the perks of being married

During the first semester of my freshman year, I had no computer.

If it had been up to my mom, I wouldn't have had a cell phone, either.  [She was convinced I should get a land line in my dorm room.  Fact.]

As many of you know, having a computer in college is pretty darn important.  So, after an entire semester of walking across campus to use the computers in the computing commons and using my roommate's computer, I decided that - expensive or not - I needed a computer.

I saved up my money, but I still didn't have enough.  Which was when my mom decided to convince everyone to chip in as a Christmas gift to make up the difference.

Christmas morning of 2007, I woke up to find my brand new HP laptop.

I had my beloved laptop until January of 2010, when it abruptly died - just in time for my warranty to run out.

Thankfully, my work lent me a desktop computer, which served me faithfully [however slowly] until I got married, which was when I upgraded to a much-faster desktop.  [The perks of being married.]

On the first day of this last semester, I noticed that almost everyone in my class had a laptop to take notes on.  I convinced myself that I didn't need a laptop for the whole semester.  And you know what?  For the most part, I was right.  I didn't need one.  But it sure would have been convenient.  [Because my teachers made us take notes like nobody's business.]

Whenever Tim mentioned that it would be nice for me to have a laptop, I shrugged it off.  Yeah it would be nice.  But it's not necessary.  And we can't afford it.  I'm doing fine.  No big deal.

This year on Christmas morning, I woke up to find my very own brand new Toshiba laptop.

From Tim.

And do you know how he got it?

He sold one of his guitars.

He says he didn't need it.

That he didn't even want it.

That it was no big deal.

But you know what, ladies and gents?  It sure felt like a big deal.  And my eyes still fill with tears when I think about it.

And so here I am, sitting on our bed, writing this blog on my very own laptop, and feeling very spoiled.

Talk about the perks of being married.

[Or maybe about the perks of being-lucky-enough-to-have-married-the-sweetest-man-in-the-world.  Whichever you choose.]

lack of motivation

Would you like to know why I haven't been writing very much lately?

Maybe you don't care and are going to quit reading my blog immediately.
Maybe you are a stalker and care entirely too much.
Maybe you are a blog stalker, in which case, it's ok.  [I do it, too.]
Maybe you are a friend and actually care about my life [but in a non-pathological way].

Well, enemies, creepers, blog stalkers, and friends...

...there is actually no good reason that I haven't been writing lately.

School stopped, and therefore, so did my brain.  And my drive.  [If I ever really had any to begin with.]

But, in case you were wondering, I got the highest GPA I've ever had in my life this semester.

What the.  How did that happen?

Also, Tim and I sang at a wedding this last weekend.  Actually, to be more specific, we sang during their ceremony.  Because Samara is my friend and my coworker, and because it was their wedding [no big deal], we were more than a little stressed.  We wanted it to be perfect for them.

And it really was.

Everything was so beautiful, and I'm pretty sure there wasn't a single dry eye as they both cried through their vows.  Talk about touching.

Don't they look perfect?  [And there we are, chillin' in the background.]

[I stole borrowed this picture off Samara's facebook.  I hope nobody gets offended.]

Speaking of weddings, I just wanted to show you this:

And this:

Ok, fine, and this, too:

Ah yes.

Being married is the best.

I get all teary-eyed just thinking about how lucky I got.

Ok kids, I'll see you when and if my drive comes back again.

In the meantime, Happy-Five-Days-Until-Christmas!

[Again, nobody sells signs that say that.  I am definitely starting my own product line.]

half birthdays

About 6 months ago, I bought a new planner.

Now I don't know about you, but buying a planner is an exciting time for me.

I get to enter all kinds of important dates and [temporarily] feel like my life is perfectly organized.

One of those important dates was December 12, 2011.

Was it an anniversary?  No.
Was it a holiday?  No.
Was it the last day of finals?  No.  [Well, uh...yes.  But I didn't know that at the time.]
Was it a birthday?  No.
Was it a half birthday?  Yes.

Tim's half birthday, to be more specific.

I'd never celebrated half birthdays before, but I thought it might be fun.

So I secretly planned for months that I would do something for Tim's half birthday.

In the end, it was just something small, but it was kinda fun.

