Achieving Adulthood

We did it -- closed on our first house yesterday. The amount of space we have is mind boggling. We'll never be able to go back to our NYC ways of living together in less than 400 square feet of space!

Today Shawn and his amazing helpers got most of our stuff moved over (I'm writing this from the apartment and we'll take a load of foodstuffs and clothes to the house in a bit ... Internet not turned on at the house yet).

Shawn and the new fridge: Thanks Dale and Steve!

Mari and the new washer/dryer

Realizing I don't have a good picture of the front of the house. I could steal one from the real estate listing, but those were taken when the trees were bare. The trees are not bare now -- there's even one that flowers purple!

Best shot i've got for now.

We have a lot of work to do. I'm quite tired and ready to make the bed and fall asleep. More updates as we go from turning this house into our home.

Edit: Updated to thank Steve ... also, this was my 1000th post.

Brain Drain

I'm finding that I'm losing my mind, brain cell by brain cell. I find myself making a few more mistakes at work than normal -- nothing job threatening, but still annoying for this do-a-great-job-at-all-costs girl.

Last weekend I did the grocery shopping, loaded my purchases in our reusable bags except for the meat, which I always ask to be placed in plastic. I get home, bring in as much as I can and send Shawn out to get the rest. It wasn't until I tried to make dinner on Monday evening -- 24+ hours after shopping -- that I realized the meat wasn't in the fridge. I guess it sort of helps that Shawn didn't notice the meat in the trunk either (apparently I'd tucked it behind the crate we keep in the trunk), but surely I should have remembered while I was loading up the fridge. What an expensive mistake!

We use a calendar at work that's online and everyone can see each other's appointments. I was looking at this week, preparing for what I'd need to do when I noticed something on Thursday that looked unfamiliar. From 10-11:30 I had a "Hold: Personal Time." I have no idea what that could mean or when I would have put it there. Seriously NO recollection. Thursday came and went, and as far as I can tell no personal time was needed. But things are certainly feeling mushy re: my sharpness.

Although I didn't sit on the beach in Galveston last week I did take my requisite feet shot when I was on the beach on Treasure Island, Florida, a couple months ago. So here's that.

Feet on the beach in Florida -- May 2011

Nearing a G

I'm just a few posts away from my 1,000th. If I were writing as I have in the past I'd be closing in on 1,500 by now. But such is (my) life.

I traveled to Galveston for work this week -- the FOURTH time to that city (?) in less than a year of work for this company. Things could always be worse, and I made it back safe and sound enough. I didn't take a single picture -- of my feet, the beach or my feet on the beach. Has the blogger bug left me?

I've been reading a lot but not cataloging for Good Reads. Whoops. I'm also watching a lot of house hunting and renovation shows. DIY has become a new favorite channel.

Because I've been spending my evenings on HGTV/DIY and some books I've fallen behind on my DVR. I have hours and hours of USA/TNT TV shows, plus Friday Night Lights, to catch up on. I have a feeling it is a futile effort though.

First world problems for real.

Someone ...

is on his way to seeing his Auntie M!!!

Nothing like an impromptu trip to coincide w/ a work trip Shawn will be taking Sat-Sat. AMLBO and it's only a few hours until he'll be getting squeezed!!!

Three Years Down

 

Three years ago today Shawn and I got hitched. Today we'll be house hunting to celebrate (I'm so impatient ... and don't really feel like I can chronicle the journey until it's sewn up) and later maybe some chocolate cake. Nothing like a holiday though. And sad that my President's Day post is still on my blog front page by the time Memorial Day rolls around. Whoops?! I'll try to ramp up my blogging this summer... TBD

Bubbaroo Webcam

Long Time Gone

My friends from high school married their high school boyfriends,
Moved into houses in the same ZIP code where their parents live.
But I ... I could never follow ... no, I ... I could never follow ...

That's* not really true. I'm sure if I'd had a boyfriend in high school -- if any of the Indiahoma guys had found me worthy of something more than occasional homework help -- I'd be holed up somewhere in SW Oklahoma too. But as it is, my life is turning out much better, despite living in this crazy southern Louisiana.

I can't promise a return to regular blogging, but here's a map showing my travels in March. Then in April I was on a plane to DC and back. And since have just been recovering from all that.

*These are lyrics from a Dixie Chicks song.

When Shawn's Not Home

Shawn just informed me I haven't been updating my blog... Things have been a little busy at work, and I haven't been feeling well for the last week or so. We had my in-laws visiting, which is a post in itself. (Caught in a rain storm in New Orleans after Mardi Gras parades on Saturday.)

When Shawn is gone house keeping goes to the pits. I don't make the bed as well, I just load the dishwasher instead of washing as we go, and I watch more TV than is necessary. I'll be glad when he's home tomorrow.

And I'll be even more glad when I don't feel this crummy... Hope I turn the corner before I have to start traveling on Tuesday.

Toxic

No, not the Britney song.

Baton Rouge is the fifth most toxic city in the U.S., according to some list just released. Just an interesting tidbit for you.

