Sorry I've been so quiet lately...work has had me running ragged. I promise I'll be back soon.
In the meantime, this happened:
Have a great week all!
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Friday, October 7, 2011
Bits and Pieces: Travel & Arizona
So I'm here, and I'm alive!
Rob drove me to the train station pretty early Thursday morning. I cried a lot but felt better once I actually started my trip. I managed once again to completely mis-plan this trip in terms of timing and thus ended up waiting at the airport terminal for about 5 hours straight. I entertained myself by taking various pictures with my iPad. And I totally didn't look ridiculous doing it, in case you were wondering.
I landed in Arizona at around 7:45 pm Arizona time. I really thought I could handle the time difference but I felt like a freakin' zombie. It's amazing that I made the 2-hour drive to Prescott, frankly. Though it was dark I could tell that the scenery was gorgeous. I'm excited to drive it again tomorrow to pick up my brother- and sister-in-law, who are coming to visit this weekend to see the Grand Canyon.
On Friday I woke up and went to a work meeting. After getting acclimated to the campus and meeting the team, I came back to the hotel to get some work done.
I started texting with Adie and we decided to meet up for coffee. I suck so I didn't get any pictures of this, but I had a really lovely time and it was so awesome to get to meet such a wonderful person. We talked for a few hours and enjoyed some yummy chai and frothy (wow, what a gross word) hot cocoa. Delish! I'm hoping we get to meet up again soon.
Some of my first observations of Arizona:
1. The people here are extremely nice! An older gentleman told me in the grocery store how nice it was to see a young woman wearing a skirt (which is super sexist and weird, but he seemed genuinely nice), and the cashier gave me the club discount despite the fact that I didn't have a card. The team members at the college were extremely helpful and are eager to make training go as smoothly as possible, which is shockingly rare in projects like this. Plus, Adie was willing to meet awkward little me after only knowing me only through blogs and Twitter! See? Kind, lovely people all over! :)
2. God DAYUM the air is dry. My lips are extremely chapped, I'm itchy all over, and I feel constantly dehydrated. It feels like all the moisture has been sucked out of my body. Strangest sensation ever.
3. The scenery is gorgeous. I'm hoping to leave a little early tomorrow so I can stop and take some pictures. The sky looks like you could reach up and touch it. I understand what people are saying now when they talk about the beauty of the Southwest.
That's all I got now. This time change has thrown me through a loop and though it's 9:30 here my body is still at 12:30 a.m., and I feel like a zombie once again.
What are your plans for the weekend?
Rob drove me to the train station pretty early Thursday morning. I cried a lot but felt better once I actually started my trip. I managed once again to completely mis-plan this trip in terms of timing and thus ended up waiting at the airport terminal for about 5 hours straight. I entertained myself by taking various pictures with my iPad. And I totally didn't look ridiculous doing it, in case you were wondering.
Does anyone else have Instagram? Follow me at @tomakelovestay!
Then I jumped on the plane for another five hours. All I can say is thank goodness for iPads and Mystery Science Theater 3000 episodes.
I landed in Arizona at around 7:45 pm Arizona time. I really thought I could handle the time difference but I felt like a freakin' zombie. It's amazing that I made the 2-hour drive to Prescott, frankly. Though it was dark I could tell that the scenery was gorgeous. I'm excited to drive it again tomorrow to pick up my brother- and sister-in-law, who are coming to visit this weekend to see the Grand Canyon.
On Friday I woke up and went to a work meeting. After getting acclimated to the campus and meeting the team, I came back to the hotel to get some work done.
I started texting with Adie and we decided to meet up for coffee. I suck so I didn't get any pictures of this, but I had a really lovely time and it was so awesome to get to meet such a wonderful person. We talked for a few hours and enjoyed some yummy chai and frothy (wow, what a gross word) hot cocoa. Delish! I'm hoping we get to meet up again soon.
Some of my first observations of Arizona:
1. The people here are extremely nice! An older gentleman told me in the grocery store how nice it was to see a young woman wearing a skirt (which is super sexist and weird, but he seemed genuinely nice), and the cashier gave me the club discount despite the fact that I didn't have a card. The team members at the college were extremely helpful and are eager to make training go as smoothly as possible, which is shockingly rare in projects like this. Plus, Adie was willing to meet awkward little me after only knowing me only through blogs and Twitter! See? Kind, lovely people all over! :)
2. God DAYUM the air is dry. My lips are extremely chapped, I'm itchy all over, and I feel constantly dehydrated. It feels like all the moisture has been sucked out of my body. Strangest sensation ever.
