Flashback

I was at Target last night and saw my favorite childhood cereal.  I didn't think it was sold any longer...but perhaps it was brought back for Halloween. 

 

Oh yeah...Count Chocula was the bomb diggity growing up.  

Heat

I'm always cold.  I can't walk through the grocery store unless I have a sweat shirt to get through the dairy and frozen food section.  Air conditioning makes me shiver. 

Every night I jam my icicle toes into the back of my hubby's knees and press my frost bit fingers into his body to help me warm up.  He's my personal electric blanket...and he doesn't seem to mind.

Thank you baby...for lighting my fire, in so many ways.

Mac Frustration

An Ipad was one of the perks of my new job...and as cool as it is, there are definitely some limitations that are super frustrating.  I was hoping to just do everything on my Ipad, but basically it functions like a big Iphone...so the web browser isn't  Safari, it's Safari mobile, which means I can't do things like upload photos on my blog.  Boohiss.

I took it to the Mac store's Genius Bar but no one seemed to have a solution...any techie folk out there know if it's possible? 

The View From Here

The weekend turned out exactly how I imagined.  A lot of cuddling, lounging, napping, cooking in our kitchen, exploring our neighborhood, and just experiencing being together in our new place.  There is still a lot of stuff in boxes; we still lack some furniture and fun stuff to hang on the walls, but we're definitely settling and learning to absolutely love where we live.

We are about a block from Stadium High School--a gorgeous old historical building which was the school used in the movie 10 things I hate about you.

 The building we live in is also a historical building, and our favorite part about it is the huge windows with amazing views. 

 

This is the view from our breakfast nook...a gorgeous old church.

 This is the view from one of the windows in our bedroom.

This is the other window...if you look closely, you can see the water...yes, that's the Puget Sound from my bedroom window!

What's your favorite thing about where you live?

Home

I'm almost done packing and I should be sleeping right now...I'm taking a shuttle at 4:35 AM to catch my flight home to my hubby. It's SO nice to know that I'm actually going home...like a real place...with closets...well, a single closet anyway.

I know my life is going to do a 180 once Monday morning hits. But for now, I look forward to snuggling with my husband over the weekend and doing nothing else.

Have a fantastic weekend...thanks for all your comments while I've been away this week!

I'm So NOT LA

LA has been great...but being here has reminded me how glad I am I don't live here any more.  I've forgotten how important image is here...and I clearly didn't get the memo of the dress code on our first meeting at the Four Seasons Beverly Hills.  It was more of an informal get together for drinks (and I happen to have worked with most of the people I was here training with) so I didn't find any need to dress up.  I wore what I was wearing on the plane--jeans, a t-shirt, a hoodie and flip-flops (and no makeup). 

My awesome co-worker Callie--she's a model from New York; she doesn't need a memo...she's always hot!

My Job!

I'm finishing day two of my training in LA for my new job and I'm so excited about it! I work for Uloop which is an online platform for college students that works almost exactly like craigslist. Uloop is launching a "daily deal" that works a lot like Groupon, but is targeted to the college population--specifically the University of Washington which is my territory. If you live in the Seattle area and aren't a college student you can still take advantage of the daily deals. My job is to sign up businesses to advertise for the daily deal. Today in training I closed three accounts. Yay!

What I love most is I'm working as an independent contractor which means no insurance or a steady paycheck, but a flexible schedule and endless opportunity. It's a fantastic company and I'm excited to represent them. So that's the job update so far!

On a side note, I'm still learning how to use a Mac/iPad and I can't quite figure out how to highlight and hyperlink a word without a mouse...so feel free to check out Uloop.com!

Minor Mishaps

Because Andy and I left to galavant across the world after our wedding, I have yet to officially change my name. I Called my mother in law last week to ask her to send me our marriage certificate so I could start the process.

My inlaws didn't seem to remember ever receiving it after they turned it in. Hmmm. That's a problem. We couldn't go sort it out at the courthouse since we didn't live in Flagstaff, so my father in law went for us....turns out they didn't send it because when they asked Andy and I to review it and check for any errors, apparantly my husband didn't notice that his name was spelled incorrectly. 

So I'm currently married to Andrerw, not Andrew.  Geez.

Thrifting

Andy and I have yet to buy anything new for our apartment. If it hasn't been given to us then we've purchased it off of craigslist or found it at a garage sale. Want to see our favorite finds?

We found this green vintage couch and marble table top (which Andy is fastening to the chest below it).  All 3 items for $150!

What's your favorite item you've found thrifting?



