Monday, July 19, 2010
Moving on
We finally found flat land in Little Rock!!! I never thought it would happen and almost had a meltdown over spending more money to build on a crawl space. Sounds ridiculous doesn't it. Well a few weekends ago our builder spent three hours driving us around town until we finally decided on a new neighborhood in Chenal. I was a little iffy about it since it just opened last year and they haven't had any takers, but our builder had a meeting with Chenal Properties and apparently things are turning around there. They have 3 prospective pre-solds and he agreed to build a spec home next to us so we wouldn't be all alone in this subdivision. Hopefully it will be the jump start the neighborhood needs. It really is the perfect location for us. It's a smidge further for the hubs to drive but it's only 3 miles from my work. Wohoo! Also, we can have a doggie friendly backyard. I can't wait. It might be a couple of years (unfortunately) before we get a dog though. Apparently starting a family takes priority to the hubs and he doesn't think I can handle a newborn,a puppy, a cat, and him all at once. Ok he might have a point, but honestly I'd rather have the puppy. Easier to potty train. :) So hopefully after the beginning of next year we'll be breaking ground on our new house. Honestly, I'll be sad to see our current house go, but we've just run out of space. The hubs broke ground on it before we got together so it was supposed to be his bachelor pad. Then I come along and completely change everything. He even changed the closet plans to include a built in shoe rack just for me! That's how you know you're loved! Even though I would love one day to have the closet that Big built for Carrie in Sex and the City. I already have the shoes all I need is the closet! Is that too much to ask? :) So other than looking through house plans and trying to decide what we want to do not a whole lot has been going on. Things have definitely been slower this year and that has been a nice reprieve to the constant running around that we did last year. Planning a wedding will definitely suck the life out of you. It's been nice to just enjoy our time together and not have to worry about keep appointments and deciding random details. I plan on keeping the hubs forever because I would never have another wedding...and it's an added bonus that I happen to adore and love him. But it looks like things will pick up speed as the rest of the year goes by getting started designing a new house and then in the fall we're planning a trip to DC since his fam is over that way. It's always nice to throw in a mini-vacay with a mix of holidays. There is just one more thing I'm looking forward to...FOOTBALL SEASON!!! Hey U of A, can you send me my tickets now please? Go Hogs!
Monday, June 21, 2010
For every season...
This season has proven to be an interesting and difficult one. First of all it is hotter than ever in June. It's not even July yet and it's already up to 100 degrees on a sunny day. It kind of makes me long for last summer when we had all the storms and it was nice and cool. However, that didn't bode well for lake visits.
We had our first official lake trip a couple of weekends ago and everything went great. Since my parents have a boat, we kind of mooch off of them until we decide we want to buy our own. Last summer was definetly an experience on learning how to park it. But this time, the hubs was a pro! First try! I was so proud! It seems like such a small feat, but believe me it's hard to park those bad boys. So other than a small sunburn (albeit an odd shaped one) the lake was great. The water was a nice temp, but there was so much traffic out there you could hardly stay in one place and swim without getting taken over by someone's wake. I just hope it calms down soon. We did venture to a marina that earlier this summer pretty much got destroyed. I can't remember what the name of the storm was, but pretty much hot and cold collide over water and the result is horrible. It picked the entire marina up and threw it all over the place. There are crumpled boat docks everywhere and pieces of boat on land. It was pretty amazing to see and sad for the boat owners. I guess that's what you have insurance for though. Talk about a freak accident.
Other than that, last week we attended our first political "rally." All sorts of political big whigs were there and it was awesome to be a part of it. Hopefully one of the republican candidates for President was there...if all goes well in a few years. :) I didn't think I would be that interested in politics but I enjoyed hearing the different speakers and learn about the current deficiencies in our state government. Now I know it was a one sided argument, but it lacked the common mud slinging that you normally see. It was a refreshing change.
As for the hard part, the hubs lost a co-worker this week. His grandfather's business partner's step-son passed away at 25. It's been rough dealing with all the emotions that come along with it. I had maybe met the guy once, but what ate at me was the age. No one should ever die at 25! I'm 25 and I would go out kicking and screaming that I'm not ready. For him, there were lots of in office stressors as well as dealing with the emotions he felt on the loss. So in our household, the emotions have run the gamut from happy to sad, the crying. I must say though, that the memorial service was one of the better ones I've experienced. I enjoyed the celebration aspect of his short life, rather than the mourning side. I hope that when my time does come, people will laugh and get drunk at a wake and relish the time they had with me, rather than cry over the loss. So here's to life, no matter how long or how short it's definitely worth living for!