He came home to see this:

And this:

I just got him some Reese's Pieces, but from the ecstatic way he reacted, you'd think I'd gotten him a flatscreen HD TV or something.

Moral of the story?  Nobody sells anything that says "Happy Half Birthday."  I might have to start my own line of products.

[Wait, what?  That's not a very good moral?  Ok, let's try again.]

Moral of the story?  Buy a planner.  They'll make you creative in ways you've never dreamed.

date night

Date night is pretty much my favorite night.  Like, ever.

I get to hang out with my best friend for an entire evening without worrying about homework or studying or school.

And Tim is a pretty creative date-planner so that makes it even more fun.

For example, last Friday, we decided to go get hot chocolate and drive around and look at Christmas lights.

Simple, right?

But so, so fun.

[Except I lied.  I didn't get hot chocolate.  I got Caramel Apple Spice.  But Tim got hot chocolate.  So really I only half-lied.]

 There's this street in Mesa that goes all out on their Christmas lights.  And it's pretty awesome.  

[At least I think it's in Mesa.  I wasn't driving, so I wasn't really paying attention.]

 Love him.  

Too bad this picture is so blurry.  [My bad.]

 I hope our kids get his eyes.

 I took way too many pictures to post on here, but I thought I'd post some of my favorites.

 I decided that the candy decorations are some of my favorites.  

[Which is not, of course, a reflection of what I eat a good majority of my day.]
[No really.]

 [Candyyyyy.]

 Caramel Apple Spice.

White Hot Chocolate.

It's the simple things in life, you know?

p.s.  For any of you who might have started following me on Pinterest, I express my deepest apologies.  I haven't even gotten back on since that first time.  And I had no idea what I was doing then, so...it might be kind of a disappointment.  But I haven't completely given up.  [Yet.]

christmas décor

Ok, kids.

I think we've finally put up all of our Christmas decorations.  [And by "our" Christmas decorations, I mean Christmas decorations my mom gave/lent to me because she either has too many or just isn't as into decorating anymore or is just being entirely too generous.]

Wanna see?

 That couch was mine and Tim's first purchase together.  Fifty bones off Craigslist, yo!

 O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree...

 Ok, I know this one looks pretty much like the last, but you couldn't really see the lights in the last one, and this one is blurry, so I figured posting both was the best of both worlds.  #don'tjudgeme

 My mom's old nativity set.  I feel so lucky to have it.

 I think my favorite part of this is the candy cane candles.  [Say that five times fast.]

[No really, go ahead.  I dare you.]

 I know, still blurry.  Alas.

My aunt got me these cute cupcake ornaments.  I especially love that they sparkle.

 Most of our furniture is furniture my grandma left to me.  Thinking about that makes me tear up a little.  

Yeah, I'm gonna do something a little different with that wall space on the left.  Just not quite sure what yet. 

These are salt and pepper shakers that have been around as long as I can remember. 

So, umm...I've been in love with Mickey and Minnie for as long as I can remember.  When I was a little girl, I was obsessed with my pink Minnie bedspread.  [At least these aren't pink, right?]

My grandma made this wreath. 

As a kid, these were my absolute favorite decorations.  I think I just loved that they fit inside each other. 

And a cheesy picture for the road.

'tis the season

I'm feeling a little tenderhearted today.

Not completely sure why.

Maybe because I'm really tired.

Maybe because of friends who are struggling.

Maybe because I had one of my last classes today and everyone in my group was being all sentimental and mushy-gushy.

Maybe because I feel extremely blessed.

Maybe because I'm almost done with the semester.

Maybe because it's almost Christmas.

Or maybe it's a combination of all of those things.

On an unrelated note, taking Tim to Costco is like taking a six-year-old to Disneyland.  His eyes light up and he wants to go up and down every aisle and eat every sample.  He also liked that they put all of our purchased items in this box:

making it appear as though we were buying an entire box of jerky treats for a dog that we don't have.

And he also really, really liked this ginormous jar of pickles we bought for $3:

In all fairness to Tim, this picture doesn't really do it justice.

Can't you just picture it...sitting around the Christmas tree, drinking hot chocolate, and...eating pickles?

Alas.

Happy December y'all!

christmas trees

Nothing beats a real Christmas tree.  The way they smell, the way they look...simply enchanting.

