Saturday, July 31, 2010

101 in 1001

I'm sure most of you have heard of a "bucket List" or the idea of making a list of things to do before you kick the bucket. 101 in 1001 is a very similar idea. It's essentially a list of goals you hope to accomplish in the next 1001 days.

Why 1001 days? It's a firm deadline. It gives you enough time to make accomodations for financial aspects of big goals, and really work on each item without being so long that you procrastinate or forget about the list completely. The number itself also looks catchy. :)

Why now? It's an extention of the feeling that finally led me to decide to go back to school full time... I want to find joy in my day to day routine again. I've spent months being miserable, so now I plan to spend the next 1001 days doing things that I've either never done, or that I like to do but don't make time for. I'm hoping that after the 1001 days I'll be able to look in the mirror and see the happy, healthy person I remember being.

The deadline: April 27, 2013

The complete list of items I hope to accomplish by that date can be found HERE and you can go back and see my progress at any time by clicking the 101 in 1001 icon on the left.

Friday, July 30, 2010

a little help from a radio preacher

This morning I was listening to the daily devotion on the radio (a really cool feature for a top 40 station to have btw... only in the south) and I felt like the preacher was talking directly to me. He might as well have started his talk with "I wrote this specifically because you need to hear it, Bekkah".

He was discussing how, in life, we really have two things we need to find joy in to be able to enjoy our lives fully - our loved ones and our daily routine. If we can love what we do and love the people around us, then it stands to reason that we will be happy with our lives. He also said that if you are in a place where you are not happy with either one of those things, you need to seriously think about what you can do to improve the situation.

This led to quite a bit of introspection on my part.

It's no secret that I hate my job. If you asked me to name something positive about it I might be able to think of something if you gave me a while and caught me on a good day... but probably not. Just the thought of coming in to the office puts me in a bad mood. This is no way to live. Nobody wants to be miserable for 10 hours per day (yes, I said 10 hours... the hour commute each way and then 8 hours at a desk. ew).

Luckily, this particular position is ending in a few weeks and I have the opportunity to make some changes. However, just what those changes will entail, I wasn't sure... until today. I've finally made up my mind.

Steve and I have thrown around quite a few scenarios, but we keep coming back to the idea of me going back to working only part time and attending school full time. I've been resisting because it feels like a step back. I've been applying the "If you're going through hell, keep going" mentality to my situation, so the idea of throwing it all out the window and starting over made me sick to my stomach. This morning the lightbulb came on though. I'm beginning to see that the part time option isn't a step back, it's like hitting the shortcut bridge in Candyland.... I get to skip over the swamp and get closer to the candy castle.

I want to be a teacher. It's taken me a long time to finally make up my mind, but I really want to teach high school English. I've known this for months. I'll be amazing at it too. I don't want to trudge through years of jobs that I hate and pick my way through school on the side to get there. I have the opportunity to make school a top priority again. I need to take it.

So, a decision has been made. Once this job is over, I'm going to rock the student life again... minus the sorority shenanigans, plus a husband. It may not be glamorous and it may not be where I thought I would be after a year of marriage, but it will be the direction of my dreams. I will go confidently in that direction and eventually find the life I've always imagined. Thoreau would be proud. :)

Thank you Rev. Creede Hinshaw for the incredibly helpful installment of "Morning by Morning".

Thursday, July 29, 2010

set your DVR

My craptastic week just got about a million times better!

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The new season of Project Runway starts tonight! Until yesterday I had no idea that this was happening.

So tonight Steve, Finn, and I are going to relax on the couch and watch the awesomeness that is Tim Gunn attempt to impart wisdom to the designer wannabes.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

What a day for a daydream

This week is proving to be incredibly trying.

I'm not even going to go into it all here because I don't want to think about it right now. Right now, I'm going to pull up pictures of the English countryside and daydream about taking a trip to

Stratford-Upon-Avon,
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Chawton,
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and London
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I hope your day and week is going better than mine!

Monday, July 26, 2010

a case of the Mondays

I hate that saying, but it is the closest description I can find to properly describe how I feel today.

I'm incredibly annoyed and irritated but the only remotely acceptable reason I have for feeling this way is the fact that today is Monday.

In an effort to keep myself from developing a permanent scowl, here are some things that make me smile:

1. our sweet boy, Finn.

2. wildflowers growing on the side of the road

3. the huge sunflowers for sale in front of Food Lion.