We had our first official lake trip a couple of weekends ago and everything went great. Since my parents have a boat, we kind of mooch off of them until we decide we want to buy our own. Last summer was definetly an experience on learning how to park it. But this time, the hubs was a pro! First try! I was so proud! It seems like such a small feat, but believe me it's hard to park those bad boys. So other than a small sunburn (albeit an odd shaped one) the lake was great. The water was a nice temp, but there was so much traffic out there you could hardly stay in one place and swim without getting taken over by someone's wake. I just hope it calms down soon. We did venture to a marina that earlier this summer pretty much got destroyed. I can't remember what the name of the storm was, but pretty much hot and cold collide over water and the result is horrible. It picked the entire marina up and threw it all over the place. There are crumpled boat docks everywhere and pieces of boat on land. It was pretty amazing to see and sad for the boat owners. I guess that's what you have insurance for though. Talk about a freak accident.
Other than that, last week we attended our first political "rally." All sorts of political big whigs were there and it was awesome to be a part of it. Hopefully one of the republican candidates for President was there...if all goes well in a few years. :) I didn't think I would be that interested in politics but I enjoyed hearing the different speakers and learn about the current deficiencies in our state government. Now I know it was a one sided argument, but it lacked the common mud slinging that you normally see. It was a refreshing change.
As for the hard part, the hubs lost a co-worker this week. His grandfather's business partner's step-son passed away at 25. It's been rough dealing with all the emotions that come along with it. I had maybe met the guy once, but what ate at me was the age. No one should ever die at 25! I'm 25 and I would go out kicking and screaming that I'm not ready. For him, there were lots of in office stressors as well as dealing with the emotions he felt on the loss. So in our household, the emotions have run the gamut from happy to sad, the crying. I must say though, that the memorial service was one of the better ones I've experienced. I enjoyed the celebration aspect of his short life, rather than the mourning side. I hope that when my time does come, people will laugh and get drunk at a wake and relish the time they had with me, rather than cry over the loss. So here's to life, no matter how long or how short it's definitely worth living for!
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Always running...
Once this week is over I think me and the hubs will breathe a collective sigh. Last weekend we had Memorial Day, which included going downtown twice for Riverfest and staying out way past our bedtime (yes, we're old!), the hubs playing golf, and then a cookout with the grandparents. We were supposed to go downtown to watch the fireworks but got wrapped up in a Law and Order SVU marathon instead. Our collective thought was there will be more in about a month. Oh well. Then this week starts 4-ball...blah! I'm not a fan, but the hubs lives for this time of year. Thursday is the Seafood buffet, band, and drawing for the shoot out at the club. Last time we went together was our 2nd date. In that time period I got asked by people how long we had been married, why we didn't have children, why I worked, and the list kept getting more and more offensive. See, old rich people just have no sense sometimes. Needless to say after that rough patch, I agreed to go out with him for a third time. We just had to avoid the club at all cost. I personally don't think I fit in very well there. It's just a little stuffy for my liking. Maybe it's because I'm not a socialite or a golfer. So we'll see how round 2 goes tomorrow. Then Friday if he gets selected for the shootout we'll be back. Then I'm a golf widow! All weekend to lounge on the couch. Honestly it'll be nice to do nothing, but I may indulge in some pampering. I am way past due for a mani and a pedi. Even my car might get some, since I'm way past due for an oil change. Blah!!!! I'm too impatient to sit there and wait so I've been putting it off for a few months. I guess I'll have to break down and do it.
Also, last night we were at the club again. Jim Keet is running for govenor of Arkansas and the hubs wants to support him. He's kind of a friend of the family, so I tagged along. Honestly, it wasn't half bad. He has a lot of great ideas and I would love to actually see them implemented. But after we got home last night the hubs tells me he wants to run for office someday. I am not cut out to be a politicans wife at all. So not me. But I guess we'll just have to wait that out for a while. But in the meantime it could be fun to get involved even if sometimes all I'm searching for is a little down time.
Also, last night we were at the club again. Jim Keet is running for govenor of Arkansas and the hubs wants to support him. He's kind of a friend of the family, so I tagged along. Honestly, it wasn't half bad. He has a lot of great ideas and I would love to actually see them implemented. But after we got home last night the hubs tells me he wants to run for office someday. I am not cut out to be a politicans wife at all. So not me. But I guess we'll just have to wait that out for a while. But in the meantime it could be fun to get involved even if sometimes all I'm searching for is a little down time.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Monday, May 24, 2010
On the go...