I've got to get over myself. A new girl is starting at work next week. All through the interview her name has been a name close to mine (but the version spelled w/ a Y plus a middle name). But suddenly now she's also going by a version spelled almost the same as mine (add an i after the a) without the middle name. It's driving me crazy, mainly because I feel threatened and my name is MINE. What is wrong with me?

Plenty.

I have a haircut scheduled next week, and I never like the way they turn out at this place. I called today to cancel ... and my actual stylist answered. So I chickened out and said "wrong number." WHAT IS WRONG WITH ME?! I guess I'll just cancel when the girl calls to confirm it.

So those are a couple of examples of just how ridiculous I am.

Edit: In other name news, when I picked up a prescription today they had spelled my name as Merilyn. THAT'S NOT MY NAME! I didn't think I was so uptight, but I'm wound up about this. I thought Walgreens would have looked me up and linked my account to my NYC prescriptions, but since it's a fresh account anyway I'm going to try a different, more convenient pharmacy.

Seriously, one crab apple of a day.

Pretty Girl Rock

Saw this video a while back, and I don't normally like to watch videos, so it was probably a random flip through thing. And then I heard the song in the car and really liked it. I am finally trying to use my iTunes gift card from Christmas (and a random $10 I had in my iTune account from filling out a survey or something?) and this is one of the songs I bought. I really like that her name is Keri, so Mari works in the song just as easily. :)

It's been a good weekend, and today, Sunday, will be super good too b/c Shawn is home from his quick jaunt to Texas and we can groove together before the start of the work week and impending arrival of some certain in-laws of mine!

Also, bring it Mardi Gras!

Hail the Presidents

What did you do today?

Today I attempted to be a housewife, a given since I was home alone while the hubs was at work. Federal holidays are fun!

Anyway, I made five meals for the week -- onion soup, enchilada casserole, chicken and onion bake, hamburgers, a salad w/ mini burgers. I also went to Target because I could! I made myself fly in and out for the few things we needed, avoiding the clothing sale racks.

I'll never be a worthy stay-at-home spouse, but man it's fun for a day here and there. And that plays into some blog posts I've been meaning to write about.

They're both several weeks old. Once is a Slate article about Mormon housewife blogs and the (non-Mormon) writer's addiction to them. These blogs are an extension of scrapbooking and documenting a family's life. And they present a perfect stylized life.

There are lots of other blogs like that, with and without religious overtones, and I like reading things like that, even if they sometimes make me feel bad through jealousy. Another blog (Those Hardings) wrote about that and how she tries to avoid comparisons. The comments on her post are really good, and I actually found the post via That Wife (a Mormon blog that I probably found via the Slate article in the first place).

It's unlikely I'll ever change my blog reading habits to avoid anything that might make me want to compare my life to another blogger's. And I'll continue to write about only the best parts of things and try not to reveal the girl behind the curtain, if you know what I mean.

The rest of my President's Day involves continuing to watch DVR'ed House episodes in advance of tonight's new episode. I already worked out so I can relax until dinner.

Covet Beads

Had a way fun time at the downtown Baton Rouge Mardi Gras parade. It was family friendly, which meant no flashing required to get beads AND I was taller than the kids around me so could snag a lot of them. Don't I look like a success?

Plenty of purple beads, and looking forward to the next opportunity to beg for these pieces of plastic. Such a funny tradition.

The theme of the parade was "Once Upon a Time" and I even got a commemorative bead necklace with a medallion on it ... but I'm not wearing that one in the picture. Louisiana rocks my socks right now!

The Ledge

photo © 2007 Paul Robertson | more info (via: Wylio)Our next door neighbors in the "Big I" had this half-wall of brick on one side of the house. On the top was a little ledge/lip of brick. It wasn't too high -- I'll have to visually measure it when I'm home next time -- but I remember on more than one occasion that we'd climb up there and take turns jumping to the ground. And I would have to try so hard to psych myself up before I could fling myself the ~6 feet to the ground.

I've been thinking about that ledge and that feeling.

Thursday was my worst day this week and I got a couple calls from colleagues asking if they could "talk me off the ledge." Even though I wasn't actually planning anything or given any indication that I was reaching my limit -- it was evident even from afar that I had taken on just about all any one person could handle, even if that one person is me -- especially given that they didn't know my full capacity. I think they know now.

I was wild eyed and crazy, but I even stopped at the most inopportune time to have lunch with a friend from church that I had planned well before the perfect storm of website-event planning-print production deadlines formed. The lunch was great and during our conversation she said something about me being a very positive person. I think it's all in perception and how much of myself I display in given situations.

Anyway, today was easier, catching up and my heart didn't fly into palpitations like it did yesterday. I'll press on.

Even better: it's a three day weekend! I'll probably still check e-mail lightly, but extra sleep will be delicious. And we've got a couple fun things planned already.

Every Day is Valentine's Day at Our House

One of the blogs I read suggested posting a picture with your valentine, so here's mine. This is right when the "husband and wife" thing was done and the musicians were starting up with the Star Trek theme. We're nerds, but we like it.

