Monday-night Weekend

Last night, Hubs and I grilled out and had a little picnic outside our apartment by the lake. We’d had a hard, busy weekend full of car trouble and warrior-dashing and soccer games and fights. We needed to do something fun together.

Hubs was the grill master,of course. It’s “his” little grill, after all.

He made burgers and I sliced up some yellow squash and (Yup, you guessed it!) zucchini. Yum.

Yum. Yum. Yum.

And we brought a makeshift “blanket” (old beach towels) to sit on, chips to munch on, and other picnic supplies down the three flights of stairs so we could just hang out there for awhile and eat good food with no TV or dishes, enjoying the sunshine and blue skies…

It was a very weekend-way to spend a Monday night, but it was exactly what we needed. In fact, it wasn’t even that much trouble. Hubs commented that the reason we hadn’t done this before was that it seemed like a lot of work, and I agreed. Carrying all the stuff outside after prepping it in the kitchen…seems like a lot of work for a weeknight meal. It really wasn’t though, much to our surprise, and we plan to do it more often.

(Hopefully soon in a backyard where we don’t have to carry everything down steps and sit in grass that other people let their dogs use as a personal bathroom and don’t bother to clean it up. They also use that grass as an ashtray. Yuck. We really need a house. Soon.)

But overall, it was the perfect way to spend the night we usually spend house-hunting. Laying on a blanket in green grass next to a grill, a lake, and each other is an awesome way to spend any night. Or day.

Plus, I got to see Hubs’ face light up the way it does when he’s really happy–laughing and carefree. That’s a face I fell in love with, all those years ago. (Yes, we’re newlyweds, but we’re not new to loving each other. We’re going on 8 years together now–wow!)

I love this smile, and the man it belongs to.

And seeing Hubs relaxed and happy made me feel relaxed and happy. It’s amazing how that works, especially in a marriage where my husband is my very best friend.

I was so relaxed laying out there in the grass. More relaxed than I’ve felt in weeks. (More relaxed than I feel right now, too, but we won’t get into all that.)

So even though I know some of the worry and uneasiness we’re dealing with is still there, it was nice to see how taking time to really just relax, disconnect (even from friends and family) and just be who we fell in love with, made me a little more confident that we’ll get through all this one way or another…with each other.

Happy feet (and knees) and happy hearts.

“Y”awning

Sometimes, Hubs and I are lazy.

Usually though, we’re pretty busy.

That’s great, because we love being active and visiting family and friends. But, it means we have lots of long weekends away from home, so sleeping in isn’t usually an option. And sometimes, as newlyweds, our night-time snuggle time interrupts would could be sleeping time. Plus, I have to get up at or before 6am for work since I’m driving more than 35 minutes every morning. Yikes.

So, we’re often tired.

And that means I yawn at work.

Hubs can drink coffee to help wake himself up, but I’m caffeine-free now and am in need of a new way to find a pick-me-up after a long week, or a busy weekend.

Advice is appreciated! Let me know what works for you!

 

“M”LS…and running

This morning I ran the half marathon I’ve been training for.

I was worried about rain but the weather was great!

A little humid in miles 1-3 but I settled in and we had a great day.

I have been sick all week so I was worried about how I would hold up but it was actually a great run!

sure, I’m sore now, but I also feel proud and strong and happy.

Plus, I got to spend time with my friend jill, who came up from springfield to run it, too.

And now we’re tailgating… in the rain… (Well, I’m in the car blogging on my phone while the boys stand out in the rain…) before the sporting kc game.

We sure do love soccer!

I love seeing him so passionate. It’s part of why I fell in love with him. It’s why I’ve liked soccer since I first saw him play…and first saw him run across the field to dive in a giant mud puddle after a rainy soccer game.

I think Hubs likes seeing me passionate, too.

That’s why his face lit up when I surprised him by making it to the finish line this morning about 10 minutes before he expected me to. And why he got so excited when I was smiling and waving at him.

It’s awesome to have someone to be passionate with. To have adventures with.

Well, I’m off to go have fun in the rain. Let’s go SKC!

“K”nowing what to do…

I’m fond of saying, “…back when I was young and dumb…” to refer to decisions and choices and habits I had when I was younger.

Younger meaning a couple years ago.

Maybe back to high school age…but still, it wasn’t all that long ago…

Either way, I joke that I’m older and wiser now.

