Friday Five

Well, it's MY Friday anyway! Here's my Thursday Before Good Friday Five!

1. Daryl's BIRTHDAY is this weekend! He hates his birthday. I love it. I think, honestly, I love it because it forces him to make all the decisions for a weekend? #selfishmuch But I got him a gift I KNOW he's going to love (because he makes an Amazon.com wishlist every year for me), I booked us THE hotel in Lubbock for Friday and Saturday night and I think we have plans to day drink at our favorite bar on Saturday, possibly golf on Sunday... and that's about it. If we find ourselves bored, I may try sneak off and do this to my ear. My favorite piercer is in Lubbock so every time we go I get so tempted to perforate myself.

2. The yard is so sad (said like Gretchen from Mean Girls). We poured our blood, sweat, and skin cells (I'm referring to my blisters I got from pick-axing crab grass all day) and now we have.... a yard of dirt. We're going to get the seed down and mulch to cover the seed from the predatory birds... and then it's just watering but it definitely was a little deflating to work ourselves in to sunburns and ripped hands for a yard UGLIER than what we started with! D would argue that the yard looks better as a plot of dirt than covered in weeds but I find it mighty depressing.

My Ninja Turtle muscle tee was the only bright side to our yard work weekend

3. There was a hubub at work on Tuesday afternoon and by the time I got in on Wednesday, bippity boppity boom, my deadlines for a major project were moved forward by MONTHS, my two week training course I was supposed to leave for on Monday was un-approved and I was transformed in to a workaholic. I've already missed TWO lunchtime workouts. Seriously, the idea of having to workout in the AM infuriates me the most in this situation. Crunch time at work, a chance to show off and get all bossy up in here? That's kind of my jam. If only I could put a pause button on a construction project from 12-1pm so I could get my workout in. IF ONLY.

4. I have not had a manicure in seven weeks. I have not had my eyebrows waxed in MONTHS. And I'm not even going to estimate the pedicure timeline. Oh, and highlights. Ombre's still cool, right? We had planned to do engagement pictures a couple weeks ago but decided to put it off. And with that delay, came my justification to look completely ratchet for a month. It's getting a point of distracting me so I figure, as a very sweet girlfriend present to D, I'll go get the wax/nails thing done tonight so I am a little more presentable this weekend.

Oh the horror!

5. And lastly, I'd like to discuss my post-workout mile. I am not a runner but since I've gotten pretty deep in to Jamie Eason program, I'm feeling strong these days. I thought I'd give running another try because Jamie promised that cardio would be easier as I built up muscle. I'm proud to report that after a grueling 40 minute leg workout Monday, I hopped on the treadmill and cranked out a mile with my last 10 minutes of my lunch break WHILE chatting with the trainer who was sitting on the spin bike next to me making small talk. I mean, that would have never happened a couple months ago. :D I know I could have run further and or faster, so I'm kind of psyched to see what I can do with a Saturday morning and no time limit! Not an awful start though!

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R-e-s-p-e-c-t

So I got some really sweet feedback on my serious-ish blog last week! Which is so kind, and unexpected, since my blog was a commentary blog on someone else's blog about the Bible. That's pretty 'Seven degrees of Kevin Bacon', so I'm glad it translated!

So, I mean, why not do it again!!! I read articles all the time that I think are GREAT and speak to me personally and help me. Instead of just sharing the link, from time to time I'll actually allow myself to write my own commentary about them here on ze blog. I get a kick out of it. 

I read an article that my former pastor Brother Steve shared on his Facebook. I read the majority of it with that same look on my face that Kanye gets when I catch him eating his sister's food. #busted 

Here's the article and I can't say it better than this guy did, so I'd highly recommend reading it. The message: Your man does not have to EARN your respect.

I saw a book one time called Love & Respect: The Love She Most Desires, The Respect He Desparately Needs. I have no idea if this book is good, I just read the cover and it wasn't what I thought I needed at the time, but it has always ALWAYS stuck in my head. Just the concepts behind it because it rings really true to me. And while I was reading this article, I was thinking about that relationship between thoughtfulness and respect.

