About Me

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I love life. I want to make people excited about theirs, and try and help people find the humor in everyday circumstances. We only live once, why not try to make each day great?

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Marriage ... what no one ever tells you..

I have been married to my husband for close to two years now. Given our marriage was "accelerated" by a few things.. however- I think there are a few KEY items that I was never informed about before we "took the plunge". I feel it is my duty to women everywhere to let them know what REALLY happens behind closed doors- because I was completely unprepared.

Those "adorable" little quirks he has that you think are lovable now... will REALLY irk you at some point in the future. He will leave the dishes in the sink when he could easily and effortlessly, just wash them off and throw them in the dish washer. His chivalrous traits will wane slightly, although not all the way. You will at times have to give him "that look" when he forgets to open your car door for you, or doesn't hold the door open, or makes an entrance in front of you.

You WILL get in the BIGGEST fights over petty things because they happen again.... and again... and again.... AND the OTHER things you will fight about will be based around Sex, Money, and Family (and probably in that order).

You WILL have days when you do things to each other just to annoy them.
You WILL have days when you just don't want to talk to him.
You WILL (eventually) fight over who goes to the grocery store.
You WILL come to the realization that there are some things that he will just NEVER understand.
You WILL wonder why you chose to get married in the first place.
You WILL doubt decisions you've made.
You WILL get into a fight because you will be "too tired".
You Will NEVER understand his obsession over some of his "toys".
You WILL yell at him because he does NOT understand that doing the laundry doesn't mean just turning on the washing machine and throwing a load in- a complete "laundry" session constitutes of ACTUALLY remembering to put them in the dryer- and for the 100th time- your FAVORITE sweater does NOT go in the dryer... and that a Dryer sheet is - in fact- a necessity.
You WILL tell him how disgusting he is for clipping his toe nails in random places- and you will have to tell him over and over again to do it over the trashcan or toilet.
You WILL gently (then not so gently) point out that dirty clothes NEXT to the hamper are only inches away from the actual hamper... IT IS NOT THAT HARD TO PUT THEM IN THERE!!!!!
You WILL get grossed out by what he considers "acceptable" breakfast food (Ramen is NOT a breakfast food)
You WILL feel like his mother/keeper at times.

However... with the bad- you've also got a lot of good...
You WILL have some of the best times of your life with him.
He WILL make up for his perceived short comings
You WILL still consider some of his quirks cute.
He WILL be one of the only ones who can totally turn your day around.
You WILL be thankful to be going home to him when you hear your friends talking about their dating experiences
He WILL support and love you and see you through huge changes in your life- and he will fully understand everything going on- because it's his life too.

All in all... you ARE happier being married- but because you love him so much- you're able to get mad at him and yell at him because when it comes down to it... that's what marriage is about. You know all of each other's faults and short comings- but you love each other regardless- and because of that- you love each other even more.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Memo To The World

Recently, as some of you might know, I came down with whooping cough. I was basically "out of commission" for a month... During that time, a lot happened. My husband and I had a critical moment in our marriage, my grandmother had last-minute open heart surgery, and an extremely close friend lost someone very dear to them. It really made me re-evaluate my life. I began doing some reading into simplifying your life... and what it really means to take care of yourself. This brought on more personal issues as I delved deeper into why I am the way I am, and how much has changed in my life over the past five years. I began asking myself why I was taking advantage of life... why I don't take more time for prayer and meditation...why I struggle with weight... why I was becoming so stressed out over trivial issues... This brought me to a conclusion- I bring this on myself.
I had become so wrapped up in just everything- I had forgotten to take care of me. Now given, my life has been a whirlwind the past few years, but that's no excuse for someone to not take the high road.

So after doing some praying, more reading, and soul searching... I have decided to say no. "What?" you say... "Say no to what?"... I am saying no to excuses; no to bad judgment; and no to actions that don't reflect the person that I want to be.

I'm sure most of you are thinking... meh- this is a phase she's going through... she'll get tired of it. But that is exactly why I'm publishing this... by posting this to review by my friends, family, and even strangers- I am allowing people to openly see my struggles. Making intentions public automatically mean that I can be held accountable to this change.

What am I changing? Little things- which are, in the end, the biggest things. I began by going through my closet and getting rid of clothing that I never wear. To me, this symbolized ridding myself of unnecessary materialism. I then looked at my average day, and forced myself to rework my schedule to include only the things that I considered important and that make me happy.... and an AMAZING thing has happened!! I've found more time to do things I love!!! I'm no longer stressed out in the mornings when we're running around the house getting ready to leave... I enjoy sitting down and eating breakfast and watching cartoons with my daughter... I love going to work being prepared- but relaxed throughout the day.. I LOVE going to pick up my daughter and going to the park, or going for a walk without thinking that I need to be doing other things. Since I made more time in my day, I actually have time to think about me, and what I need to do for myself so that I'm at MY best... so I've starting reading the bible again daily, taking time to pray and meditate on what I've read and what's on my heart- to write it down... Being able to do this- reminded me that my body IS a temple.. and I need to take care of it- so I joined a gym so that I'm able to work out during my lunch. I consider working out a release, and this new trend keeps me energized throughout my day. I am really excited about this lifestyle "update"... and really feel good about making a change.