Well it's officially my second work week back after vacation and luckily it will be a short one followed up by a three day weekend. After spending a week on the beautiful white beaches of Destin doing absolutely nothing, the last thing I wanted to do was come back to work....groan! And it wasn't easy. Hubs and I decided to make the 10 hour drive home in one day. I helped out with the driving and for my part it was nice and overcast. Every time he started to drive it would pour in buckets. Despite all of that we had a fantastic vacation and I think I may have relaxed myself a little too much. Coming back to work and playing catch up was not fun at all. It's amazing what you can miss out on in just one short week. While on vacation and once we got home I didn't really watch what I was eating so I managed to gain 4 pounds...ugh! I was doing so well. Now I will be cooking most nights and not letting hubs order pizza. I mean we had pizza twice in one week....who does that? I'm really starting to feel like a fatty when that happens! So this is the start of a new week; time to be a little more conscientious.
Last weekend was also the dreaded stair climb. I made it all the way to the top. Yay!! I paced myself a little more this time then last so I made it past 16 without a problem. I didn't think I would make it to 31 without stopping so I took a short break on 20 to catch my breath. On 31 I really needed a breather and chance to psych myself up about finishing. At that point I only had 16 more flights to go. That was cake walk! Once I made it to the top, I felt accomplished. I felt as if I had defeated the building instead of it defeating me. It just shows that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to and I did! Now if they do it again next year I can't guarantee I'll put myself through that torture again. :)
In other news, being a homeowner SUCKS!!! Owning a new home is just like owning a new car. Once the warranty expires it all falls apart. First it was our pantry doors which our builder was so gracious to come and fix for the third time...please note sarcasam in that statement. It was supposed to be fixed before closing and never happened. Second our AC went out this weekend. It didn't completely go kaput, but apparently it ran out of freon. How does that happen in 1.5 years? So needless to say we have been sleeping with ceiling fans, a box fan, a smaller fan, and a cold humidifier to keep us cool at night, oh and the windows open. When hubs got home yesterday after I had left it was 86 degrees in our house. We finally got it down to around 82 but it was still sweltering. Hopefully after our AC guy finishes today we will be good to go. I'm looking forward to a nice cool 72 in our house. However, I did propose to hubs that we put our house on the market and find a nice big apartment so we don't have to worry about these sort of things. Sad thing is, he thought about it for a minute...oh well! I think we'll keep trucking on to see what happens next.
Last weekend was also the dreaded stair climb. I made it all the way to the top. Yay!! I paced myself a little more this time then last so I made it past 16 without a problem. I didn't think I would make it to 31 without stopping so I took a short break on 20 to catch my breath. On 31 I really needed a breather and chance to psych myself up about finishing. At that point I only had 16 more flights to go. That was cake walk! Once I made it to the top, I felt accomplished. I felt as if I had defeated the building instead of it defeating me. It just shows that you can accomplish anything you set your mind to and I did! Now if they do it again next year I can't guarantee I'll put myself through that torture again. :)
In other news, being a homeowner SUCKS!!! Owning a new home is just like owning a new car. Once the warranty expires it all falls apart. First it was our pantry doors which our builder was so gracious to come and fix for the third time...please note sarcasam in that statement. It was supposed to be fixed before closing and never happened. Second our AC went out this weekend. It didn't completely go kaput, but apparently it ran out of freon. How does that happen in 1.5 years? So needless to say we have been sleeping with ceiling fans, a box fan, a smaller fan, and a cold humidifier to keep us cool at night, oh and the windows open. When hubs got home yesterday after I had left it was 86 degrees in our house. We finally got it down to around 82 but it was still sweltering. Hopefully after our AC guy finishes today we will be good to go. I'm looking forward to a nice cool 72 in our house. However, I did propose to hubs that we put our house on the market and find a nice big apartment so we don't have to worry about these sort of things. Sad thing is, he thought about it for a minute...oh well! I think we'll keep trucking on to see what happens next.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Hi, my name is Procrastination
Thursday (1 day before vacay)
Time: 7:00pm- Start packing (uncharactaristiclly so)without a packing list! So not me!
7:10 - Oh crap! Must finish laundry so I can pack more stuff I won't need
7:45 - Dinner arrives, must take AT LEAST 20 minute break
8:15 - Finish packing clothes and shoes only, must rest to watch Grey's Anatomy
8:30 - Gets bored starts to finish art project
9:10 - Ready for bed
9:10:01 - Crap! Sink full of dishes and dishwasher full
10:00 - Finally in bed and house all clean
Today is a different story...I woke up early and met my trainer which I NEVER do. 630am and I do not agree. I've tried to forge a relationship in the past but for whatever reason that time really hates me. So therefore, if we can't get along, I'll just avoid it. I did manage to pack a few more essentials this morning, but I'm pretty tapped out on toiletries so I convinced the hubs we'll just pick those up in Destin. And this is how, ladies and gents, you spend $100 at Walgreens. It's just everything is so shiny and new. Damn marketing ploys! They get me everytime. And I worked in advertising, you would think I would be immune by now.