Now I realize there are some exceptions, but stay with me on this... I'm going to speak in some serious generalities here. 

One thing that women crave from their man is thoughtfulness. It's not the only thing they crave, but it's something men typically aren't naturally good at so it's something they feel a deficit in. Men have to actively TRY to be thoughtful while women are naturals. I bet men wouldn't say they crave thoughtfulness because they already get it. In spades! Women notice their man's shampoo bottle is a little light, and without having to be asked, pick him up a spare. Nothing ceremonious. Nothing out of the norm. Baby, we were born this way (Lady Gaga style). Men... not so much. Could you imagine how excited you'd be if your man noticed that, remembered the exact brand of shampoo and picked you up a bottle! Your little head would explode on the spot. Right?

....Right?

Or would you think to yourself, "gah, my conditioner was running low, too. Obviously. I use both every time I'm in the shower, why didn't he think to get conditioner, too??" Thoughtfulness is something men have to be really intentional about and make a lot of effort on and still don't come close to how good we are at it.

Unfortunately, respect is the flip side of that coin but it doesn't get the news coverage that men's thoughtlessness gets. Men respect their ladies without thinking about it. It's something that comes very naturally to them and we probably take for granted. We don't sit around, chatting with our girlfriends, saying things like "man, I wish he didn't complain about my cooking so much" or "He rolls his eyes every time I tell a story". I mean... if those things are happening, you should definitely complain to your girlfriends. That's not very nice of him. With that said, yes. He's going to say things that hurt our feelings now and then... but that's generally not out of DISRESPECT, it's out of thoughtlessness. I think disrespect is a lot more intentional than thoughtlessness.

Thoughtfulness begets respect. Respect begets thoughtfulness. I'm going to be honest, I don't know what begets means, but I think that's how it goes.

Now to put my stuff in the streets, and hopefully y'all can't relate (no, hopefully you can't! Hopefully this is not one of your struggles!)

I can, without meaning to at all, treat D like a child. If I feel like he's talking too loud in a restaurant, I tell him "OMG, Daryl, you're yelling! Lower your voice" and he immediately gets defensive. Obviously. Because I'm treating him like a child. If he tells a story he means to be funny or entertaining and it falls flat, I'm the first one to laugh and say "cool story bro" to tease him about the story not being a hit. I could call it teasing, but it's not teasing. It's me not being on his team. Let one of his buddies be the one to crack that joke. They will! There is absolutely NO need for me to beat them to the punch. I'm guilty of telling embarrassing stories about him because they're mildly funny. If his buddies are teasing him, I've been known to join in rather than defend him or stay out of it. And my worst offense, for sure, is criticizing. He does something and I tear it apart, tell him how it could be done better, faster, easier. 

Okay, it's tougher than I thought to talk about my disrespect without mentioning things he does that provoke my disrespect. But I'm not going to put HIS business on the blog, so I'll just leave it at those vague examples and just stick with the imaginary shampoo metaphor.

I'm really, REALLY lucky because I do respect the heck out of Daryl. He's super motivated, he has a ton of talents, he's smart and makes great decisions... most of the time. Sometimes... not so much. Now, is he a master at being thoughtful? Not yet. (a girl can hope, okay!?) But he tries. His attempts don't always meet my standards. His attempts sometimes leave me thinking "if he'd just done it like this, if he'd thought to get conditioner, too, it would have been better." Or worse, I expect the infamous mind-read: "I had been working on killing that bottle of shampoo because I was wanting try that new brand, now I'm stuck with this bottle so I'm not appreciative that he thought to do this" or maybe I just plain not appreciative at all "I told him I was planning to go to Target later, it was on my list, he didn't save me any time or effort by doing this."

But in those instances, I have to remember my respect most of all. If I were to criticize his efforts (and 50% of the time, I just blurt out my disappointment, without thinking of the effects of my words), what is the outcome I expect? Him to magically think like a woman? To sit at his desk all day researching the hottest brand of shampoo for my hair type? No. He doesn't eve know I HAVE a hair type. The next time he feels my empty shampoo bottle, do you know what he's going to do? Sure as hell NOT buy me another bottle.