Home Details

The past few days have been an absolute whirlwind.  Moving, running all over town to furnish our new apartment, and then packing up for a week of training in LA for my new job.  I went from having all the time in the world to not enough hours in the day.  But I'm thankful--SO, SO thankful.

A bit about our new place...

Our apartment has zero storage space.  NONE.  It's a fabulous apartment, but is not functional.  It's an old historical building--there are NO electrical outlets in the bathroom, NO counter space in the kitchen, a shower meant for an 85 pound person, and a gorgeous 100 year old Italian chandelier that an electrician has tried to hang for the past 3 days because the wiring is so old.   These are the sort of things you figure out after you've moved in of course.  But, it's a home--hallelujah it's a home!

Thank the good Lord my husband is a super handy man.  He built our bed frame from cabinets and plywood we found at a thrift store and painted them.  So now we have storage and a cool bed.

Don't mind the stuff around the bed....but don't those cabinets look awesome?

P.S.  I haven't had the time to catch up on your blogs...but I will as soon as I can.  Thanks for sticking around and leaving your comments.  

Crazy Good News

Moving into a new place is hard. When you don't own anything but clothing you quickly realize how much stuff you need. We have been blessed beyond belief with an outpouring of basic "stuff," like a bed, dinnerware, silverware, towels, etc. Over the weekend Andy and I have been running around like crazies looking for furniture at thrift shops because a friend let us use their truck. We are so thankful...even if we have to move in the pouring rain.

I'll post pics soon.

So check out this loco fabulous news. I'm in LA right now. I'm training for my new jobby job!! And even crazier--I'm typing this blog on my new ipad...which comes with the job.

God is SO good.

The Big News

Remember last week when I promised exciting news?  Well, I realized it's probably more exciting for me than it would be for my followers, but regardless, here's the latest:

We made a decision, followed our hearts and decided instead of moving for a job, we're going to move where we felt God was calling us.  We decided to move to Tacoma, Washington.  We found an apartment and we're moving in today!  (Yay...no more living out of backpacks!)

We're going to seek out ministry in our city, and most likely our living room will turn into a "church."  We didn't want to take a ministry job just because it offered health insurance; we want to utilize our gifts and talents and really be "used" for God's purposes.  

So for now, no insurance and no steady paychecks; instead we have a place to call home, stretched savings, a passion and conviction to follow God, and our daily bread...and we couldn't be more excited.

Are We Friends?

I talk about you bloggers regularly.  Almost to the point of us sounding like "real life"  friends.  I don't refer to you by name however, you are known by your blog's name.

Here are some excerpts from some recent conversations with my husband.  

Me:  Guess what, A Mountain Bride is preggers and she's not getting maternity leave!!
Andy:  Really?  She's preggers already?  Wow.  How's August and After...is she still blogging?
Me:  She's really busy, she's working plus she started a photography business! 
Andy:  Cool.

Me:  Oh,  guess what? Happy Hour With A Housewife might be a contestant on The Biggest Loser.
Andy:  Very Cool

Me:  Oh, by the way,  Metropolitan Mamma sent me a message about her husband's pastoral position that will be opening up soon when they start traveling. 
Andy:  Really?  

Does anyone else have real life conversations about their blogger buddies? 

Weekend Getaway: Orcas Island

There are a ton of little islands on the coast of Washington that I've never had the opportunity to visit...until this weekend.  Andy has a friend who lives on Orcas Island and we were invited up to visit their family for the weekend.  Their home overlooks the water--this is what we woke up to.

Apparently there are caves on this island that many of the residents are unaware of...the family's 9 year old son said he had been up to the caves and he wanted to show them to us.  We all were excited to go on a little hike, "little" being the key word.  It turned into a 4 hour uphill challenge...seriously...this was no easy hike!

We had to take some breaks.

But we finally made it.

Me with the Mylesera family.

Another scenic shot.

This is how we ended the day...homemade pizza. 

We are so grateful to have so many friends who've extended their homes to us.

Don't Be Jealous

I recently ate the most amazing appetizer ever.  Brie nectarine bruschetta with balsamic.  To die for.  

Gratitude and Randomness

Thanks for all the great comments and suggestions of what I should do with my free time.  Here's the problem...I find that I'm WAY more productive when I'm busy.  When I'm not, it's difficult to find motivation to do anything...anyone else feel this way?

On a random note, I realized a little too late that I posted two blog posts on Tuesday...so for those of you who missed the first one...guess what?!?!

Anywho...there have been a lot of possible new changes a comin' for Andy and I...nothing is set in stone so I'll refrain from sharing just yet...but hopefully there will be some good news posting soon.