Happy Valentine's Day!

What Do You Do? Part Deux

Back in November I wrote about what I do as a job. But this week someone asked me "What do you do?" in the context of hobbies or interests outside of work. So really, what do I do with my time?

Much to Shawn's chagrin, TV is a big interest and time suck. I get heavily involved in shows. Lately I've been re-watching old House re-runs and being a swoony Hugh Laurie fan. But that's only the tip of the iceberg.

I read books (currently reading One Thousand Gifts as part of an online book club and loving it -- more on that later) and I write letters (accepting pen pal invitations if anyone is interested in receiving snail mail). I write here on this blog, and you know I read a lot of blogs. The number in my Google Reader is always increasing, and my stats as of today:

From your 311 subscriptions, over the last 30 days you read 3,612 items, clicked 12 items, starred 2 items, shared 9 items, and emailed 2 items. Since August 10, 2006 you have read a total of 177,505 items.

I don't read every post of every blog, but I scan almost every title. (And there are a few blogs that I read every word of ... mostly of those people I know IRL and a few that are just so good I can't stand to miss it.)

I crochet. Gran taught me when I was 16, the summer that she had a broken some bones and I helped Grandpa take care of her. I put it aside for a while, but right after college I got started again. I'd never put together that timing, but I must have used crochet as part of therapy to nurse a broken heart because that's when I started making scarves for everyone with their initials stitched on. I've since created loads of baby blankets (I'm at that age still where everyone around me is popping out kiddos), and a couple of larger afghan projects for my Gran and mother-in-law. One project that is in constant hibernation is a bedspread I wanted to make for Shawn and me within our first year of marriage. I think I've made 3 or 4 of the dozens of squares required. Sometime I'll turn back to it, maybe in time for a house?!

Shawn and I have our bikes now, so we do some of that. I work out most days, but I wouldn't say I do that because I enjoy it. I do it to increase my odds of getting what I most want in life. And it doesn't hurt that my legs become strong, I breathe easier and my clothes fit better.

There are other things I do, like cook dinner, do the laundry, buy the groceries, shop for clothes, webcam with my Owen Max, fiddle with my hair and wish it longer, etc., that seem less like hobbies and more like life.

On Being an Adult

Doesn't this make your heart hurt?

When Owen was just a wee one and he would get frustrated by not being able to do what he wanted or would otherwise have a waah attack, I would sing "It's no fun being a baby, no fun being a baby."

All the while I knew that even if it's not fun, it's even less fun being an adult (at least in some ways).

I've got a list of things I need to do as an adult, or at least the adult I want to be. Some are daily and others are bigger/longer term.

Today I checked something off -- I established care and had a doctor's appointment in our new home town. I had copies of my medical record from my last doctors, but there is so much that just gets dropped from one move to the next. Will be nice to have some continuity. I've had physicians in Oklahoma, Maryland, Virginia, New York and now Louisiana. I guess that's what it's like to be a rambling girl.

Much more to do in my quest for true adulthood (which I write completely tongue in cheek)...

Six Months Ago

We were leaving New York in the wee hours of the morn.

We haven't lived in Louisiana for six months yet, as we traveled for about a week before we got here.

Things are surely different than they were six months ago. I'm pushing myself socially, and I'm working. I don't know if I'm doing a good job at anything, but I'm trying.

I should be more positive in this space. Ha.

Social Media Policy

Sharing what I saw yesterday on a Strategic Public Relations blog. Oh, Doofenschmirtz.

Off to work at a campus closed for ice that didn't happen. Hope the heat is on in my building. I should be able to park closer to it though, so there's that.

Two Dishes

The replacement casserole dish arrived yesterday. Now I just need a recipe and a reason to try it out ... I'll keep looking.

Talked w/ Shawn reliving a conversation I had in which I presented myself terribly, like a know it all (shocker, right?), and I felt so bad.

Shawn pointed out that I can be like that sometime -- Ms. Bossy Britches and he described me like the little kid trying to tell the adults how it is. And even if I'm right and the "adults" do need to have things explained, I come across so badly.

Yeah, I can totally see that...

Wintry weather going on down here -- LSU even shut down. What the what?

You Can't Do That on Television

Or actually you can't do that on the Internet. Or I shouldn't do that on the Internet.

In my quest to read the entire Internet (yuck, yuck), I've found myself down a rabbit hole similar to what I found when we had bedbugs. Doom and gloom and even when someone has a happy experience it's always ... I don't even know the words to describe it -- wistful, melancholy, that-can-never-be-me?

I'll have to keep my blog going on my weather observations (seriously, a 50-degree swing in 24 hours - wtf?!), gripes about work (why do you think I'm trying to read the entire Internet, and soon it will be so busy I'll be traveling nonstop), crochet projects, book reviews and mushy gushy stuff about Shawn (although let's be serious, I should cut that out too/it's sort of embarrassing to him I think) and Owen.