But what's a girl to do when, on a regular basis, the gesture just doesn't measure up to what it COULD have been? Uhm... I'm pretty sure the correct answer to that is 'realize you married a man'? And I don't mean that to be sexist at all. Shampoo/flowers/jewelry and, unfortunately, romance in general just aren't his strong suite (normally). But do you know what? When he took my car in, he got the right oil put in it. When he mowed the lawn, he edged and trimmed the hedges and put the tools away. And when he saw that weird pendant necklace that I wouldn't be caught dead wearing, he thought of his ladyfriend. I'm on his mind. He loves me and wants to make me happy. Like a dog bringing the most important person in the world to him a dead bird. The best of intentions. Instead of criticizing when he does it wrong, I need to just gush when he gets it right. Brag on him in front of him. The polar opposite of criticizing him. Positive reinforcement (which I hate to use the term, because it sounds like raising a child or training a dog) but it is what it is. To get him to narrow in on the types of thoughtfulness I love, I'm going to have to praise him when he gets it right instead of tearing him down when he misses the mark.

I expect him to be thoughtful and loving when I'm PMSing. When I am stressed and being snippy and rude. When I'm criticizing him. I expect him to love me at my worst, when I need it the most. When I'm not acting in a very lovable way, when I'm being difficult to love... THAT'S when I need his love and thoughtfulness the most.

He expects me to respect him when he's wrong. When he's had two too many beers and is acting a fool (we've all been there). When he is in front of his coworkers and when it's just the two of us, at home. When he's trying something he's not good at and feels vulnerable. He needs respect the most, not when he's just fixed my car and is puffed up with pride... he needs it during those times when, let's be honest, we're thinking in our heads, "What a bonehead". Those are the times that I have to dig deep and behave respectfully, even if I'm not feeling 100% respectful at the time. I tell myself, "You suck it up, buttercup! He's your man!" Respect is my duty to him, not a benefit that depends on if he's acting a way I like that particular day. 

Alright... this one got a little wordy, folks. I'll try to keep it more concise next time. I hope respect comes easily to you this week. I'm PMSing so I hope it comes easily to me, too! :) XO!

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5 Things

Oh man, I haven't done a 5 things post in a while! This is where I write about 5 things I'm completely and utterly OBSESSED with at this moment in time. My obsessions are generally revolving, so I always have new material.

1. DDF Wrinkle Resist plus Pore Minimizing Serum - okay so it's SO expensive. And if you have good skin, maybe skip this recommendation. But as someone who has struggled with her skin since 5th grade, this stuff has changed my life (dramatic much?) I got a little .5 oz sample in my Birchbox and 3 weeks later, I'm still using it and have plenty left. It goes a LONG way. And seriously, I feel like I don't even need foundation anymore. My under eye bags, way smaller (dare I say, gone?). My pores, teensy. My skin tone is finally evening out. I swear it's even helping out with my acne scars. And my skin is SO soft. Be still, my heart. You can get the .5 oz sample for $10 (I know, EXPENSIVE) at Ulta if you want to give it a go for a month. Askderm.com has a 20% off deal on it if you do want to pull the trigger on the full size bottle with coupon code ASKDERM20. I hate recommending something that's such a budget buster but I just can't keep this one to myself.

2. The Preppy Paleo's Roasted Garlic Brussel Sprouts - Holy (gluten free) macaroni, so so so good. I didn't even know if I liked Brussel sprouts but assumed I would since I can't think of a veggie I don't like (except mushrooms... are those veggies?) D doesn't like Brussel sprouts (is it proper to capitalize that? I do in honor of Mel and Andy) but admitted these were the best he'd ever had... although he still doesn't like them. Hey, pretty rave review coming from him.

3. My new Ficus plant - I've been wanting a Fiddle Leaf Fig since... well... since everyone on the blogosphere got one and I felt way left out, out here in the desert where they don't sell them. This $9.99 ficus D found way in the back of a bunch of palms will fit the bill, I think! So leafy and statement-y. Oh, and I painted the grout in the living room! It makes a world of difference, but now I have to keep going. So. Much. Tile.

