It Was Time For A Change

Back in October, I decided I need to continue blogging (I love how I can look back and know what was going on in our lives at a specific time).  I wanted it to be based more on our relationship, and so my new blog was born.  I hope you will continue to follow me at: http://sothisismylifeasawife.blogspot.com/

9 September 2011 Goals

You don't even want to know that craziness that has been our life lately.  There's been many ups and downs, nothing too major - just enough to stress you out good for about a week at a time.  Many things at this point still need to be finalized in lots of areas in our life - but I needed to get back to blogging.  I missed this; this blank field to type away my thoughts in, and I'm glad to be back at it, back to less stress and more goals.

1. Focus on getting a few things getting some things crossed off my "27 Before 28 List."  Some of the things I want to work on and complete are: mail my hair for my donation, start reading another book, finish off entries I started in my blank book (which I am documenting all twenty six items on my list), start reading the book Brittany lent me, plan a weekend getaway for Justin and I and surprise him with it, have a picnic in front of the fireplace - just to see more progess, as I've only crossed one thing off my list so far. 

2. Do something off of my Pinterest boards (cook it, decorate it, make it, do it).

3. Get my brother to make me a CD with fun songs on it that I've loved for a long time, but have come back into my life recently due to the radio station that I've been listening to lately. For instance: Prince "Raspberry Beret," Men At Work "Land Down Under," Golden Earring "Twilight Zone."

4. Enjoy our long weekend together, as it will be the last weekend (probably in three months) that Justin and I will get to spend together. Hunting is all that boy can think about lately. And now that he's taken up bow hunting, it's expanded hunting season from about one month to about three months! All I am reminded of this year, is what my cousin Amanda wrote as advise for me at my bridal shower "take up a good hobby - hunting season is long!"  (Pictures are between Great Falls and Shelby on I-15 on our way back home on our first anniversary on August 21, 2011.)

5. Do five spontaneous things with Justin during the week (as he'll be gone 3/4 weekends, and taking the 9th off as well).  Justin and I have major issues with spontaneity, and I don't know when it really happened, but we need to shake it up a bit here and there.

6. Cook ten fall meals.  I'm talking soups from scratch, casseroles, crock pot meals, and meals cooked in my tupperwear stack cooker.  Good, wholesome, warm and flavourful dishes!

7. Take more pictures, and blog more.  I'm thinking to get started back into blogging again, to do ten more blog posts during the month.

8. Have a relaxing bubble bath at least once a week.  The cooler temperatures just make me want to jump into a warm bath!

9. Get another hair cut.  Seriously, my hair has grown SO much since I chopped it all off.  And I can't believe now that it was ever that long, when this comparatively short cut is driving me nuts!

Now for June's update: 0/6 completed to what I see as successful.  I honestly just didn't want to think at all during the supper, and it was really evident in this resulting grade!

New And Improved

Last Saturday (May 28th), I couldn't take it anymore, I knew it had to be done, it was just time - I felt like my hair was suffocating me; and Justin (gently) prodding me to get it cut was also a big motivator. I planned it out for Thursday night, and the countdown began. I measured, re-measured, discussed and did some research. Making my final decision for my donation to be sent to the Pantene Beautiful Lengths program, for twelve inches of my hair to be made into a wig for a cancer patient. Those close to me know this was my goal for growing it out, this decision is many years in the making (and is on my 26 Before 27 List - check). I did have long hair years ago (although shorter than it was when I chopped it off), but I couldn't donate it because it had been dyed. I grew out the dye, having my natural hair colour for at least two years, and waited while it grew to an appropriate length. As much as I wanted to have it dyed for our wedding, and as nice as it would have been to have short hair in Mexico, I stayed strong, and kept to my goal.

Here's the before. Right before I got it chopped off.

And here's the after. After the chopping and dying (oh my, how I have missed this!).

The hair dresser was really nice, and although I wasn't nervous once I was in her chair, once she had my hair gathered in a ponytail, scissors ready, I was happy that she asked if I was ready for her to make the cut. I smiled and said absolutely. Then Thursday night the nightmares began. Crazy dreams: dreams of not enough hair being cut off (I know it's enough, I measured about 16 times), dreams of me having to grow it out again, but now that my hair is dyed I had to grow that out again. It made me toss and turn most of the night.