We only have one life, and I plan on living it to the fullest in the best way possible. I encourage you to do one thing- jot down the most important four or five things in your life... then look at your average day. How can you make your days better? What needless tasks can you eliminate? How much do you watch TV, or spend on the computer at home? What can you change so that you're spending more time doing what you love? Ask yourself those questions, and I promise, you'll want to "update your life" as well!!!

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

I really love my husband

So everyone knows that I adore my husband.. I love him to death...
However... no not even a however.. This case calls for a "but"...
I LOVE MY HUSBAND.. BUT...
The other morning.. I coulda' KEEEEEEEHHHHLLLLLLLLDDDD him. (that's "killed" for those of you not familiar with Achmed the Dead Terrorist).
So... our beautiful little girl has a little run in with diarrhea. It was horrid, so of course- we take her to the tub to take her clothes off and hose her down.. so as I'm giving her a bath.. I hear him turn on the washing machine... I'm PRAYING that he didn't just throw the clothes in without washing them off... so I continue bathing her.. and he walks into the bathroom with an accomplished smile on his face.. and I ask... "you did wash off the clothes before you threw them in the washing machine- didn't you?"... his smile fades.. "No- why would you need to- it washes them for you... that's why its called a WASHING MACHINE."

Now... by this point in time... its about 7:30 in the morning.. we're already running late.. I'm beyond annoyed- and his seemingly funny retort just mangled the morning more.

"You're right... we only want CLEAN SHIT floating around in our washing machine.. What ARE you thinking?!?!?!? WAIT!! I know.. you AREN'T because no person in their right mind would throw clothes that have BABY crap ALL over them right into the wash to be 'washed' right along with the clothes!!!"

Of course this instigates an all out fight in which I am perfect and never do anything wrong- and how he can't do anything right. UGH!


SERIOUSLY... this wouldn't happen if men would do take care of SHIT before helping out!!!

hehe no pun intended..

Friday, October 10, 2008

Where do we Americans get off...

So... the other night on one of those "history channel" specials did an in-depth coverage on the "energy crisis". Of course- since I'm a geek- I watched it- and took notes. (Much to Greg's dismay it was my turn to be couch commando- so he had to suffer through basically a crash course of energy- and watching things he had NO interest in... I took as payback for the endless hours I've had to listen or watch the Rockies)... however- back to the subject...
They interviewed a series of people.. consisting of executives of BP, Exxon, etc., as well as "industry gurus" who have been studying consumption and development patterns and numbers basically their entire life. In opposition, of course they found environmental activists, harking on how oil is keeping renewables from springing up.

Blaming the government for lack of funding/interest...

Let's get to what really irks me.
First and foremost- I see the ACTUAL usage of the entire US on a daily basis. I document and analyze energy projects that are in all stages- just announced, under construction...etc. I can tell you right now- the government isn't keeping renewables from taking over- it's the INABILITY of American's to stomach the costs, and habits that we'd have to take up in order to MAKE them happen.
Let's rehash the typical American's day... we get up.. turn off our alarm clocks..turn on coffee (made with water we don't need to worry if it's drinkable or not)... stumble to the light switch and turn them on without a second thought to whether or not there will be electricity... then we take our shower.. do our grooming routines... make up, hair stuff, blowdryer, etc... once we're done.. then we get breakfast ready for ourselves or kids... which usually means toaster, frying pan... food from the refrigerator or freezer.. milk/juice from the local walmart...or from the pantry- filled with more food items than most families in the world will see in a month... then pick our coffee cup or plate from our choice of dishware...turn on the TV... AND WE HAVEN'T EVEN LEFT OUR HOUSE YET!!!!!
We are all guilty of keeping renewables from happening. The truth is- while there's an abundance of them, they ARE NOT AS RELIABLE (right now) as America would need them to be to support our Mornings- MUCH LESS OUR ENTIRE DAY!!
Even right now- if you're reading this... you're sitting at a computer because you've got time and resources available to you. You probably have a phone sitting within an arm's reach as well.

Basically, what I'm saying is that we have had such a shift in society from providing our own necessitites of life... we no longer have the capability to be self-sufficient! There has been a complete and total change in the habits of this country. We are no longer required to produce our own food, provide shelter, or basically anything else. We've gotten so used to having things HANDED to us- it is now expected and not just expected- but demanded.
Until we experience a shift in our ideaology of expecting to have everything when we want it- our "dependence" on fossil fuels isn't an option- it's a way of life.