Getting it home was an adventure. D said "I guess I can't turn left with that thing in the passenger seat" to which I told him I guess he's not an ambi-turner and the Zoolander quoting commenced.

4. Iced coffee!!! Tis the season! I picked up my first one last week when the weather forecast our first 90deg day and forgot how happy they make me (and how much condensation they produce! C'mon Sbux, you haven't figured out a solution for that yet?) I was getting tired of plain black coffee and had started eyeing the lattes. I needed a change and this should tide me over for a while.

5. Dumbbell Plie Squats - oooo mama. They burn in all the right places AND they don't require a barbell! I much prefer finding ways to lift that don't require a barbell on my shoulders (I do my Jamie Eason barbell lunges with dumbbells, shhhhhh, don't tell her!). The ergonomics of it just don't feel right, ever, and I've had Gerald check my form. Not the point. These squats are great and really, really hard (for me, anyway). I hold a 30 lb dumbbell and struggled to get 3 sets of 10 with good form. Lemme know what your stats are if you try them!

What are your latest obsessions, folks?

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Weekend High/Lows

Friday Low - Hmmm... what did we do Friday night? I think I can give my Friday Low to D. He had the worst week ever at work, so Friday night we just ordered McAlister's, watched TV and chilled.

Friday High - D put together the munchkins' new crate mansion! We hate having their beat up travel crates in our bedroom, so I ordered them a nice, wooden crate they are going to start sharing at bedtime.

They loved it and I'm not even just saying that. They love their little crates and I think they thought they hit the puppy jackpot with this giant one. Although Kanye did get in and look at me like, "Can we go to Nonna's?" It may take him a while to understand the difference been permanent bedroom furniture and travel crate.

Saturday Low - Wedding dress shopping. Which is so depressing, right? I was having anxiety that I'd love every dress I tried on and never be able to make a decision but after 5 dresses, I asked my mom, sister and Ashley "Am I going to be THAT bride?! That hates everything she tries on?!?" I liked tops of dresses and bottoms of others, but none were just right and I think I tried on close to ten. I'm thinking maybe we weren't in the right store; there wasn't a ton of variety. Also, I'm sample size on the top, but not so sample size on the bottom. So I couldn't zip the dresses over my Hugh Jass and then the consultants kept saying "there are bra inserts in the dressing room if you want to put some in your bra to fill the top out" and I had to keep repeating "I already have some in!" Definitely a little depressing! I did get a little excited about a couple dresses... but mostly just because they fit! We'll have to give it another go in Lubbock later this month.

Saturday High - Post dress shopping kitchen painting with Ashley. I'm not going to see her for over a month due to our training schedules so it was SO nice to throw on some yoga pants, drink wine, paint, and catch up. Also, hibachi for dinner wasn't too shabby either!

Sunday Low - OMG you guys. I was channeling my inner Melissa or something on Sunday night and decided to spray paint the old brass fireplace cover while D was at a pick up basketball game. 

Kind of blurry but you can see the shiny monster over there behind Shay Shay and Peyt.

I knew Daryl wouldn't be happy about me using spray paint in the house so after he left, I got out some craft paper and tape and taped off the hearth. 

It took SO long just to get it taped off, but I thought it was my insurance policy to prove to Daryl it was no big deal. After one coat, I let it dry and walked back over to the fire place... at which time my feet stuck to the tile floor. I didn't realize how big the plume of paint would be! I had gotten it all over the floor, the parts of the hearth I hadn't taped off, and the back of our (old) leather sofa! I went in to full panic mode! I ran off to grab cloths to wipe everything down but on my way back, I saw I had tracked brown footprints everywhere I'd gone! I had to go scrub my feet in the bathtub, which is now pretty brown but I'm hoping I can clean with bleach. 