Which is why Tim and I bought a fake tree last night.

Wait...what?

Ok, here's the story.

Tim and I had been planning for weeks to buy a real Christmas tree right after Thanksgiving.  We'd imagined where we'd put it and how it would smell and how it would look with all the twinkling lights on it.

Last night, we finally got the chance to go get one.  As we were on our way out the door, our neighbor casually asked us what we were up to.

"Oh, we're just gonna go get a Christmas tree!"

"A fake one or a real one?"

"A real one."

"Oh yeah, we got real ones up until this year, too.  Then last year, we were decorating our tree and a Brown Recluse spider bit me.  I waited a couple of days to go to the hospital, and by the time I did, they said if I'd waited any longer, they would have had to amputate my leg.  But I only had to stay in the hospital for a couple of days."

I almost peed my pants.

My eyes were probably as wide as baseballs.

After we got in our car, Tim and I started squealing at each other.  [No manly noises for Tim where spiders are concerned.]

"Uhh...maybe we should get a fake tree."

"Yeah that sounds like a good idea."

Which is how we ended up with a fake tree from Walmart.

Don't worry, it looks enchanting, too.

And I'm sure the pine air fresheners we're gonna buy will smell just like a real tree and I won't even notice the difference.

[Or so I tell myself.]

pinterest

I know I'm a bit behind the times, but I've finally joined Pinterest.

I'm sure we could turn this into a commentary about how I'm always a little behind the times, but let's not think of too many examples...fashion, technology, blogging, DIY crafts...stop it right now!

Kids, I wore either hiking boots or white cowgirl boots [with fringe] throughout my entire elementary school career.  [Which are probably in now.  What the heck do I know?]  Thankfully, my aunt Ginny keeps me from making too many fashion faux pas, but you can see where I'm going with this.  Behind the times.  Or maybe not with any time at all.

And now that I'm approximately 32 seconds into the boards and the pinning and the following on Pinterest, my eyes are swimming and I am thoroughly and completely confused.  [I suppose I should take comfort in the fact that I felt the same way when I first joined Facebook.  Ok maybe not.]

I think I'm gonna make myself feel better by telling myself that I just have an old soul.

To be honest, I don't really know what that means, but it does make me feel better.

I think that must be it.

p.s.  I got my wedding day pictures back yesterday thanks to this girl.  And oh, how I love them.  Except for how critical I am of myself.  But.  I guess we all do it.  Regardless of insecurities, Chantal is amazing!  I accidentally left them at home, otherwise I would post some now.

p.p.s.  Just because it's been a while:

p^3.s.  Happy Almost-Thanksgiving!  Eat your little foodie hearts out!

p^4.s.  Ok.  Ok bye.

thanksgiving traditions - old and new

I am incredibly lucky.

Wanna know why?

Because I now have two families.  Two incredible, loving families.

And I get to see them both this week.

Wedding Day - thanks to this girl.

First, we get to go to Tim's sister's house and spend Thanksgiving with his family there.  Unfortunately, not all of his siblings will be there, but I guess that's a risk you take when there are ten kids in the family.  [Yes.  Yes, that's right.  Ten.  Yeah, it blew my mind a little, too.]

Family gatherings with the Devey family are a bit of a whirlwind of commotion - in a good way.  There are kids and dogs running all about [including his Mom's chihuahua that scares me to this day - don't judge] and people everywhere.  It's fantastic, and certainly something I'm not really used to yet.  [I used to think Thanksgivings with my family included gargantuan amounts of people and animals, but I was wrong.  I was very wrong.]

Then, we get to go to Prescott and spend a couple of days with my family, too.  You see, my aunt Ginny and I have this tradition.  We go shopping the weekend after Thanksgiving every year that we can possibly manage it.  While you might see this as a shallow - perhaps superficial - tradition, I prefer to see it more as a day to bond and talk about life's deepest mysteries whilst enjoying the finer things of life.  [Namely clothes, food, and Bath and Body Works's famous scents.]

Plus, spending any time at all with my family always gives me the warm fuzzies and getting to see my grandma makes the next couple of months about 289 times better.

Yep, I am incredibly lucky.  Or maybe blessed is a better word for it.