But the reactions I got at work really made up for my lack of sleep. I only told four people that this was happening (Justin and three people at work). Justin immediately started calling me Bieber, and it turns out I answer to Justin also (people at work starting calling me this too). My boss Mike, said "holy shit," when I walked around the corner into his view. Teresa said my haircut does me justice. Ryan called me a "hot mumma." Stu said it made me look older (which is what I told Justin. I said it looks like I could have children now - but not to get any ideas or start worrying, I'm still not ready). Basically everyone who sees it thinks it suites me so much more. I've yet to show my dad, that's my plan for tonight! I know he's going to love it, and it's truly his opinion that I am the most impatient to hear. Now I'm a girl with short hair, and I love it!

6 June 2011 Goals

Another month is done, and we are now half way through the year. Sorry, that's kind of depressing isn't it? This morning I woke up all excited, now starting a new month brings a new challenge to me; a blank slate. I love this feeling!

1. This is the start of Justin's and my first summer as Mr. and Mrs. And I'd like to start being able to remember all the little things. (My "One Second Journal" that is a goal of my "26 Before 27" list is really helping with this too.) I want to take at least one photo each day of June with my phone and edit it (either on my phone or on the computer), and then create a mini album a la Amy Tan to capture it all. My thoughts for the photos are along the lines of the instagram app that the I-Phone has. Okay, this app makes me wish I would have gotten this phone now, and it's a bit upsetting since I love my android, but I really haven't found a similar app for my phone - hopefully soon they'll make one for it. I really have no concept of how this album is going to turn out, and I kind of like it this way; I just want to have fun with it! Here's the cover for my album that I whipped up Monday night.

2. This is part of a much bigger plan in my monthly goals, but the first step in this massive undertaking of a goal is to walk at least twenty minutes each and every day. Really I'd like to plan for half an hour, but I know some days that's just not possible (like when the hockey games will be on). Starting small, working up to a much bigger goal here.

3. Do something to the inside of the house. I'm talking paint a wall, hang up some more art work or photos, pot a plant - something to be able to make it feel more like home. We'll have been living here for two years on the twelveth, and I'm ready to really start making it our own - no more painters beige (or at least not as much of it!). We have a goal to have the house all completed in two years, and we better get at the inside!

4. Something just for me now. I want to do something to feel sexy twice a week. Just to feel lushious, and extravagent. It doesn't need to be much, just something to make me feel this way.

5. Back with the Flylady again. Since re-reading the book back in April, I've been good about only a couple things. I've been cleaning the house weekly, and I make my bed daily. I want to broaden my daily routine, and I'm adding shining my sink daily to my goals for the month.

6. Recently Justin and I haven't been eating as well as we could be. So, I want to eat one fruit and about a cup of vegetables daily. And I'd be ecstatic if I ate more than this amount!

Now for May's updates: 4.5/5 completed to what I see as successful. I bought a new pair of work pants from Reitmans (this style but black with white and purpleish pinstripping) on May 26th; - love them. I spent some time doing some reasearch on what I believe in, I have a New Testament and the Book Of Morman, and Amanda is going to let me borrow some of her religion textbooks from her course - now I just need to read them (this is why I'm only counting this as a half point); and there were many, many calls to my brother discussing and debating beliefs. There were yummy meals ready and waiting in the crockpot when we got home, twice a week like planned; my recipes would be the pork tenderloin in au jus, and the steak stroganoff. Every single day I drank tea; there was however one day out camping that I was just too tired to drink the whole mug, and a couple days that I made a chai latte - this was one of my favorite goals; there is just something about drinking a hot mug of orange pekoe with a couple of scoops of sugar, while it's raining outside. And we had a great time out on that camping trip , the first of the year!