So now we just have to hit the bank, hit the house and get the last remaining items, say buh-bye to puss cat for a week and hit the road. Hopefully by 7pm I will be relaxing at our half way point and possibly enjoying a fruity adult libation. Last time we stayed at our half way point we walked around the quaint little town and found an awesome Italian Restaurant that had the most amazing scallops I have ever eaten. EVER! They were HUGE! And so tender and so yummy, but unfortunatly due to a down economy said scallops are no more. I was so bummed to hear that I will not be feasting at the Italian restaurant tonight. So mission uno for Destin, find giant delicious scallops! Something about being two days away from all the seafood I can eat just keeps me itching to leave. Plus there's the beach, that's always a perk.
However, vacation will not be all fun and games. I will still most likely be up by 830am because hubs has this unusual ability to wake up early (ie 6am) every where he goes. I simply refuse to get up that early so he does whatever for a couple of hours and once he's run out of options he comes whining to me like a kid on Christmas for me to please, please, please get out of bed. Well I will have to force myself because my trainer is making me work out while I am down there. See I have this little thing called a stair climb in two weeks and after the practice climb I thought I was going to DIE! Climbing 16 flight did not sit well with my lungs. I think they contemplated leaving me for a minute but I convinced them to stay and finished in under 3 minutes! Whew! So my trainers thought is "oh you're staying in a high rise condo. Perfect practice!" So while I am there I have to climb stairs so I can be ready in two weeks to do 39 floors. The upside, maybe I'll come back a few pounds lighter. The downside...I mean really, who wants to work out on vacation....not this girl! So in approximately 24 hours I will be in Destin! Here's to blue skies and not a drop of oil in sight. Cabana boy, bring me a drink!
Time: 7:00pm- Start packing (uncharactaristiclly so)without a packing list! So not me!
7:10 - Oh crap! Must finish laundry so I can pack more stuff I won't need
7:45 - Dinner arrives, must take AT LEAST 20 minute break
8:15 - Finish packing clothes and shoes only, must rest to watch Grey's Anatomy
8:30 - Gets bored starts to finish art project
9:10 - Ready for bed
9:10:01 - Crap! Sink full of dishes and dishwasher full
10:00 - Finally in bed and house all clean
Today is a different story...I woke up early and met my trainer which I NEVER do. 630am and I do not agree. I've tried to forge a relationship in the past but for whatever reason that time really hates me. So therefore, if we can't get along, I'll just avoid it. I did manage to pack a few more essentials this morning, but I'm pretty tapped out on toiletries so I convinced the hubs we'll just pick those up in Destin. And this is how, ladies and gents, you spend $100 at Walgreens. It's just everything is so shiny and new. Damn marketing ploys! They get me everytime. And I worked in advertising, you would think I would be immune by now.
So now we just have to hit the bank, hit the house and get the last remaining items, say buh-bye to puss cat for a week and hit the road. Hopefully by 7pm I will be relaxing at our half way point and possibly enjoying a fruity adult libation. Last time we stayed at our half way point we walked around the quaint little town and found an awesome Italian Restaurant that had the most amazing scallops I have ever eaten. EVER! They were HUGE! And so tender and so yummy, but unfortunatly due to a down economy said scallops are no more. I was so bummed to hear that I will not be feasting at the Italian restaurant tonight. So mission uno for Destin, find giant delicious scallops! Something about being two days away from all the seafood I can eat just keeps me itching to leave. Plus there's the beach, that's always a perk.
However, vacation will not be all fun and games. I will still most likely be up by 830am because hubs has this unusual ability to wake up early (ie 6am) every where he goes. I simply refuse to get up that early so he does whatever for a couple of hours and once he's run out of options he comes whining to me like a kid on Christmas for me to please, please, please get out of bed. Well I will have to force myself because my trainer is making me work out while I am down there. See I have this little thing called a stair climb in two weeks and after the practice climb I thought I was going to DIE! Climbing 16 flight did not sit well with my lungs. I think they contemplated leaving me for a minute but I convinced them to stay and finished in under 3 minutes! Whew! So my trainers thought is "oh you're staying in a high rise condo. Perfect practice!" So while I am there I have to climb stairs so I can be ready in two weeks to do 39 floors. The upside, maybe I'll come back a few pounds lighter. The downside...I mean really, who wants to work out on vacation....not this girl! So in approximately 24 hours I will be in Destin! Here's to blue skies and not a drop of oil in sight. Cabana boy, bring me a drink!