Does anyone have any fantastic Thanksgiving traditions?

panic-induced laughter

On Friday, I left work on a high.  [Not a drug-induced high, mind you, just the feeling-high-on-life kind of high.]

I called my parents and told them how excited I was to see them in a few hours, texted Tim that I was on my way home, and got in my truck.  There was a major event going on in the area, so there were hundreds of cars packed into the tiny streets.

I took a deep breath and turned on some music.

Finally, a break.  Even if it is just for a couple of days, I thought.

I had driven for a couple of minutes when the music started cutting out.

Huh, that's weird.  Maybe the cd is skipping.  That's what I get for losing my iPod.

I tried to turn off the music but watched in confusion as the cd player lights kept flickering on and off.  I pulled up to a red left arrow and waited for the light to turn.  I watched the other side of the intersection turn from yellow to red and prepared to push the gas.  Suddenly all of the lights in the truck started flickering and it started making an odd noise.  Then the engine cut out.

The arrow turned green.  I frantically tried to start the car again, but to no avail.  The engine wouldn't even turn over.  My trembling fingers tried to turn on the hazard lights to let the [very long] line of cars behind me know that my car wasn't working.  They wouldn't work, either.  A car pulled up to my right and a very frustrated-looking man waved his arms at me.  I gave him an apologetic look and tried once again to start the car.

In my moment of panic, I had only two distinct thoughts.  The first was that I needed to call Tim.  And the second was that I couldn't stay in the truck anymore.  I practically fell out of the truck and stumbled onto the road directly in front of a car turning right.  I ran to the side of the road and tried to call Tim.  But my fingers were trembling so badly that nothing was working properly.

"Do you need help pushing your car?"

I realized the voice must be talking to me and turned.  A man on his bike looked at me inquisitively.

"Uh yes.  Yes I do."

Then another man and a policeman appeared and told me to put the truck in neutral.  I almost walked in front of another car as I walked back to the truck and attempted to follow instructions.  I couldn't get the column shift to move at all.  I told the men so, and the policeman instructed one of the men to try, since he couldn't fit behind the wheel with all of his gear.  Eventually, the man succeeded and I got behind the wheel as they waited for the light to turn green again.

Finally the light turned green [again] and we made it across the intersection and into the parking lot.  [The steering had suddenly become very difficult, but we made it notwithstanding.]

I [profusely] thanked the men for their help and called Tim.  He said he would come pick me up as soon as he could.

Here are a few moments of irony at this point in the story [at which I couldn't help but laugh]:

• Tim had some customers come in right as the store was closing and insist that they stay open late.  [This rarely-to-never happens.]
• As I was sitting in the truck waiting for Tim, a man backed into the space next to me and opened his door into the side of the truck.
• I tried to figure out if I could keep the truck in the parking lot overnight, got transferred several times, and eventually was hung up on.
• Tim set the alarm at his work before he left, went to check on a side door, which abruptly opened and set off the alarm, and had to reassure the alarm company and his boss that he was not a burglar and that no one was trying to break in.

Thankfully [with my parents' help] we got the truck towed the next day and have someone working on it now.  I don't really know what's wrong with it, and at this point, I'm not really sure I care.  I'm just grateful that I was safe, that we had so much help, and that I am not currently sitting at that intersection trying to get my car to start.

And I'm grateful for all the moments of irony that provided so much comic relief for me.

Does anyone else panic in situations like that [and then laugh like a crazy person afterward]?  Please tell me I'm not the only one.

the semester slump

I am in an end-of-the-semester slump.

The strange part?  I am actually starting to enjoy my classes.  [You know, minus all the stress and whatnot.]

But I am encountering an all-too-familiar problem in the form of sleep deprivation.

Every morning, my alarm goes off.

Every morning, I reset it for 10 minutes later.

Every morning, I reset it again for 10 minutes later.

2,346 times.

At the beginning of the semester, I was always perfectly on time.  Then mid-semester hit and I was two or three minutes late every day.

Now I'm lucky if I make it at all. 

And if I do make it, you'll probably see me strolling in about 30 minutes late or so.  [But give me a break, my classes are all 3 hours long this semester.]

Does this happen to anyone else?