4. Finally figuring out what to make for my friend/ little sister's baby

5. Finding these instructions on how to make these beautiful babies for cheap!
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6. the picture on my desk from my wedding.

What helps you pull yourself from the edge of a craptastic day?

Friday, July 23, 2010

menu planning and grocery line pride

Steve and I sat down today and planned out our menu for the next week or so. I'm really excited about what we have planned as it's all relatively simple recipes but healthy and well balanced (for the most part).

Tonight, for example, we're having the chicken we learned how to make on our honeymoon last year and a mixed green salad. The chicken is really simple but includes tons of veggies and a tiny bit of white wine.

Later in the week we have balsamic green beans and mashed sweet potatoes... all kinds of yummy "Treats" that are actually pretty good for us.

All of these good food choices led to a very healthy looking grocery list of course. This made me so happy.

Maybe I'm the only one... (this would not suprise me since 1) I'm incredibly weird, and 2) I care WAY too much what other people think about me) but when I go to the grocery store I strive to be able to be proud of every item I put on the checkout belt.

When I have junk food or a bunch of processed food in my cart I feel like the cashier is judging me. Probably because I am judging myself. I feel so much better when I leave the store if I have a lot of fresh ingradient-looking stuff rather than pre-made stuff.

Again... maybe I'm just weird. Today was a great grocery day though.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

puppy love

Steve and I are quickly finding out that new puppy = no sleep, very little quiet time to ourselves and a new appreciation for plastic bags and hand sanitizer. It also means our cat currently hates us.

I was dragging quite a bit at 5am when my alarm went off and I took Finn out for our morning walk. Thank God he is so good on a leash because I was fairly zombie-ish walking around the apartment complex with him.

Poor Steve is desperately trying to get over a sensitive nose so he doesn't gag when he picks up after Finn outside. Our apartment complex has pet stations in the grassy areas so nobody has an excuse for not picking up after their pet, which is incredibly effective and convenient. However, Steve has never had to do the plastic bag trick before and I would say that, over all, he is not adjusting to the practice very well. He still looks absolutely green when he comes in from walks.

Tonight I am going to try and take Finn for a bit of a run. We've done short little bursts a couple times, but never anything prolonged. I think he'll like it. And since I'll be taking him for walks anyways, I might as well get in some good exercise.

I have Friday off this week (thanks to my stint at the circulation desk on Sunday afternoon) so I plan to take Finn over to the park that morning. He's never been so it should be a lot of fun! With any luck he'll get a chance to meet my brother and sister in law on Sunday as well.

Monday, July 19, 2010

Introducing the newest member of our family...

FINN!!!
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He is a 12 week old German Shepherd mix and we are completely in love with him.

We found him on Petfinder.com then called the rescue group he was with (Manes & Danes in Pooler) and found out that he would be at their adoption event on Sunday at Petsmart. So we went with high hopes that he would be a good fit for us. In the past we had found dogs we loved in pictures, but didn't really connect with in person.

That was definitely not the case with Finn!

When we first got to Petsmart Finn was getting a checkup with the vet so we waited for a few minutes while he finished up. All of a sudden, the rescue worker comes through the door to the waiting area with this sweet boy running right for us with a big puppy grin on his face. He jumped right into my arms and gave Steve and I big kisses. We knew right then and there that he was ours.

After walking him around for a few minutes to makes sure we weren't completely giving in just due to cuteness, we went ahead and filled out all the necessary paperwork so he could come home with us.

Once he was officially ours, we took him on a mini shopping spree through the store for the necessities: food, food and water dishes, crate, gate to keep him out of the cat box..... and of course toys and treats. :)

So far we have discovered that he loves puzzels and treats. His treat puzzle is pretty much his favorite thing ever and it's hilarious to watch him play! He also has some funny expressions... which are only made cuter by those ridiculously adorable ears.

If you couldn't tell, I'm completely smitten with our little guy. :)

Saturday, July 17, 2010

meeting the neighbors

We have been living here, in our apartment in Savannah, for almost a year now and until yesterday we had never met our neighbors. I know we should have introduced ourselves a long time ago, but we just never did. I guess we're social wimps like that.

However, when I came home from the doctor yesterday afternoon I noticed some flowers outside of the door of our neighbors downstairs (the ones directly below our apartment) with a sign that said "just married".

Being a July bride myself, I was so excited for them and felt like maybe it was time to meet them.

