Category Archives: Daily Life.

Neither here nor there, just some everyday happenings.

The growing pile.

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Reading is one of my one true loves in life. I love it so much that a book can envelop my entire consciousness for days and wind its way into my inner workings. I’ve got shelves crammed full of books I’ve read and don’t have the heart to get rid of, books that I can’t wait to crack open and devour and even more books that others hope I’ll want to read. I’ve spent hours in book stores and even more time at the library book sale each fall scouring the titles for something that speaks to me – meaning it could be anything from the Poisonwood Bible to something about vampires (cough, Twilight Series, cough).

I’m not one of those people that wants to sit down to a book only to find myself falling into a twisted story (while beautifully written) that in the end will only leave me wishing I hadn’t opened the book to begin with. I read to enjoy the words, to learn something or to find solace in something I can’t find outside of books. Books are like coming home – an escape from reality and a chance to live through something you otherwise would have missed.

Now that I’ve quit my job I’ve had a bit more time to read with less of an imposed bed time — meaning I’ve flown through 6 books in just about a month. What was it I was reading with such fervor?

See, a little of everything. With days like yesterday with the snow flakes spitting from the sky, nothing sounds better than curling up with a cup of hot apple cider and a book. Not sure what book is next on the list, any suggestions?

Our New Arrival.

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Nope, it’s not a baby. Nope, it’s not a puppy. Nope, it’s not a loaf of sourdough bread from San Fransisco (though I certainly wouldn’t turn the FedEx guy away if he was carrying that box). It’s our new camera. Christian and I splurged on something special this Christmas (with help from a wonderful Best Buy Gift Card from my old boss at HuebnerPetersen). We’re so excited to welcome our new Canon Rebel T3i to the family. There was some initial discussion over whether this camera or Charles is the most expensive family member, but Charles certainly won out with his manic health emergencies and pure bad luck. Needless to say I’m super excited, even if I’m still figuring out how you actually take pictures. Thank you Pioneer Woman, for putting some of that crap in layman’s terms.

I aim to be the next Ansel Adams — or just, you know, document my culinary creations, travel adventures and Charles sleeping. Life is all about having big aspirations.

2012.

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Every year December approaches with loads of anticipation, joy and hope for the holidays. And, each year the holidays come and go, followed shortly by New Year’s Eve. A night that’s legendary for exciting parties, magical happenings and romantic stolen kisses at midnight.

After Christmas passes I find myself disappointed and feeling a bit down. New Year’s with all its magical expectations leads to dashed hopes and a closet full of sparkly, now, slightly used dresses. The next morning you wake up… waiting for that fresh new year feeling when all that surrounds you feels exactly like the day before. The same laundry basket full of dirty socks, the same toothbrush in need of replacing and the same set of obligations needing to be fulfilled.

Instead of feeling ready for all that’s about to happen I feel a little like the excitement has passed and I’m just desperate to get it back. Despite my less than enthusiastic perspective on starting 2012, I’m ready to rock the heck out of this new year. I’d say I have some resolutions, but whenever you use the word resolution in front of some sort of a goal it seems that it is forever bound to fail. So in 2012 I don’t have any resolutions, but some overall ideas that I hope to make a reality.

Marriage. It’s only year one and I couldn’t be happier about that, learning to live together and enjoying every moment of it. Even if it does mean I’m living with a boy.

Health. At the end of the day being healthy isn’t about willpower, it’s about acting you age and doing what’s right. We’ll see if I can put down the bag of Oreo’s I’ve been eating during my Harry Potter marathon and start snacking on kale chips after long runs. Yeah? You feeling it?

Travel. I love to travel here, there and just about everywhere. We’ve already got an 11 day cruise booked for the Southern Caribbean during early March, but where else this year will lead is a total mystery. I’m hoping for somewhere great!

Home. We’ve got our house but I have to say it’s anything but a home. Ripping down all the warm, cozy Christmas decorations hurt my heart for the simple fact that my house is so empty and bare. Guess I’ll have to make a few trips to IKEA and get things in order. By this time next year let’s hope it really will be home sweet home.

Job. The end of 2011 was truly the end of an era for me. Leaving my past four years of employment behind… but with a whole new year ahead of me I’m looking forward to finding a position that excites me just as much as it challenges me. I’m ready to make a difference and work hard each day.

And, per usual this blog is on there and what awaits it in the coming year I’m not sure, maybe a re-design? For sure, more posting. Here’s to a great holiday season and the start of a year full of promise.

*Photo Credit: Juliana

The end of an era.

