s a good idea to have an outside party guide you through the tough questions. In fact, I was a little nervous as I pondered what “sticky” discussions we’d have to have before earning our PreCana diploma. K and I woke up bright and early, and arrived at a church in a nearby suburb ready to settle in for the next few hours.
The teacher in me is frustrated by how the day was actually conducted. We spent eight hours filling out worksheets, comparing our worksheets, and discussing what we wrote. EIGHT HOURS. They didn’t even give us lunch. We sat in a big room, with our workbooks, forty other couples, led by a “real life married couple” who didn’t seem to have any chemistry or interest in talking to each other, let alone us. While going through topics such as finance, children, communication, common goals, and housework, what truly surprised me about the whole experience was the number of couples who HADN’T discussed these issues ahead of time. There were couples having major discussions and seemed surprised by their partners’ answers. How can you get engaged, or be in a serious relationship without discussing these issues? Maybe I’m just old-fashioned.
Long story short, K and I reaffirmed that we’re on the same page, spent a lot of time sitting knee to knee without much to talk about (since we didn’t have any shocking revelations), and set some goals. We’re going to run a half marathon together soon, and I’m pretty sure Jesus called my lovely husband-elect to get me a puppy. 88 days until the wedding- now let’s not lose our index card that says we passed the class.
That last sentence is where things get tricky. K and I both come from a long line of south-side Catholics, which means we will have a lengthy, traditional wedding mass. To have said mass, we are required to go to a nine hour premarital counseling session. Yes, nine hours, which we completed last weekend.
Now, before you read further you should know that I don’t think it’s a bad idea to require counseling before marriage. With the divorce rate the way it is, and the amount of people that rush into marriage because they dream of having a wedding, I think it’s a good idea to have an outside party guide you through the tough questions. In fact, I was a little nervous as I pondered what “sticky” discussions we’d have to have before earning our PreCana diploma. K and I woke up bright and early, and arrived at a church in a nearby suburb ready to settle in for the next few hours.
The teacher in me is frustrated by how the day was actually conducted. We spent eight hours filling out worksheets, comparing our worksheets, and discussing what we wrote. EIGHT HOURS. They didn’t even give us lunch. We sat in a big room, with our workbooks, forty other couples, led by a “real life married couple” who didn’t seem to have any chemistry or interest in talking to each other, let alone us. While going through topics such as finance, children, communication, common goals, and housework, what truly surprised me about the whole experience was the number of couples who HADN’T discussed these issues ahead of time. There were couples having major discussions and seemed surprised by their partners’ answers. How can you get engaged, or be in a serious relationship without discussing these issues? Maybe I’m just old-fashioned.
Long story short, K and I reaffirmed that we’re on the same page, spent a lot of time sitting knee to knee without much to talk about (since we didn’t have any shocking revelations), and set some goals. We’re going to run a half marathon together soon, and I’m pretty sure Jesus called my lovely husband-elect to get me a puppy. 88 days until the wedding- now let’s not lose our index card that says we passed the class.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Hell Spawn
Every single morning at 5:30, the moment the alarm goes off, the Hell Spawns begin clawing at our bedroom. I then attempted to outsmart them, yes - I had to type "attempted." I started bringing our squirt bottle into the bedroom, and would open the door a crack and start spraying them, causing them to scatter.
This worked for about 4 days...
Starting the 4th day, the cats would still claw at the door, but then as soon as they heard me get off the bed, they would scatter. I would open the door, bottle in hand, and there would be no cats. As soon as I closed the door, they would come back to scratch! As soon as Colie gets up and starts showering, they're done clawing for the day! I cannot figure out a way to stop them. I'm getting outsmarted by two brains that combine to be the size of my fist!
They've come a long way from this:
This worked for about 4 days...
Starting the 4th day, the cats would still claw at the door, but then as soon as they heard me get off the bed, they would scatter. I would open the door, bottle in hand, and there would be no cats. As soon as I closed the door, they would come back to scratch! As soon as Colie gets up and starts showering, they're done clawing for the day! I cannot figure out a way to stop them. I'm getting outsmarted by two brains that combine to be the size of my fist!
They've come a long way from this:
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