And now I have a completely unrelated question:

For anyone who has ever had to change their name...was it as daunting a process as I'm making it out to be?  I haven't even tried, because I read about what I have to do online and get way too intimidated.  So...I'm still using my maiden name.  But I would really like to be using my married name.

Any helpful tips?

wedgies

Papers and presentations and tests, oh my!

Thank heavens Thanksgiving is next week.  [Ahaha.  Is it funny to anyone else that I am thankful for Thanksgiving?  ...Yeah.  Maybe my brain is just too fried to know what's funny anymore.]

Want to hear a funny story?  [Now that your faith in my humor is gone...]

My mom came down on Friday just to spend the day with me.  And it was great!  It's the funnest thing when your mom is one of your best friends.

Anyway on the drive down [she lives about two hours away], she bought some KFC.  She still had some potato wedges left by the time she got to our apartment, so she offered them to me:

"I couldn't eat all of my food...would you like some of my wedgies?"

Needless to say, I laughed about that on and off for a few hours.  And I might be laughing about it right now just remembering it.

Why yes, Mom, I would like some of your wedgies...

Friday was an awesome day.  She taught me how to do things like fill the nail holes in our walls and put up new shower rods.  She even took me early Christmas shopping and got me things like throw pillows for our couch and mirrors for our walls.

There is a literally endless list of things I can learn from my mom.  She is a handy gal to have around.

And we both love to laugh about almost everything.  Including KFC and wedgies.

Gotta love wedgies.

the pot that died

Last night, Tim and I got home at around 8:00pm.  Neither of us had eaten dinner yet, so let me tell you folks: we were hungry.

We had some leftovers in our freezer, so we decided to just thaw those since that would be quick and easy.  But I like to be somewhat healthy, so I decided to steam some cauliflower, too.  [Side note: I kept mixing up "cauliflower" and "broccoli" last night.  And I almost just typed broccoli instead of cauliflower.  Special.]

Before I even started thawing our leftovers, I cut up the cauliflower [almost just did it again] and put it in the steamer, which I then set inside a pot.  I put it on the burner, turned on the stove, and started thawing the leftovers.

Once the leftovers were thawed, I checked on the cauliflower, certain it would be almost done.  To my surprise, it didn't look any different.  I checked to see if the burner was on [which it was] and got our drinks ready and the table set.

I checked the cauliflower again.

Still no different.

Suddenly my breath caught in my chest.

I hadn't put any water in the pot.  Which meant the cauliflower wasn't being steamed.  Which meant the bottom of my pot was black as coal.  [This seems an inappropriate time to make a joke about the pot calling the kettle black, eh?]

Kids, I have steamed vegetables dozens...nay, hundreds...of times.  But never have I ever not put water in the pot.

I decided to just let the pot cool down naturally, hoping beyond hope that it would just somehow be 100% ok.

About 10 minutes later, we heard a loud bang which made us think that perhaps our kitchen was exploding.  I checked on our pot and this was the result:

That's right.  The bottom of the pot came off.  I didn't even know that was possible.

I was sad for about five minutes, and then I couldn't help but laugh.  So then I gave Tim a monologue about how our steamer would have to grieve quickly and then soon remarry the other pot that we [thankfully] have.

The other good news is that we got to use our rice cooker/steamer for the first time since getting it as a wedding gift.  Tim is usually the kitchen-gadget guy but I have formed an immediate attachment to this new kitchen appliance.

Hopefully I won't ruin this new favorite appliance by forgetting to put water in the pot.

But if I do, you know dang well I will blog about it.

community

Part of me has always wanted to live in the South.

I have never been there, but from what I have heard and from the books I have read, it sounds like a magical place.

And in my imagination, people are sometimes-quirky but always neighborly.  And there is a strong sense of community.

It seems very likely to me that this really is all in my imagination, since again, I have never been there.  Kind of an important detail.

But regardless, I have found a piece of what the South is like [in my imagination] in our new apartment complex.

Everyone has been so friendly.  I've never experienced that in an apartment complex before.  Like - chatting it up, inviting us over for dinner, and telling us we can borrow toilet paper if we run out - kind of friendly.

And I love it.

It's not even just one neighbor, or even two...it's everyone.

Like the lady who has all the cute little blonde kids who have us her contact card, or the woman with her three pugs who loves to talk, or the couple with the two dogs and two kids who love to be outside.