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Tuesday was it – the end of my first job out of college, the very start of my career. The goodbye to four years of hard work, frustrations, great feats and even better comrades. I’ve written and re-written this post trying to honor all the thoughts, feelings and memories I want to include, but there just isn’t a way to do it without sounding like a bi-polar lunatic on the verge. I could tell you about conversations that literally had me laughing so hard that no noise came out and it’s a miracle that I didn’t wet my pants on the spot, strings of emails that caused an inappropriate amount of swearing and random office jokes including a cinnamon bear gummy hand and a creepy clawed potty pass…

I cried when I said goodbye my last day in the office and spent even longer crying on my hour and a half drive home. As ready and excited as I am for the next challenge, I’m nostalgic and sad to know I won’t get to spend a few minutes each day chatting with Amy in her festive office, getting great advice from Lori, laughing with Allen when he gets in, ichatting photos of cupcakes with Bethany or yelling back and forth between Jessica’s desk and my own.

So here’s to a sad goodbye and a celebration in moving forward. 2012 is a whole new year… and baby, I’m more than ready.

Merry Christmas!

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So, I’ve taken a month or so off… let’s just call it a Christmas present to myself why don’t we. Not sure what happened between quitting Nablopomo and now, but let’s say it was full of fun and frivolities along with some holiday cheer and a few cocktails. Mmmk?

I want to wish you all a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS. Take a moment to whip out the maternity pants (oh have I not told that story yet… it’s to come), eat some rum cake (you’ve never heard of rum cake? I’ll share the recipe), and spend time with the people who matter most. I love you all… each and every one and promise to be better in the new year.

Xoxo.

I quit Nablopomo.

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Crazy busy week

So, I accidentally quit Napblopomo. I didn’t get home until after 12 last night and didn’t have it in me to try and write a post — not to mention that it was after the time limit. In that moment of panicked realization a sort of calm came over me – I think I’m ok with quitting this.

I go between feeling like this was an inadvertently good decision to feeling like a failure. But, sometimes you just can’t do it all. As a testament to that here is what I’m up against:

Yesterday was my sisters birthday. Today, I helped my Mom rake all day and made dinner and a birthday cake (with Christian, who in this moment requested to be referred to as “the old man”), and my older brother is getting into town later tonight. Tomorrow, we have a b-day celebration lunch, family time and a trip to REI and Sports Authority. Monday, my aunt comes to town. Tuesday, snowboarding with the bro and Christian. Wednesday, I have to work and my friend Katrine who is from Norway, but is studying in CA for the semester arrives. Thursday is Thanksgiving. Friday, who knows. Saturday, we have appointments at the art museum for the King Tut exhibit. Sunday, church followed by packing for my trip.

I then have to be at the airport at 4:00 in the morning, on Monday, for a flight to Louisville — and a week of work awaits. Oh, did I mention there are some MAJOR changes at work and I feel like a chicken with my head cut off every time I open up my lap top? No, I didn’t? Well, I do.

All of these things aren’t BAD things, some of them are GREAT things, but they all in the end contribute to me running here and there, then over here again and back to there.

So you know, it’s probably a good thing that I quit. Because I’m already having nightmares (literally) and the stress level is a touch out of control. So, adios Nablopomo 2010, it’s been real.

*Photo by: programwitch

It’s been a year.

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Actually it had been a year on Monday, but as you can see from my Philadelphia post and my Halloween post, I’m clearly not a fan of posting when things *actually* happen. So, on Monday, it was Christian and I’s 1 year anniversary (cue the violins and sappy music). I haven’t talked about Christian much because I thought in some way writing about him, or posting things on Facebook, or even mentioning him in a semi-permanent place would jinx it. But, you know what I say? Living in fear is no way to live. So… it’s been a year. A year of lots of ups and a few downs, a year of learning and figuring out how to let someone in after having my heart broken. I heart him.

Most likely you don’t really want to hear about the mushy stuff? Maybe you do, I don’t know. Half the time I don’t even know what I’m doing or what I want, so how am I suppose to know what you want. With that said, here is how our first date went.

We’d emailed back and forth for a few weeks trying to plan a time to get together and play some volleyball. We finally figured out a time at the local rec center. November 1. I was in Vail the night before for Halloween and high-tailed it down to Denver to meet up with Christian. He picked me up at my house and we headed to the rec center. Turns out they only say they have open volleyball, but since no one ever shows up it doesn’t actually happen. Cue awkward moment with both of us staring at each other blankly in silence because the WHOLE REASON we got together was to play volleyball. Now we’re all alone, no plan and awkwardness so thick you could cut it with a butter knife. Because I am a genius, I suggested we play some basketball (well horse, but same thing in my book). He showed me how to improve my shot and cheered me on when I made one out of every 12 shots I took (a real gentleman). I was a rock star. He was much better.

