Our Every Day

This is the week Mike leaves for training. I have to attend a ceremony on Wednesday, and from there we will part ways for a few days. It is an odd combination - this being sad, happy and proud all at the same time. Mike's last day at the store was Thursday, so I have spent the past few days just spending as much time as possible with him. And it still isn't enough. :-/ I am thankful for (in no particular order): -My parents and inlaws. They are awesome. So blessed to have two sets of parents living just an hour and a half away. -Our close friends - The Tuckers, The Hayes and The Actons. What we would do with out the encouraging texts? The fun excursions? The game nights? The visits? -My job. It will be good to have something to do to pass the time during Mike's absence. And they are very understanding of the circumstances, so I am able to leave early several days this week :) -My work friends who will be filling up my evenings with dinners out and who knows what else :) -Da...

This time last year, Mike and I were celebrating our 4th wedding anniversary and purchasing our first home. It was a very memorable anniversary - one I will never forget. I never thought that this year's anniversary would top that. But it did. This year, we celebrated half a decade of marriage (makes it sound like we have been married longer, doesn't it?) and the fact that Mike turned in his two weeks notice at the grocery store. Why did he do that? You ask. Well...I'll tell you. Mike got a new job! And not just a job - but a chance at having a career in a field he has been wanting to get into for quite some time. This is something that we have prayed about for over two years. Yes. You read that right. Ever since that miserable couple of weeks where Mike was laid off from his job of 8 months in Cleveland, and we had to pack all of our worldly belongings into a Budget truck once again and move back to Columbus, completely astounded by the turn of events in our life. Then the...

I lost my temper today. Don't get me wrong, I get angry just like everyone else. But I rarely ever lose my temper and pop off. It takes a lot. And today was the straw that broke the camel's back so to speak. The yelling, the crying, the whole nine yards. I was a puffy-eyed, red-faced, drippy-nosed mess. Not attractive. I try really hard to control what I say when I am angry because I am always afraid I will do permanent damage with my words in the heat of the moment. This time, I had no filter and I was astonished by how the hurt and anger consumed me so quickly. It was over something that was nothing and everything at the same time. My feelings got hurt again by something that has plagued me for awhile now. The long and the short of it is this - Sometimes I feel like I am invisible. That when people look at Mike and me, they discount me immediately because Mike is such a fun dynamic character, and I am so reserved. To some people, I feel like I don't matter to them ...

I'll be the first to admit that I have a motivation problem. Usually it occurs on Saturdays when the couch and the TV call my name, and Mike is at work. Today is one of those days. I have been sitting here for the past half hour, lambasting myself for not getting my butt up off the couch and moving. But then it dawned on me. Yes just now. I am motivated every other day of the week. I'm up and out of bed by 6:30 (most mornings) and to the office by 8 (again, most mornings). I am at the beck and call of 50 other people. Somedays that means attending meetings, going word for word over every proposal, fielding email requests and phone calls from clients. Other days that means running all over the building from floor to floor, delivering this, picking up that, stopping to talk to that guy about some type of storm sewer. Yes. This is my life during the week. Sometimes I don't get to leave at 5. Most days I stay late, sometimes even later into the evening than I probably sho...

Years ago, my sister-in-law told me something interesting - and it has stuck with me since. She said the best way to clean your house is while you are wearing high heels. She claimed that there is something fun and very June Cleaver-ish about vaccuuming your house in your best heels. So that's what I am doing today. But I am not doing it so I can feel like June Cleaver. I am doing it because I desperately need to break in a pair of heels that I spent a ridiculous amount of money on. Seriously. I have never spent this much money on a pair of shoes before. And I feel guilty because I don't wear them because they are so completely uncomfortable, but I spent Mike's and my hard earned money on something I decided I wanted on an impulse. I used to struggle with impulse shopping - and sometimes I still treat myself to a nice shirt or skirt here and again, but I don't engage in impulse shopping like I used to. It used to be a sickness. I wish I was kidding. Mike has really he...

Last week, I started on what seemed like an impossible task. I started Round 3 of cleaning out my bedroom at my mom and dad's house. Round 2 took place with the help of a good family friend right before I moved to Columbus. She helped me sort through all my things, asked me "Do you REALLY need to keep this?" and packed up my literature collection in bins (that are still in my parents' basement - I am saving those for Round 4 or Round 5.) For Round 3, my mom helped me, and we had a nice visit as we looked through my old things. I found some things that I definitely wanted to keep - a box my brother bought back for me from Turkey, sweet notes from my grandparents, our wedding cards. And then I found some things that I pitched like old yearbooks and pictures of people that I was once friends with that I don't even speak to anymore. It was a cathartic experience! Another memory it brought back was the Christmas before I got married. I remember going down into the base...

This time last week, I would have been winding down with family after toobing down the Comal River near San Antonio, Texas. We were there visiting family....When the opportunity arose that we could visit again this year after an amazing trip last year, Mike and I jumped at the chance. We love Texas, what can I say? Most importantly, we love our family in Texas! Seriously, if we had the chance to move there, I would love it. Mike? Well, he loves it but he is not so sure. If it wasn't for him, I would have had us living in Pennsylvania and Texas by now. He grounds me :) While we were there, we were introduced to the shows Swamp People and Finding Bigfoot. Yeah, we don't have cable in our home because we thought we could save money not having a monthly cable bill. But it doesn't...well I should say...didn't matter that we didn't have cable before our trip because we rarely watch TV. Now I want cable, if only to watch Swamp People and Finding Bigfoot! Needless say, we w...