I hope we get the chance to know them all better.

But if it really is anything like I imagine the South to be, I'm sure we will.

p.s.  If the South is different from what I imagine it to be, and you know it, just keep in mind that old adage, "ignorance is bliss."

p.p.s.  Kloveyoubye.

thankful

Hello there kiddos!

Everyone is talking about things they are thankful for [it is that time of the year, you know], so I thought I'd jump on the thanksgiving bandwagon.

Today I am thankful...

via

...that I am not in high school anymore.

Random?  Possibly.  True?  Definitely.

My high school days were some of the most insecure that I can remember.

I spent so many days worrying about what people thought of me - worrying that my hair looked ok or if my clothes made me look fat or why someone didn't talk to me that day.

Now to be honest, I still worry about those things sometimes.  But it's not a pervasive, think-about-it-all-the-freakin-time kind of worry.

I have come to love myself for who I am.  I feel confident in my own skin.

Do you know what helped me the most?

Gaining a knowledge that I am a daughter of a very loving Heavenly Father who values me and is very involved in my life.

I knew that in high school, but I don't think it had really entered into my heart yet.  And now I know it with my whole heart.

Like I said, I still have those days or those moments of insecurity.

But it only takes me a second to remember who I am.

And don't you forget, either.  

Heavenly Father loves you.  You are important.  You are special.  You are worth it.

Thank goodness there is life after high school, eh?

[lack of] trick-or-treaters

I have a confession, kids:

I did not dress up for Halloween.

This was not for lack of desire, but Tim was at work until late, so I decided to stay home and...study.

My one hope for the night was that I would have at least a few trick-or-treaters come to my door.  I had dreams of seeing all the cute little princesses and pirates and pumpkins and hearing that magic phrase.

But.

I did not have even one trick-or-treater.

My little pumpkin bowl that I bought specifically with the purpose of giving out candy to the kiddos [with all of the Halloween spirit that my little heart could muster]...

remained depressingly full...

and so I decided to eat all of the candy to make up for my loss.

[It worked surprisingly well.]

Happy November 1st!

sleep-tickling

Good news:

We got all of our stuff moved this weekend!  And thankfully, we had a lot of help.  Friends and family: we love you guys.

Pictures of our new place to come.

[I am very excited about this.  It is already looking good and I am so excited to decorate.  #callmecrazy]

And now for a funny story:

Tim is very ticklish.  [This is important for the "funny story."  I promise I'm not just telling you random factoids.]

Consequently, I love to tickle him.  [I am also very ticklish, but he learned early on in our relationship that I can't control my body movements while I'm being tickled so I may or may not have kicked him in the stomach once.  Oops.]

And apparently, I love to tickle him even in my sleep.  Because the other night, we were both falling asleep, and I just started full-on tickling him.  [This is all according to Tim because I don't remember it at all.]

So he started jerking around and woke me up, and my first thought was that someone must be breaking in or something by the crazy way that he was moving around.

Then when I found out what [he says] happened, I got super annoyed.  I really have no rationale for this other than that I had just been unexpectedly awakened.

I turned my back to him.

He said, "Babe are you mad?"

"No, I'm just frustrated."

He said he couldn't even be frustrated with me because he was laughing too dang hard.

Then the next day, he brought it up and I had forgotten all about it.  Then I couldn't stop laughing.  [And let me tell you, this was a problem because I was talking on my phone in a public place, laughing my head off, and probably looking like a crazy person.]

But I couldn't help it.

Now if I could only learn to sleep-study.

For fun.

Does anyone else do crazy things in their sleep?

distracting

My boss bought me this [cute?] little guy on her trip to Iceland.

She didn't tell me anything about him, so my imagination is left to run wild.

Maybe he is a curse, and just like Pinocchio my nose will end up growing in size as a result.  [Do you see the size of his schnoz?]

Maybe he comes alive on Halloween.  [Only a few days left to test this hypothesis.]

Maybe he brings the Icelandic spirit with him and will turn everyone in sight into a ravishing, blue-eyed blonde.

Maybe, as is my preferred hypothesis, if left on my desk he will protect me from all the evils of the office environment.