And also, I just wanted to say thank you to all of you who follow and comment on my blog...ya'll are the bee's knees--and you make me smile.

Matt & Kelly--Married!

Andy and I have been anticipating Matt and Kelly's wedding for so long--and they finally did it!  They had a  garden themed wedding that turned out simply beautiful.    Here are some pics from the evening.

A couple of pre-wedding pics

 The handsome groomsman.

I love how they rolled out the aisle for Kelly.

 The gorgeous bride!

 Yippee!!

Married Without Children

My mother never put pressure on me about getting married until I hit 30.  Once I hit 30, the comments slowly seeped into our conversations (what is a mother supposed to say to her friends who keep asking about her only child?).

It's been just over 6 months and already the baby comments are coming.  But this is how she says it.

"So, no honeymoon baby?"

"No, mom, no honeymoon baby.  I thought you said we should live life before we had a baby." 

"Well, I know, but Andy's mom wants you to have a baby." 

Nice deflection huh?  I find it interesting how quickly conversation turns to babies right after couples get married.  We are not anywhere close to having babies.  Let's start with jobs and a place to live.  Baby steps.  No pun intended.

Did you feel pressure to start having kids after you got married?

Homeless

This is such an interesting time for us.  We're still waiting--impatiently, but prayerfully for responses from possible job opportunities.  The nesting urge in me is strong and I'm trying not to complain and be content with our circumstances--which are actually great; we have phenomenal friends who have graciously let us invade their space and the invitations from other people keep coming.  We have savings, we're not struggling, we're just eager to start working and building community.  I'm trying to savor this time...I wish I had some sort of artistic ability to create.  I have all the time in the world and I want to use it to train a dog, or paint, or sew something, but it's impractical to get a dog right now, my artistic ability is limited to stick figures, and I can barely thread a needle.  

If you had a month or two to do something that you never have time to do now, what would it be?

I'm So Excited!

I hope you all had a fantastic 3 day weekend...I did, because guess what???  I'm trying not to be as excited as I am and get my hopes up, BUT, a gal from eHarmony contacted Andy and I about participating in the casting process for their upcoming commercials.  AAAHHHHH!!!  If you read my ABOUT section at the top of my blog, I discuss the fact that we totally want to be in a commercial.  How cool would that be?!  We're keeping our fingers crossed.  I'll be sure to update you on any news!!

Great Mornings

ARE:
  Big coffee cups and yummy coffee with a great friend.  

Something yummy, like this egg salad sandwich with truffle oil and asparagus. 

Seriously...that sandwich was amazing.

What's your favorite way to start your day?

The Real Housewives of Nashville

During my Nashville trip I was able to go to a trunk show with Kyah where she was showcasing her new accessory line.  The evening was spent sipping wine and eating hors devours with the wife and daughters of the lead singer of Journey, Anastasia Brown--who was one of the judges of Nashville Star, the wife of Big Kenny from Big and Rich, and about 8 other women who are movers and shakers in the Nashville music scene.  And then there's me...the random friend in town who became keenly aware of her lack of fringe, cool hair, bling, and social prowess. 

I felt like I was sitting in an episode of The Real Housewives...but from Nashville. 

It was a little surreal to be in the midst of it all...don't get me wrong, all the women were incredibly nice and interesting, but they live lives that are SO vastly different from mine...I found comfort in shoving crackers and spiced goat cheese down my throat so I could avoid awkward conversation and sneak peaks at diamond rings as big as my head. 

Nashville is a mini version of LA (except I actually really like Nashville...LA, not so much).  Instead of all the waiters and waitresses being actors, they are all singers or song writers.  It's not all honky-tonks and cowboys...this place is pretty hipster.  It's definitely fun to have a friend to visit who is involved in celebrity circles, but you know what they say, "Mo money, mo problems."  (But I will miss the perk of borrowing a stylist's wardrobe, shoes and accessories).

Behind The Scenes In Nashville

Andy is planning the bachelor party for his best friend Matt who is getting married this weekend.  It's the bachelor party to end all bachelor parties--a week long bash that includes golfing, paintball, beer, camping, and blowing stuff up.  I decided it was the perfect time to come to Nashville to visit Kyah, (the one who helped me shop last week), and hang out with some gal pals.

She was styling a photo shoot for a local Nashville artist and I got to be the assistant to her and the photographer, Eli McFadden.

 I got to hold the clothes. 

And do stuff like this. 

My calling is not to be an assistant. 

It was a blast to work with Kyah though...and it SO awesome to borrow her wardrobe.