Weekend Weather

Saturday's weather was a bit crazy. The weather forcast was predicting a thunder storm, but I wasn't holding my breath on it (they kind of make me feel that summer is actually here when we get thunderstorms, so I always look forward to them - although I get a bit scared). When I got up it wasn't raining (like it has been for a while now), and it was pretty bright out. I got to work making my stew in the slow cooker, but I didn't really think we'd want to eat it if the weather was going to be the way it was looking and not gloomy, like how you want it to be when you curl up with a bowl of stew. At 10am, the guy accross the alley was getting his race car all tuned up, I heared him driving around the block (the car's exhaust is pretty loud), then noticed that he parked the car in the garage.

A couple hours later, I hear this rumbling noise that shook the whole house. Lowie's eyes were big, and I could tell he wondered what was going on. At first I thought the guy accross the alley was working on his car again, but soon realized that it was the thunderstorm that was predicted that was rolling through. It got so dark in the house, and eerie. The thunder was SO incredably loud. I stood out on the front steps for a while with my phone, taking video. The one clap made my phone rattle and bumped it out of the video mode. (I have NO idea how to upload video to the blog, or else I might consider it!)

Justin got done work sometime around 5pm, and we decided to head out to the farm. We brought Brent's birthday present along to be able to give him (it's a holder for getting the branding irons hot that Justin made - and Brent was delighted to recieve). On the drive, we spotted some sunshine trying to break through of the clouds. It reminded me of the first drive that Justin and I ever went on; we went to Waterton, Sparwood, Elkford and then up Hwy 22. It had also been raining so much at that time too (we have big stretches of rainy weather yearly), and suddenly we saw the sun; I may have let out a squeal of delight also.

But as we were driving, we saw all the flooding. The Old Man River is over flowing it's banks (and I'm surprised the campground at the bottom of the coulees hasn't been evacuated), one stretch of it is covering a farmer's feild by Monarch. There was lots of water in the ditches of the roads and the driveway to the farm. When Dalton and I went to pick Heather up from the school (she had been playing a couple games of rugby in Medicine Hat), going back to the farm there was a side road that had water going over it; I imagine it won't be long before a section of it gets washed out. One of Brent's neighbours had a river running through their yard also. And the bad thing is, this is before much of the snow has melted in the mountains and has caused run-off and it's own flood damage.

Our Crazy May Long Weekend

Friday Brittany and Kas, and Kas' boyfriend Evan came down for a visit from Calgary. The plan was for us all to go out to the dueling piano's at Average Joe's bar that night, and have a BBQ on Saturday night. The weekend was full of laughter, crying, impromptive dance routines, clapping, yummy food, screaming, a zombie walk, drink creations, twister for the crippled, and blanket washing.

I wore shorts, a tank top and a vest out Friday night. First - I hadly ever wear shorts, and secondly - it was so nice when we left the house, that I didn't grab a jacket, and after the bar, when we were outside at about 12:30pm, it wasn't cold enough to need one! The dueling piano's checked off May's task of doing something new; and the only reason we actually ended up there was because Brittany wanted to meet up with Lindsey and Erick, friends that she met while her and Sheldon where in Mexico recently. It was a really fun night! And Justin reminded me the next day, that it was at this bar that we met (when it was Spin) - made me smile that he remembered that!

Brittany and I somehow managed to be have to go pee at the same time. When we first walked into the bathrooms, I was not expecting them to have big doors like they did, and have real walls between them. This is a classy joint! And I had to take a photo of them, Brittany did her best Sheldon impersonation - which caused us to do our first photo session.

Then the photo taking spilled out of the bathroom and continued on our walk back to our table, down the hallway.

The guys had a good time. Justin made me giggle a couple times that night: he'd ask me "remember that song," or "what's that commercial I like." And I would be left thinking of the answer until I had the problem solved. Made me feel really connected with him!

Could Kas and Evan be any cuter? Brittany and I were both taking photos of them at the same time. Each of them looking at a different camera!

I requested "Pour Some Sugar On Me" by Def Leppard as soon as we got there. Then later in the night, I saw this lovely wall display. Then I'd randomly scream out "Def Leppard" whenever they seemed to not know what to play. That's why my voice was raspy the next morning, and my throut was sore on Sunday.

Us girls.

This was returning from Britt's and my second bathroom break, that we let Kas join us on!