Or maybe, as is the most likely hypothesis...

he doesn't do anything...

and just sits on my desk...

and distracts me from my work...

making me wonder about what it is he represents.

Which is probably nothing.

[Yep, it's one of those days.]

p.s. My brother Jeff is staying with us right now, because he's down in Phoenix for job training.  I love Jeff.  And I also love that because Jeff is here, I have another excuse to go to Bahama Bucks.  [I've got to be a good hostess, you know.]

the important things

So I bet y'all were wondering how the Taylor Swift concert went, right?  ...right?

Well, it was wonderful.  I got in touch with my inner child and sang and danced right along with all those 13-year-old girls.  Katie went with me and wrote an awesome post about it here.

[And yes, actually, the churro and the slushies afterwards were two of my favorite parts of the night.  But don't worry, Taylor, you still came in #1.]

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Also.  This week's episode of Psych was hilarious.  Seriously.  We laughed our heads off.  [The late hour might have had something to do with this, but I promise it was funny regardless of the hour.]

Aaaand.  We're moving this week.  I am so excited.  Who the heck knows how I'm going to find time for school and work and moving [and blogging], but somehow everything always manages to work out, right?

And finally.  I have been noticing my face turning red a lot more.  I have always had this tendency, but lately it's been worse.  I mean, it only happens when I'm embarrassed, or nervous, or excited, or have been put on the spot unexpectedly, or....oh yeah.

All the time.

Ahaha.

Does this happen to anyone else?

Or am I alone in my awkward face-flushes?

Ok.  Ok bye.

taylor swift

On Friday, I am going to see this girl:

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with this girl.

Two of my favorite girls in one place.

Ok, so I've never met Taylor.

But she's still a favorite.

I am so.dang.excited.

We got the tickets...what...at the beginning of the summer?  Before I was engaged anyway.  It seemed so far away at the time.  And truthfully, I guess it was.  I got engaged, married, and started grad school in that span of time.

But now...it's finally here.

And you can bet that slushies will be involved.  Because, well, they always are on important occasions.  [And not-so-important occasions.  Let's be honest.]

bumming around

I have a confession.

I was a bum.


All weekend.

And not only was I a bum all weekend, but I did something all weekend for which I am [only very slightly] ashamed.

I watched Charmed.

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Oh yes, I did.

I had never seen it while it was on, but thanks to Netflix, it is my newest guilty pleasure.

And that's where the slight shame comes in.

It's a tv show for like a 15-year-old girl, right?  But there I was, watching it all weekend.

But for the first time in weeks, I didn't have homework and I didn't have anywhere to be.

And it felt amazing.

I got to turn my brain off for a little while and relax.

Poor Timmy had to work all weekend, but let's be honest:

He doesn't like Charmed anyway.  And that's ok.

When we're together we sometimes watch the Cosby Show thanks to this girl.  And that's fun, too.

But sometimes a girl's just gotta have her guilty pleasure, right?

[#dontjudge]

Kbyenow.

moving

Have I told you we're moving again at the end of this month?

No, not into a house.  Not yet.  [We kinda decided that with school and work and stress to postpone that for the time being.]

But we are moving into a condo.  A two-bedroom, two-bath condo.  Which may [or may not] sound small, but let me reassure you - it is far bigger than our one-bedroom, one-bath apartment.

Don't get me wrong, I love our apartment.  And quite frankly, I always will.  It was the first place I lived with my very own husband.

However, when your apartment looks like this all the time...

...with stuff lining the walls...

...you know you just might need a bit more space.

I am so excited for this move.  And the rent is cheaper, so it doesn't get much better than that, eh?

And just for posterity's sake, a couple more of the current apartment:

Here's the table that came with our furnished apartment.  [Bye-bye table.]  And more stuff lining the walls.

Tiny but well-loved.

Don't judge the decor, por favor.  I hadn't really started decorating, porque I knew we'd be moving ASAP.

[Yeah, I'm not really sure where the random spanish is coming from either.]

For fun.

Anyway, hopefully soon I'll be able to show you a fully-decorated new condo.  [Soon meaning within the next couple of months.  Don't hold your breath.]

I kinda like moving.  At least the redecorating, reorganizing part.  [Not so much the heavy furniture, arms-aching part.]  Is that weird?