3. The scenery is gorgeous. I'm hoping to leave a little early tomorrow so I can stop and take some pictures. The sky looks like you could reach up and touch it. I understand what people are saying now when they talk about the beauty of the Southwest.
That's all I got now. This time change has thrown me through a loop and though it's 9:30 here my body is still at 12:30 a.m., and I feel like a zombie once again.
What are your plans for the weekend?
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Things I Love Thursday: The Departure Edition
This morning I head to Arizona for a long month away from my darling husband and beast. I'm feeling a little bummed about it, honestly, but I know it'll be a good, challenging experience for me. I need challenge lately, and I need to trust my own strength. I feel more grounded now than I have in years, so I can't think of a better time for such a challenge to come.
Whenever an extended separation arises I always think back to the Army days, when only a month apart seemed like some sort of divine gift. Those times serve as a constant reminder to me of how lucky I am to have this life with Rob and to not take for granted the time we have together. So many people are now unwillingly living a lifetime without their soulmates, and in comparison to that a month seems a paltry sum indeed.
So I just have three things that I love this Thursday. The first is funny moments like this that I can share with my husband:
The second is that today is Cypress's 3-year adoptiversary, which is exactly what it sounds like. 3 years ago we picked up our fuzzy, eyebrowed little beast and our life hasn't been the same since. Cypress was the perfect addition to our new little family and we fall more in love with her every day. This was taken the day we brought her home, 3 years ago today. She's still a little limp-wristed weiler.
The third and final thing is this song by Dan Andriano in the Emergency Room, which kind of reflects the sad part of my mood but is still an uplifting song in a weird way. If you haven't downloaded this album yet, you should right now. It's amazing.
Whenever an extended separation arises I always think back to the Army days, when only a month apart seemed like some sort of divine gift. Those times serve as a constant reminder to me of how lucky I am to have this life with Rob and to not take for granted the time we have together. So many people are now unwillingly living a lifetime without their soulmates, and in comparison to that a month seems a paltry sum indeed.
So I just have three things that I love this Thursday. The first is funny moments like this that I can share with my husband:
The second is that today is Cypress's 3-year adoptiversary, which is exactly what it sounds like. 3 years ago we picked up our fuzzy, eyebrowed little beast and our life hasn't been the same since. Cypress was the perfect addition to our new little family and we fall more in love with her every day. This was taken the day we brought her home, 3 years ago today. She's still a little limp-wristed weiler.
I saved the little slip of paper they gave us telling us when to come pick her up. I keep it in my wallet along with me and Rob's first picture.
The third and final thing is this song by Dan Andriano in the Emergency Room, which kind of reflects the sad part of my mood but is still an uplifting song in a weird way. If you haven't downloaded this album yet, you should right now. It's amazing.
The next time I write to you all I will be in Arizona! I hope you have a wonderful Thursday and be prepared for some picture-heavy posts! :)
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
What I (Honestly) Wore Wednesday
A couple of times I've done an "honest" wardrobe post since let's face it, when you work from home sometimes you hardly come close to dressing yourself in cute outfits. My good blog-friend Maryam over at Pamplemousse suggested that we do a link-up showing the honest outfits we wear on a daily basis. As Maryam says, "All these What I Wore Wednesday and Stepping Out Saturday posts are wonderful
but isn't it nice to see what we all wear on a normal basis?" And I know so many of you want to run away screaming from enjoy my honesty, so here goes: What I (Honestly) Wore Wednesday.
Today's selection of clothing was even more dismal than usual, since my bag is packed for a month in Arizona. Basically I picked the jeans that fit me the worst, the first shirt I found in our mountain of unfolded laundry, and my ubiquitious comfort sweatshirt. Since I did this on the fly I didn't pick a particularly attractive corner in my house nor did I put on make-up, so you are getting the real thing baby. Behold:
Today's selection of clothing was even more dismal than usual, since my bag is packed for a month in Arizona. Basically I picked the jeans that fit me the worst, the first shirt I found in our mountain of unfolded laundry, and my ubiquitious comfort sweatshirt. Since I did this on the fly I didn't pick a particularly attractive corner in my house nor did I put on make-up, so you are getting the real thing baby. Behold:
What is that giant thing in the corner, do you ask? Why that is merely our old rug, which we placed in the corner when we got our new rug two weeks ago because we were too lazy to take it up to the attic.
You like?