And in a way, I guess I am. Hubs and I have grown up a lot in the last few years. We’ve made big decisions, we’ve planned a wedding, graduated, gotten jobs, got married, gotten more jobs, decided to quit jobs, selected and rented an apartment, managed a budget, learned to live together, moved away from friends and family, lost loved ones, gained new friends…

…it’s been a big year.

So, yes, we are wiser now.

But we still have a lot to learn.

We’re currently in the process of selecting a house and we are realizing just how hard it is to make these decisions that will affect us, majorly, for the next several years of our life. It’s a big commitment.

And it’s hard.

In the end, I guess we’ll never really “know” what to do.

But we will know all we can know.

That we need to talk about it, think about it, pray about it, and talk about it some more. And when we can be at peace with decision, we’ll know it’s right.

Right?

What about you? What sort of things do you “know?” And how do you know that you know you know?

(Awesomeness bonus points if you know what that reference is.)

“J”ack and “J”ill…went to KC…

This weekend is going to be another busy one for us.

Friday night I have to work. Then Jill is coming to stay the night so we’ll be ready to run our half marathon on Saturday morning.

(It’s supposed to rain, so everyone please pray for good weather!)

That afternoon, Jack is coming so we can all go to the Sporting KC game.

In the meantime, I’m still dealing with this pesky cold/mysterious allergies. I’m doing everything I know to do to get better before Saturday, but I’m starting to get nervous I won’t be able to run. I can’t run if I can’t breath, right?

And that would be pretty sad…

(So if everyone can also pray that I get all better and back to normal, it would be awesome!)

So, here’s to our busy weekend…and yes, I know it’s only Wednesday!

What about you? Any tips or tricks for getting over a cold…fast?! Any big weekend plans you’re already looking forward to? 

“G”ame day!

Today was a Sporting KC game. (Woo hoo!) And they won! (Wooooo hooo!) But I wasn’t there.

I was in Sedalia with friends finishing up a super awesome bachelorette party with friends. And working in the rain for my Aunt’s landscaping business.

But Hubs was there, and having a grand time!

He’s rubbed off on me quite a bit. (I’ve noticed that happens a lot now that we’re married.) And I’m pretty excited about soccer now.

Want an example of how excited?

I got a text yesterday from a friend that said I was the first choice for an alternate for a friend’s indoor soccer team and it made me so proud, I shared it with everyone in the room with me.

And I checked twitter every few minutes during the game to make sure I didn’t miss any changes in the score of the game today.

It’s official. I’m a real fan now.

I’d never played a game of soccer in my life until this fall. I’d certainly never been a real soccer game.

I’d been a fan of the game for longer than that, though. After all, Hubs played in high school, which meant I watched as many games as I could. I even learned what “offside” meant and how to watch for it. (That’s a tough one, trust me.)

What happens next? Blue Royals t-shirts in my closet to match my red Cardinals ones?

Maybe.

I wouldn’t be mad about that.

It doesn’t mean I love my first loves any less. I have lots of love to go around.

There’s room in my heart and my head for another team, I think. Cards, Sporting KC, Royals…the more the merrier, right?

“F”ridays… but not a usual one

We like Fridays as much as the next person.

But as newlyweds, they’re even more special because it usually means a night that we get to stay up and just hang out with no bed time…since we have to get up at 6 AM on weekdays. Sometimes we stay up late, sometimes we just go to bed early anyway and cuddle, or sometimes we go out. But we always spend it together…

Not this week.

I’ll be at a bachelorette party all night. Hubs is hanging out here so he can go to the soccer game on Saturday with the guys.

It’s going to be a fun time for both of us. But we won’t be together.

This will make the third time since we’ve been married that we’ve been apart at night. Not the third night, (this will make close to 15 or 17 nights, I forget the exact count) but the third reason.

What about you? How do you get through nights or weekends apart? 

 

 

“E”aster weekend

Okay, here’s the deal, this weekend is going to be busy for us.

We have a work, travel, a bachelorette party (that’s me), a soccer game (that’s Hubs), family, fun, food, and oh yea, Easter.

With all this busyness, it’s hard to have a relaxing time to reflect and reconnect with what we should be focusing on this weekend.

So, we’re planning on racing all the way up until late Saturday night and then settle into the beginning our weekend.

The beginning of our time with family.

And the beginning of it all:

“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” -John 11:25-26

I’m thankful for YOU!