After our impromptu game of horse — which I barely terribly lost, we headed to Jamba Juice. He paid. Now cue awkward moment #2. Maybe we’re on a date and I didn’t know it?

After slurping down some frozen fruit he suggested we watch a movie at his place, dun dun dun. So we picked out Just Married and headed over to his house. I left my coat on, and sat on the section of the couch without a back. Not touching him, not anywhere near him, bolt upright, wondering what the hell was going on. Most guys I knew used the ‘ol “watch a movie” line as a cue to eat your face. I stayed a safe distance just to be safe.

He drove me home, walked me to the garage and watched me punch in the numbers. I can remember the horrifying feeling in my stomach as the garage lifted to reveal all the crap I had stored in there. Then he left. The end. I sound like a great date don’t I?

Something must have gone right because since then it’s been nothing but rainbows and butterflies. Here are a few of my favorite moments:

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I love you Christian!

(cue the end of violins and sappy music)

What your Internet says about you.

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Wifi names

A little wi-fi story for your enjoyment:

Once upon a time when I moved into my new house, we didn’t have internet for about a week… and I had files I needed to get out ASAP. Christian had to drive around, me in the passenger seat trolling for unprotected wi-fi. A minute here, a minute there. It was all very undercover. In my opinion, if you really want to get to know your neighbors and the people living around you, go take a peek at their wireless name, if nothing else you’ll find out what they’re *really* interested in. Cough, penis wrinkle, cough, cough.

Which got me thinking… naming your Internet or wireless network is sort of like naming yourself — your alter ego if you will. I’ve had several “wi-fi” names including:

Brookwood Bitches — we were young, girls, lived on Brookwood and Bitches seemed to be the only “B” word we could think of. Not sure how babes, bonanza, boogers all escaped our grasps.

M^2 — I lived with my old roomie Meghan (spelling it Megan is still better) and since we clearly couldn’t decide on the correct spelling of Meg[h]an we went with M squared. Clever, eh?

Tawanda — My mom’s internet. Apparently she’s got and inner, power-hungry goddess.

MLCupcake — My current pseudo name. ML — for Megan and Lindsey (the current roomie) and cupcake because I fricken love cupcakes. I set it up, so I got to pick. Love when that happens.

Last week our internet decided to take a hiatus, and I happened to notice the networks around me. I apparently live next to a group of freaks.

MLCupcake <– That’s me.

Andi2010 <– That’s my neighbor, she has a wicked cool dog named Andi. She’s normal.

Brashley <– I’m thinking Bradley + Ashley = love forever. I just gagged writing that.

High Fructose Porn Syrup <–Someone has a porn and packaged food problem. Please say it’s not the creepy old dude across the street.

NETGEAR <– Someone irons their underwear and needs to let loose. A better name would be StarchedTidyWhities.

penis wrinkle <– Nope, this is definitely the creepy old dude across the street, either that or the guy that drives and Audi next door. Hard to say.

Sherman Express <– Like the polar express? Only instead of a train its a beat up VW bug with Christmas lights hung inside. Someone dreams big.

Slade <– They must have a fascinations with knives. And rocks. Hard things. Yeah, hard things.

Any good ones near you? Come on, you know you want to share.

Vote 2010.

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Election day 2010

We live in a great country. A country that allows people that are born with nothing to rise to something, something great. That let’s us have a choice in what we say, who we elect and how things are run. We aren’t limited to being told what will happen, we get the chance to play an active role. We get to vote and with that vote we get to voice our opinion and have a say in the decisions made.

My entire life, voting hasn’t been a “big deal”. I haven’t had to fight for my right to vote as a citizen or a woman. It was given to me, as a gift from the people and women that came before me. Maybe that’s the problem with our generation. So much was handed to us that we don’t see a need to fight? We’re filled with ambivalence. A “not worth our time” agenda. It’s sad, and we need to change that. Plus, as an added bonus to voting, if your party doesn’t win, you officially have the right to be unhappy. Didn’t vote? Then you, my friend, have to suck it up.

So this year put on your big girl or big boy pants and get out to vote. I don’t care if you vote republican, democrat, green, or some different party completely. Just do it. And, in case you’re feeling dismayed by the political ads out there, un-interested in any of the candidates and sporting an “I’d rather not vote than vote for one of those yahoos” thought process, read this article by Seth Godin . I guarantee it will change your mind.

Plus, getting the “I voted” sticker is totally worth a wait in line at the polls. Wish they sent those with the mail in ballots…

*Photo credit: hi fi parasol