I call this one, "Sometimes a lady likes to leave her blazer on."
Go over to Maryam's blog and link up to this funnery! You know you want to, pajama-clad bloggers of the world!
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Where We Come From
So I was walking along today when I got the idea to craft a series of posts on where Rob and I come from. Most of the bloggers whose blogs I read come from urban areas or at least suburban areas, so I thought that it might be interesting to show how the rural half lives.
Rob and I are both from a sparsely-populated county in Maine that abuts New Brunswick. So you can see where this sits geographically, here's a map I found on Google images with our general area highlighted:
Our county has a population of around 30,000 and covers about 3200 square miles. There are a lot of issues primarily relating to poverty in Washington County (specifically prescription drug abuse and low life expectancies), but it's a beautiful place with kind people, and I'm proud to have grown up there.
The town I grew up in has a population of 140.* My house sits at the end of a four-mile dirt road and was originally a hunting camp. It also sat right in front of a small lake, one of the cleanest lakes in the state. We were 40 minutes away from school, 30 minutes from the nearest grocery store, and 25 from the nearest gas station. The only chain store we have is a Walmart. The nearest mall was a 90-mile drive one-way, in a town with a population of around 30,000. Our town had an unfinished grange hall, like most New England towns, but most of the town business (car registrations and the like) is conducted in the homes of the town clerks. Below are pictures of a view of the lake, the road my house is on, and the house I grew up in.
Rob grew up in a larger town (population around 600) that sits on a harbor. Most towns in Maine are widely dispersed, so despite being in a larger town, Rob was still 20 minutes from school and 30 minutes from the nearest grocery store. And though we went to the same high school, it took us about an hour to drive to each other's home. Here is the view from Robbie's parents' house:
Rob and I are both from a sparsely-populated county in Maine that abuts New Brunswick. So you can see where this sits geographically, here's a map I found on Google images with our general area highlighted:
Our county has a population of around 30,000 and covers about 3200 square miles. There are a lot of issues primarily relating to poverty in Washington County (specifically prescription drug abuse and low life expectancies), but it's a beautiful place with kind people, and I'm proud to have grown up there.
The town I grew up in has a population of 140.* My house sits at the end of a four-mile dirt road and was originally a hunting camp. It also sat right in front of a small lake, one of the cleanest lakes in the state. We were 40 minutes away from school, 30 minutes from the nearest grocery store, and 25 from the nearest gas station. The only chain store we have is a Walmart. The nearest mall was a 90-mile drive one-way, in a town with a population of around 30,000. Our town had an unfinished grange hall, like most New England towns, but most of the town business (car registrations and the like) is conducted in the homes of the town clerks. Below are pictures of a view of the lake, the road my house is on, and the house I grew up in.
Rob grew up in a larger town (population around 600) that sits on a harbor. Most towns in Maine are widely dispersed, so despite being in a larger town, Rob was still 20 minutes from school and 30 minutes from the nearest grocery store. And though we went to the same high school, it took us about an hour to drive to each other's home. Here is the view from Robbie's parents' house:
When Rob got out of the Army, he decided to go to a school in Western Maine. We live in a town now of 3000 people with real restaurants, a grocery store within a 10 minute drive, and access to Maine's biggest city (a booming metropolis of 64,000 people).
Neither Rob nor I are particularly fond of highly urban areas; despite the proximity to events, shopping, and tons of people, we both feel even more isolated in cities than when we are at home. When I studied abroad in Moscow in my junior year of college, I was amazed at how isolated and lonely I could feel in a city of 12 million people. I love that our town office is a tiny house that is closed on Wednesdays. I love that I run into people I know in the grocery store or gym on a regular basis. I love that we can take our dog on the trail behind the house and not have to keep her on a leash or clean up after her (yay for pooping in bushes!). I love that we can fall asleep to the sound of the river next to our house.
So, you guys can all come get away from the city and stay with us if I can come visit you, deal?
*Funny story: when I was in Russia someone was asking me about my hometown. I said, "My town has 140 people." The person responded, "...thousand?" Still makes me laugh.
Monday, October 3, 2011
Some October Bits & Pieces
Is anyone else in total disbelief that it's October? I feel like March and April were literally a month or two ago and now it's almost 2012, at least according to the synesthetic numberline in my head.