Guess what guys? I have more than 20,000 total views on my blog!  I know that doesn’t seem like a lot to anyone with big fancy blogs, or anyone with a LOT of personal friends or a super-giant family, but to me, it’s pretty cool.

This blog started out as a fun project of telling our story as newlyweds. I figured I’d “meet” some people, and I got to continue to do something I love to do: write.

But now, I realize that this blog is more than that. It’s become a little community, at least for me.

I look forward to reading your comments.

Not because I want you to like me, (although I DO want that!) but because I want to connect with you. I want to share secrets for saving money on groceries, and lessons about how to best apologise at the end of an argument, and advice for how to juggle work and personal time, tips for talking about money, stories about housekeeping failures, and smiles over the sweet way we’re blessed by those that love us and that we are blessed to love.

I love hearing what you have to say.

And can I tell you a secret?

Of course I can, you’re not here to stop me.

Anyway, the secret.

I get a little bummed out when no one comments on a post I thought was especially clever or thoughtful, or cute. Or funny. Or sweet and sincere.

I know that made me sound a bit lame, but ah well, it’s too late to hide that fact now.

Let’s just say I like it when you guys talk back to me.

Otherwise, I sometimes feel like I’m just talking to myself. Which is fine, because this blog is for me in that it helps me remember important milestone in our marriage, and lets me think through feelings or emotions I experience in this crazy awesome life. But it’s also for you.

And so, I want you to participate!

I really do read every comment. And I usually respond within a day if possible.

The point is, I want you guys to feel welcome here, and wanted.

I’m excited you find our newlywed life interesting enough to read about every day. I’m humbled and honored that you spend your valuable time reading posts I think are clever or thoughtful, or cute. Or funny. Or sweet and sincere.

So even though I don’t have thousands of followers, I’m thankful for all 92 of you that follow my blog through email or WordPress. That doesn’t count those that follow by RSS feed or twitter.

And because I’m thankful for all of you, I want to share our little community with others. So tell your friends if you read a post and think it’s worth sharing. Maybe your sister’s new husband also leaves his clothes piled up on the floor on his side of the bed so they always get left out of the laundry. Maybe your mom’s best friend has a daughter who’s also looking for a job in a big, new city and she hates driving on interstates.

Whatever it is, I’d be happy to meet your sister or your mom’s best friend or the neighbor or your crazy uncle Johnny!

And for those of you that read but don’t comment, I’d love a little shout out so we can get to know each other. I promise I won’t ask you any hard questions today. It’s easy, trust me!

So, if you’re a loyal reader who doesn’t leave a lot of comments, I’m asking for you to answer this for me: what’s your favorite thing about springtime? 

Or if that’s too hard, tell me why you read or how you found the blog. 

And if that’s still too much, how about your favorite flavor of ice cream? Because that’s an easy-peasy-cheesy one, for sure!

In the mood for Easter

Hubs and I have no plans made yet for how we’re going to spend our “first” Easter.

I suggested we dye eggs.

He thought that was a crazy idea.

And it is.

That’s sort of why I want to do it.

But nevermind about that.

It has nothing at all to do with what I want to write about tonight.

Tonight we went to the church I volunteer at to volunteer at the preview night for the big Easter event they have. We were in charge of the preschool-age egg hunt.

Since tonight was just the preview night for church members with kids who will be volunteering at the big community event on Saturday, there wasn’t all that much traffic to our area.

So we took to playing with the giant Easter eggs that were in our room in between visitors.

Hubs proved to be quite clever at spinning the eggs like a top. He discovered this method as a fluke, but I liked it the best.

Of course, before that happened, this happened:

And even before that, Hubs managed to drop the egg on my foot and make a big swollen bruised spot.

You can't see it that much, but it's there. And sore!

(I’m such a delicate little flower.)

(No?)

(Fine, but I do bruise easily…)

(I would also like to say that these are the little shoes I love so much that Hubs says look like “old lady shoes.” Anyone care to offer an opinion on that matter?)

And he also managed to spin an open egg (half of the plastic egg) into my ankle and make it bleed.

See what I mean? A delicate flower I tell ya!

Clearly, I wasn’t seriously injured.

But still, how many of you can say you’ve had two Easter egg injuries to your feet? In one night?

Then again, maybe I shouldn’t be bragging about that…

Anyway, we still need to decide where we’re spending the holiday.

What about you? Any big Easter plans? How do you divide up time between families? Have you every been attacked by a giant Easter egg? It’s okay if you have, maybe we can form a group!