Thursday, April 29, 2010
The best laid plans...
They don't always go as you intend. In my experience they seem to veer left when I'm going right. Take for example off-shore drilling. Bear with me while I make this COMPLETELY about me. I cannot believe for one second this happened TWO WEEKS before my scheduled vacation. Now I'm stressed thinking it's going to be a big mess down in Destin. Now on the opposite hand, this is such a sad loss for many families and I feel deeply sorry for them. These are the sort of things that should never happen and a family should never have to experience. I'm sure BP's best laid plan was to drill and move on. Now they have no clue when or how they are going to fix this. Their estimated time line could take MONTHS! How many other creatures have to suffer because of man's mistake. Right now, you have 20 families out there wondering where there loved one's bodies might be and then we have to deal with the ecological crisis on top of it. The article this morning mentioned 4 whales in the oil. At what point does the Coast Guard and BP come along and ask for help. Not that I'm a PETA activist by any measure, but surely it can't be safe to swim in oil. Poor whales...so that's my soapbox for the day. Moving on. Here's to a quick recovery.
In other news, I've decided to start a new project. I was visiting this website the other day and they had home accessories on sale. I love, love, love home accessories. I can't get enough. Currently I'm on a quest for the perfect floor lamp, I found one, but yet hubs can't justify spending $400 on a lamp. Can't say I blame him. Even though I did admit to him that one day I would like the means to be able to circle things in the Pottery Barn catalogue and have him surprise me with gifts. Like I said, I can't have enough home accessories. So back to the art project. They had this saying painted on a wooden board and it spoke to me and meant a lot to me. There are certain aspects I just identify with and this was one of them. It was 50% off and I misread it and thought it was $21. What a steal!! Until I realized there was an extra 1 in there. $211 for something stenciled on to wood. I don't think so. So then the lightbulb goes off in my head. I can make this! So this weekend we are heading out to Hobbylobby/Michaels/et al to find me some supplies. I'm pretty pumped. I mean anyone can stencil right? Plus my color scheme is going to be way cooler and it won't be on wood, but that would be too heavy to hang on the wall anyway.
Also, this weekend we have the practice climb for the upcoming American Lung Association stair climb. On Saturday I only have to do 16 flights of stairs. I use the term "only" loosely. I did however succesfully do 39 flights on the stair climber the other night but I think that's a bit different. My trainer keeps encouraging me telling me I can make it but I'm starting to get that self doubt. Somehow I'll go on and finish it all and then give myself one big pat on the back. This is the closest I'll ever come to participating in athletic races. I mean a marathon just sounds like hell to me. I don't even want to drive 26.2 miles, let alone run it. So we shall see how it goes.
Remaining time until vacation: 1 week until we are on our way!!
In other news, I've decided to start a new project. I was visiting this website the other day and they had home accessories on sale. I love, love, love home accessories. I can't get enough. Currently I'm on a quest for the perfect floor lamp, I found one, but yet hubs can't justify spending $400 on a lamp. Can't say I blame him. Even though I did admit to him that one day I would like the means to be able to circle things in the Pottery Barn catalogue and have him surprise me with gifts. Like I said, I can't have enough home accessories. So back to the art project. They had this saying painted on a wooden board and it spoke to me and meant a lot to me. There are certain aspects I just identify with and this was one of them. It was 50% off and I misread it and thought it was $21. What a steal!! Until I realized there was an extra 1 in there. $211 for something stenciled on to wood. I don't think so. So then the lightbulb goes off in my head. I can make this! So this weekend we are heading out to Hobbylobby/Michaels/et al to find me some supplies. I'm pretty pumped. I mean anyone can stencil right? Plus my color scheme is going to be way cooler and it won't be on wood, but that would be too heavy to hang on the wall anyway.
Also, this weekend we have the practice climb for the upcoming American Lung Association stair climb. On Saturday I only have to do 16 flights of stairs. I use the term "only" loosely. I did however succesfully do 39 flights on the stair climber the other night but I think that's a bit different. My trainer keeps encouraging me telling me I can make it but I'm starting to get that self doubt. Somehow I'll go on and finish it all and then give myself one big pat on the back. This is the closest I'll ever come to participating in athletic races. I mean a marathon just sounds like hell to me. I don't even want to drive 26.2 miles, let alone run it. So we shall see how it goes.
Remaining time until vacation: 1 week until we are on our way!!
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