So, I went upstairs and grabbed a bottle of wine (we always keep a bottle or two - or five- of our wedding wine on hand) and a little congratulatory note and headed back downstairs.

Our neighbors were so suprised! They were grateful for the wine and we ended up talking for almost an hour. They're a young couple like Steve and I, and it turns out, they got married the day before our anniversary! We agreed that we should get together for dinner sometime and I am looking forward to having them over.

It's nice to make unexpected friendships.

Monday, July 12, 2010

(not so) manic Monday

I pretty much hate Mondays. They're just so incredibly depressing after two full days of restful bliss.

Today, however, is a rare exception. Why?

I am sitting on my insanely comfortable couch, sipping Earl Grey and basking in the knowledge that I have the next two days off of work. I get to spend my Tuesday and Wednesday enjoying quality time with the man who suprises me with daisies at work and makes incredibly lame jokes just to see me smile.

Too bad more Mondays can't be like this!

Sunday, July 11, 2010

1st Anniversary

One year ago today, in front of about 110 of our closest family and friends, Steve and I promised to spend the rest of our lives together. It was the most incredible day of my life so far. As a little girl (hopeless-romantic daydreamer that I was) I often thought about how I wanted my wedding to be, what flowers I would carry, what songs would be played, and of course what my dress would look like.

I can say with absolute certainty that my wedding day was everything I had ever dreamed of and more. I can't even find the words to adequately explain how completely perfect that day was for me. However, I know that the biggest reason that day was so incredible is the person I married.

I'm lucky enough to be married to my best friend. Someone who challenges me and comforts me. Someone who supports me in absolutely everything and always encourages me to be myself. Someone who completely believes in me and loves me for exactly the person that I am.

We have faced many challenges this year... both planned and unplanned, and through it all one thing has become clear: everything will be okay as long as we hold on tight to each other.

So... today we are celebrating everything that brought the two of us together, everything we have experienced together, and everything awaiting us in our future. Who knew that the decision to attend a party almost four years ago would have brought us to where we are today.

Thursday, July 8, 2010

snack of champions... and fat kids

I go to Subway quite a bit for lunch just in an effort to escape my office. I've got my order down and rarely deviate... the ladies at my local store pretty much know it without me having to say anything.

Today though, I saw found Miss Vickie's Kettle Cooked Jalapeno chips. With my new found love of all things involving peppers, I had to try them.

All I can say is: YUM!

Please, even if you aren't a fan of chips, spicy stuff, peppers of any kind.... I don't care. You really need to try these. They are crunchy, delicious chips of pure win.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Trying not to wallow

In the last year Steve and I have made several sacrifices in order to lay a good, solid foundation for our future. We've made hard decisions and agreed to live with the immediate unpleasantness in exchange for long term benefits. Unfortunately, I'm not that great at being patient and the unpleasantness of right now is weighing on me particularly heavy this week. I actually cried at my desk this morning.

In an effort to avoid wallowing in my own "poor me" attitude this week, I am wrapping up some loose ends on something I actually have some control over. I got in touch with the people at the school I'll be attending in the fall to (finally) get back to work on my degree!

I talked with admissions to make sure I'm all set and enrolled. I checked out my financial aid award information to make sure I can pay for classes and I'm awaiting a call back from my advisor to get me registered for classes. With any luck I will finally start making some forward progress on this goal of mine and get myself that much closer to where I want to be.

Monday, July 5, 2010

Happy 4th!

This weekend Steve and I took a roadtrip to Columbus to see our friends/ college family for the holiday. These people are the ones who have been there for Steve and I since before there even WAS a Steve and I so having a long weekend to catch up with them and celebrate was incredible.

It was interesting too just to see how much things have changed in the last year within our group of friends. Instead of the rowdy college kids we're all settled and married... kids on the way for one of our friends too. Instead of going out to a bar or getting sloppy drunk in someone's back yard we had a pot luck supper and a couple beers. Very chill.

I swear, everything has changed except the red SOLO cups.

I hope everyone had a safe and happy 4th of July and is ready to get back to the day to day tomorrow!

Thursday, July 1, 2010

Is it seriously July 2010?

This time last year I was fully immersed in wedding preparations. I was freaking out that it was already July and so many people hadn't RSVP'd. I was attending final meeting with the vendors and just generally nervous as hell.

My anniversary isn't for another 10 days (holy crap!), but the fact that July 2010 is already here simply astounds me. Apparently time flies no matter what you are doing... fun or otherwise.