Some bits and pieces for ye:
1. My tattoo has officially hit the itchy stage. I hate the itchy stage. I can endure the pain like a champ (my artist tells me I'm a pretty damn good sitter) but the itchy stage makes me feel claustrophobic and annoyed. Also, while I was getting my tattoo my artist and I were talking about armpit tattoos, which I've heard are among the most painful. Is it weird that this made me kind of want to get one, just to see what the pain is like? Yes?
2. I leave for Arizona on Thursday and I can already tell I'm stressing about it. Whenever I travel after a long period of being at home I can feel the stress manifesting itself in obnoxious ways. All of a sudden the dirt and dog hair on the floor is almost audibly screaming to me all day, the walls start closing in, and every tiny annoying thing is magnified a thousand times. I get quickly annoyed with Rob for stupid things and I can tell that I'm subconsciously pushing him away to, I don't know, make it somehow easier to leave. It's both frustrating and enlightening that I have this much insight into what I do and how I think, but it doesn't make it any easier to accept that I'm leaving for a whole month. I've been waking up with panic attacks which I am attempting to calm with some grounding techniques. I am excited, however, to meet up with some awesome bloggers and see the Grand Canyon with the various people coming to visit me.
3. It's definitely starting to cool down here. Our house tends to be only slight warmer than outside in the fall and spring and we've been loathe to turn the heat on. I got to try out my new Victoria's Secret pajamas which are neither form-fitting nor sexy, but incredibly warm. Maybe if you're lucky I'll feature them in an outfit post.
4. Um. This is happening. Is anyone else more excited than they've ever been, ever? And for your enjoyment:
Some bits and pieces for ye:
1. My tattoo has officially hit the itchy stage. I hate the itchy stage. I can endure the pain like a champ (my artist tells me I'm a pretty damn good sitter) but the itchy stage makes me feel claustrophobic and annoyed. Also, while I was getting my tattoo my artist and I were talking about armpit tattoos, which I've heard are among the most painful. Is it weird that this made me kind of want to get one, just to see what the pain is like? Yes?
2. I leave for Arizona on Thursday and I can already tell I'm stressing about it. Whenever I travel after a long period of being at home I can feel the stress manifesting itself in obnoxious ways. All of a sudden the dirt and dog hair on the floor is almost audibly screaming to me all day, the walls start closing in, and every tiny annoying thing is magnified a thousand times. I get quickly annoyed with Rob for stupid things and I can tell that I'm subconsciously pushing him away to, I don't know, make it somehow easier to leave. It's both frustrating and enlightening that I have this much insight into what I do and how I think, but it doesn't make it any easier to accept that I'm leaving for a whole month. I've been waking up with panic attacks which I am attempting to calm with some grounding techniques. I am excited, however, to meet up with some awesome bloggers and see the Grand Canyon with the various people coming to visit me.
3. It's definitely starting to cool down here. Our house tends to be only slight warmer than outside in the fall and spring and we've been loathe to turn the heat on. I got to try out my new Victoria's Secret pajamas which are neither form-fitting nor sexy, but incredibly warm. Maybe if you're lucky I'll feature them in an outfit post.
4. Um. This is happening. Is anyone else more excited than they've ever been, ever? And for your enjoyment:
5. I notice I have some new followers of late. If you're new and haven't commented, let me know who you are! I love meeting new people.
6. This morning I asked Rob to come back to bed for a second and cuddle with me before he went to class because I was feeling really stressed and anxious. I curled into the "nook" (yeah, you all know) and just breathed in the moment. He smelled like Rob and toothpaste, and it was just lovely.
6. This morning I asked Rob to come back to bed for a second and cuddle with me before he went to class because I was feeling really stressed and anxious. I curled into the "nook" (yeah, you all know) and just breathed in the moment. He smelled like Rob and toothpaste, and it was just lovely.
I wish you all an amazing week!
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Sponsors, Features & Things
Did you notice my brand new sponsors bar on the right-hand side? I keep looking at it because it is just so lovely.
I'm shooting a wedding today and it's my last weekend in Maine for a month, so I might be kind of quiet. I wanted to let you guys know that our love story is being featured on Danfredo Rivera's blog today and that you should go check it out now! Danielle is one of my sponsors as well, and she's awesome, so you probably should read her blog regardless of whether I'm on it or not.
I'm shooting a wedding today and it's my last weekend in Maine for a month, so I might be kind of quiet. I wanted to let you guys know that our love story is being featured on Danfredo Rivera's blog today and that you should go check it out now! Danielle is one of my sponsors as well, and she's awesome, so you probably should read her blog regardless of whether I'm on it or not.
I hope you all have an amazing weekend, and happy October!
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