Muuuuch better than the shiny brass it was before

(and I removed the paper from the glass after I took this picture)

Luckily/Unluckily, D started feeling terribly sick while he was at basketball (we think he has the same stomach bug I was battling a couple weeks ago) so when he got home, he could not have cared any less that I'd gotten paint on the tile. Phew. Turned out to be a win, but it was a very dramatic evening.

Sunday High - We finally tore down the hideous old trellis in the backyard! 

You can see it out there, through the windows of this before kitchen picture (wow, has it come a long way). I don't have a better before because we purposely never photographed it because it was fugly (pardon my french). We have a covered porch but the previous owners had added a pergola of sorts... with a trellis wall on one side. I mentioned to D that I should have taken a better before, but we were too excited to start ripping stuff down. 

This wall right here was covered in decaying trellis before we got our hands on it. It was barely tack nailed to the roof so it came off pretty easily. 

Ahhhhh much better! We're now eyeing those crummy old pillars that are in desperate need of an upgrade. Daryl may be converting me to loving outdoor DIY as much as I love indoor ones! Also, you wouldn't know it from those blue skies, but approximately an hour after, a little rain cloud rolled in. 

I didn't think it was enough to cause any real mud... but if there is mud, these fur monsters will find it... and track it in, across the leather couch and my jeans. 

I hope your weekend was as productive but slightly less messy than mine! 

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What's in my Purse?

Happy Friday lovers! We did it! Tomorrow brings lots of excitement for me... I'm trying on WEDDING DRESSES! I've told myself I'm just going to shop and not purchase tomorrow, taking some of the pressure off. I've been hydrating all day, passed on the free wine at Thursday Thursday at the ballpark last night & did my FULL cardio workout today. I'm serious about this.

A while back I mentioned on Instagram that I keep a sports bra in my purse. Because you never know. Everyone has that thing they carry 'because you never know', right? And my friends teased me. And I was like, what?! That's not the strangest thing I've ever carried in my purse. It's probably the strangest thing in my purse these days but maybe not. You be the judge:

I also carry my full makeup bag with me in my purse most all the time... but 'What's In Your Makeup Bag?' sounded like a whole other post :)

GHD Flat Iron

Dasani water bottle

Tiny hairbrush

Sunnies (from Target)

My Cynthia Rowley wallet that I never use anymore

My gold business card case (empty, need to refill)

My leopard compact 'confidence mirror' - you know, for right after you blow your nose or eat something with poppy seeds... just to check things out.

Bath and Body Works Mentha Shimmer Tint... you know the stuff. The same stuff we used to wear in high school. It's still just as good, just as tingly... and just as sticky.

Pop Beauty Aqua Lacquer (the very bright pink one) in Flowering Fushia that I got in my Birchbox. Approximately 1/10 as sticky as the B&BW stuff and not as fluorescent as it looks. My current fave.

Bath and Body Works Night Balm - it's just Carmex as far as I can tell.

My wedding planning notebook my sissy got me :)

My mini file folder for budgeting cash out all Dave Ramsey style... which I haven't used in a while.

My mini sewing kit (that glaring white square)

EOS chapstick that's alllllllllmost too empty to use.

iPhone earbuds

Seacrets nail file

My phone wallet with my Lexus key attached

Uber Larabar in Coconut Macaroon (which I promptly ate after photographing)

Generic Benedryl

Hand lotion

My inhaler

Hand sani

Dry Conditioner

A pair of clip on, blinged out Kate Spade earrings

Clear nail polish

A sharpie and the black pen my sis gave me with the wedding notebook

A plastic spoon - which I had to throw away after laying on my office carpet like that :(

A ton of old receipts, candy wrappers, a Rockhounds baseball ticket, multiple errant sticky notes, lady products, a Christmas ornament I got at the company Christmas party and my garage door opener (not pictured)

When I first got my beloved Louis Vuitton bag, I SWORE I wouldn't carry pens, liquids, food or anything sharp. DEFINITELY not Sharpies. That did not last. Quick review of my Louis Vuitton Tivoli GM - it's everything. Holding up great, the patima is taking a while to come in (which is good with me, the longer it can look brand new, the better!) and I LOVE how wide it opens. I mean, look at that first picture. This baby GAPES open, making it the easiest bag I've ever carried to find my dang keys in. Very pleased! :)

Alright girls, spill! (literally, har har) What's in your purse these days? And what's your one strange thing that you just would rather not leave the house without (a full size flat iron?)?