I have absolutely no idea what song was playing, but Britt and I decided to get our dance on. With lots of finger pointing (I really don't think I dance like that - then I see the photographic proof)!

Friday night we stayed up until 4:30am. There was some popcorn making and talking about randomness. When I finally laid down in bed, I noticed the sun was starting to make it's apperance. Saturday we had lunch of soup and sandwiches. Britt, Kas, Evan and I walked to the liquor and grocery stores. Part of the way, there was a group of young teenagers. We wondered if they were some of the zombies that were said to start taking over when the world came to an end. Kas almost left her cardigan on the sidewalk until I reminded her about it, which made her laugh hystarically - I love this laugh of hers. Supper was full of good drinks and great company. And the weather was nice enough for us to have our first patio party of the year (meeting another of my yearly goals - check 1/5).

When we were all stuffed full that we couldn't think of eating anymore - we decided (okay I begged some people), to play Twister. This is the game that Brittany gave me at my bridal shower, this is one of the best presents that I have ever gotten (it made me cry when I unwrapped this gift), this is the first time that I have played Twister and the first time I've opened the box (I had to take off the plastic). At first we all started off a little shy. And a lot sore (somehow I hurt my knee at work on Friday, this made my whole leg hurt at various parts of the weekend, mostly at my joints).

Give Lincoln the camera - and he turns into me. He took so many photos, then turned the camera on the spectators - him and Justin. (Personally, I think he just wanted to make an apperance on the blog, and have some pictures of himself to give me the gears on about making a scrapbook page for him; I know he's going to say that I have no excuse now that I have such lovely photos to work with!)

Then we started getting a bit crazier at the game. There was some compitition going on and game faces made their appearances.

More scrapbook worthy photos.

Then you can start to see the drunk faces. Some of the photos are a little X-rated, so I had to use only select ones (you are welcome to some people with blonde hair, glasses and who wore shorts) - apparently the boys thought it would be funny to put you and Evan into some scandalous positions! Basically, I was the biggest loser (I blame it on lack of Twister experience and a hurting leg unable to support my body weight), and Evan won!

When we got tired of Twister (or maybe we were all too sore?), we played a round of Things In A Box, and a flip through a Have You Ever drinking card game that Justin got in his Christmas stocking last year. This is when the hardcore laughter started. We were all just laughing at each other, shocked at some of the things that each of us had done - or at least admitted to. This is something I will never forget. Brittany was being the funniest that she has ever been. Then I think she got a little bit embarrassed and a bit of crying occured. Lowie came strutting out of Brittany's room late into the night, and I knew that he had just peed on the bed. I quickly washed Britt's blanket, and we were good to go again. Saturday we stayed up until 6am. There was a lot of light streaming through the bedroom window this time.

Sunday we had leftovers (more soup and sandwiches and a bit of left overs from our BBQ). We watched the Vancouver Canucks vs. San Jose Sharks west coast comference game five hockey game, and our house guests headed back home to Calgary.

Later into the evening Justin and I rented five movies (Stone, The Social Network, The Resident, Country Strong and Life As We Know It) and watched them all between Sunday night and Monday. (Life As We Know It ended up to be both of our favorites - and I think I have Justin convinced that "chick flicks" might not be that bad of movies after all.) Monday we went out to by a weed trimmer at Sears with a gift certificate from the wedding. I had a couple thoughts of "Chinese food," and when I mentioned that to Justin he admitted that he had had a thought of that too. We drove all around town trying to find a Chinese restaraunt that was opened - none of them opened up for a couple hours at four though. We decided to just keep on our mission and head home, picking up a bag of cat food at Walmart on our way. Well, they didn't have the right sized bag of Whiskas Meaty Selections. So off we headed to Sobey's. I think at this point the lack of sleep started catching up with us, both of us were a bit snipping with each other. As we walked into Sobey's Justin suggested nachos. That made us both happy, and we gathered up the ingredients to purchase. We both laughed when we got to the pet food ailse and they didn't have the right sized Wiskas bag either. So we settled for a new diet of Indoor Cat formula food. We headed home and enjoyed our home made nachos, salsa and gaucamole, and watched the last of the movies we rented. A perfect relaxing ending to a crazy weekend!