Have a glorious weekend!

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God-Given Gifts

I had a little mini-epiphany the other day so I figured I'd share it! Disclaimer: this blog isn't really that entertaining. Don't worry, I'll be back to my old self tomorrow.

I read an article about "The measure of faith"... discussing how, in the Bible, they talk about God giving each person a different measure of faith. And God gave some people the gift of great faith, others the gift of giving wise advice, others the gift of special knowledge. I'm paraphrasing here, it's 1 Corinthians 12:6, but the point is, he didn't give ALL of us the gift of great faith.

My epiphany was two fold. First off: None of us got all the gifts. For a long time, I resented that almost every time (had to go back and add that 'almost' haha) D and I get in to an argument, I have to be the one that ends the fight. I have to apologize first. I have to crack the first joke. I have to describe why I thought we got in to this fight and how I thought we could avoid it next time. I'm the peace-maker. That is one of my gifts. And it DROVE ME NUTS (and made me angry) that he didn't share that same gift. I wanted to be the stubborn one and I wanted him to figure out a way to calm me down and make things better. And I judged him for not naturally being good at that. But do you know what? Daryl has a really great gift of being a helluva lot more easy going than me. He picks one fight to my 10 20 25. He lets the little things go so masterfully, with no resentment (that I can tell, anyway). If it weren't for that gift, we'd be in bad shape. So who am I to cast judgement? I should absolutely be thankful ONE of us is good at peace-making and one of us is good at letting the little things go. It's what makes us work. And, for that matter, I should be super willing to peace-make as quickly as I can. It's a gift I was given to strengthen my future marriage. I need to use that gift joyfully (and humbly, because I probably picked the fight to begin with!)

Similarly, I am super efficient. Daryl is super detail oriented and patient. Who am I to cast judgement that he does not have the same gift I have of efficiency? A couple nights ago, I watched him painstakingly shim our kitchen table so it wouldn't wobble (and making sure it was perfectly level). I sat straddling a backwards kitchen chair, watching him, having to tell myself this is a gift. The fact that he will work hard for a long time to make something perfect... that's GOOD! I, on the other hand, would have done the job in 1/2 the time and it wouldn't have been QUITE as level and wouldn't have lasted half as long before it started wobbling again. So, with the task of getting the house cleaned for the house guests we were expecting the next day, I have to realize, this is my strength. I can get 90% of the house clean (not perfect, but efficient), all while he is distracted shimming that table. This is my God-given strength and I need to work on joyfully using it. Because there will be times when perfection and patience will be required (hanging my new 5' longhorn skull comes to mind) and I will get utterly frustrated and complacent about 10 minutes in and I will need to lean on his strengths.

Overall, I just started thinking about strengths... and how sometimes we have a hard time identifying them. And how sometimes I try to force people to do things that aren't a strength of their's but is a strength of mine and get so frustrated when they don't do it the same way I would. Changing people is hard (impossible?). Learning to focus on strengths and humbly be patient with weaknesses is possible! And something I'm going to try harder at.

My second ephipony is: some of us are not designed to have GREAT faith. The article/verse was really discussing THIS issue, not the one I was talking about before, but it's funny how the same verse can teach so many lessons depending on what you're going through at the time. Anyway, I read these blogs and admire other very devoted, faith-filled couples. And I look at Daryl and I and I start to feel... a little less than? I worry what is wrong with us. Why do we seem to not have as much faith as other couples, when we believe all the same things they do? And I felt a little more contentment after reading this article and realizing, maybe NEITHER of us got this gift. We have faith... but neither of us have GREAT faith. The blog says "Perhaps you have more time [than your husband] to dig deeper into the Scriptures or listen to Bible radio programs throughout the day and as a result, your faith is stronger [than your husband's]." Neither of us have that time (I say as I write a blog... #guilty). We both strive to grow our faith, but neither of us have the personality type that is predisposed toward great faith... and for the first time, after reading this article and verse, I realized that's okay. Just keep reading the Word. And keep praying. And be content with trying to be good people who love God.

So anyway, if you love God but feel like you're surrounded by people who seem to love God MORE somehow, know that I feel ya. And I'll probably pray for you to have peace in the measure of faith God gave you, but I might not mention it on Facebook. And people might not think of me when they think of Christian mentors, which honestly hurts my ego a little because I do want to be an example people think of when they think of Christ-centered people, but maybe that's not my gift. I just have to keep focused on what I need to be focused on and compare myself a little less.

Okay, done with my annual serious-ish blog post! XO!

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March Currently

Happy Hump Day, yall! Hope everyone came out of April Fools unscathed. I was on high alert most of the day so I was pretty unprankable. You only forget about April Fools once at my place of employment. Here's a little #currently for March. Here's hoping April is a little more exciting. :)

Watching - Big Bang Theory reruns mixed with King of Queens reruns and Parks and Recreation reruns. True works of art, those three.

Reading - Game of Thrones (I'm as over it as you are but I have to keep going!)

Planning - Engagement pictures! Who knew there'd be so much planning associated! I'm trying to figure out hair, makeup, costume changes, locations... poses! It's very involved (and a lot of fun, so I'm kind of obsessing about it). Like I don't know what color to paint my nails... #whitegirlproblems

There were some jokester ideas on Pinterest for engagement pictures that I loved!

The role reversal pictures were hilarious

This was taken in "the place they have the most happy memories together" hahahaha

Making me mad - Oh. my. gosh. WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHERS! What in the world?! This is total, unabashed ROBBERY! And the worst part of it all is that I want someone with experience so I can't just put out a Craigslist ad for someone or hire a family member like I typically do when I want something done well and for a reasonable price! I think they have me cornered and are going to force me to pay... full price! *gag* I just threw up in my mouth a little.

Making me happy - My aunt's cooking. Holy cow, it's the best thing that's ever happened to Daryl and I. Last night we had the most perfect zucchini lasagna AND cleaned the ENTIRE house to prepare for house guests tonight AND were lounging on the couch by 8:30.

Craving - This is going to sound so foreign for my blog... but I've officially gotten to the point of craving the gym. *insert dramatic music* I'm not seeing a ton of results on the scale but I think that's because I'm not doing enough cardio... but I realized I don't really like cardio that much. So I'm going to just do the recommended 4 sessions of 30 minutes on my plan and spend the rest of the time hulking out in the weight room. Which is dramatic and silly because I do curls with 10 lb weights... and I struggle to finish my sets. And don't even get me started on what I have the pull-up assist machine set at. So weak. So so so weak. No shame. Okay, a little shame.

Avoiding - Organizing my closet. I think instead of organizing the beautiful, huge closet I was so excited about when we bought the house... I'll just go buy new clothes and throw them on top of the heap in the middle of my closet! This is like my one thing and while trying to plan engagement picture outfits, the issue is rearing it's ugly head; I can't find anything! I've always and will always have a horrendously messy closet. I've tried to change but to no avail. And Daryl's closet is all perfect and annoying.

Creating - AH! I'm psyched about this one! I just recently painted this feather art! My inspiration was this cool installation of canvas panels which would have been pretty cool... but I didn't foresee me doing that in the near future (it would definitely be a tough project) and thought this was a good temporary little art project! The frame needs spruced up but I think they turned out pretty stinkin' cute!

My little art project (well, it's about 4' x 4', so not SO little)

The (very expensive) inspiration

Celebrating - Painted crown molding in the kitchen!!! Ahhhh feels so fresh and so clean clean! Now to paint the walls and oh so carefully start decorating the kitchen without D noticing. I've got a plan up my sleeve but if I tried to explain it, D would put the kabosh on it. So I just have to do it without talking about it at all because I know he'll love it not hate it!

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