Today David and I have been married for 7 months. During that time a lot of stuff has happened. I dare to say more then the average marriage. We've had a family member battle cancer, a family member pass away, a friend take their life, and the most important a big job change.
About a month and a half ago David separated from his job with the school system. It was a good paying job with good benefits -- but in reality it was taking a toll on his happiness and ultimately our happiness. My schedule with the TV station is not your normal schedule. I am completely unavailable during the weekend hours and they only time I'm home is when I'm asleep or eating breakfast. David's job was a normal Monday through Friday 8am to 5pm position. So basically except for when we were sleeping we had about 4 hours each night (20 hours a week) to spend time together. I'm sorry, but out of the 168 hours available through the week only 20 together is terrible. We kept telling ourselves that other couples have overcome more then us and we'd be able to work through it.
Now with his new job we get to spend much more time together. He still has to work on my days off but most of it is done from home. So even when he is working he's in the house with me and I have the ability to go up and talk to him or have lunch with him. It's definitely more of the marriage I imaged. Having actual days off together and the ability to go ride bikes, visit parks and do other things together.
Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Thursday, May 23, 2013
Death & Mortality
You're reminded of your own mortality when you start losing the people around you. I guess that's the world's way of kicking you in the butt so you stop wasting your own life. Not that I feel like I've been wasting my life ... but I guess we can always do better.
On April 28, 2013 I went into work like any other day only to be informed that one of my co workers had gone missing overnight. It's a long personal story that's not mine to share in detail, but they would end up finding his body exactly two weeks later. This was a person who had a lot to live for. He was young, had an adorable little boy and an amazing talent to share with the world. Why things happened the way they did can never be understood, but all we know is that a person we had grown to love is no longer with us.
Then this morning I woke up to more bad news. My aunt, my mom's sister, had a bad asthma attack. By the time she was able to get medical attention she had been without oxygen for far too long. She had irreversible brain damage and her immediate family decided to take her off life support. Another reminder of just how mortal we are. I can count on both hands the number of people I personally know living with asthma, but never someone to actually die from it. I guess we take for granted the medical technology that helps people breath ... that is until it's not around.
In both cases I lean on the knowledge that each had a relationship with God and were welcomed into a far better place. My aunt won't have to live with asthma or allergies and is breathing like the day she was born. While my coworker has complete peace. During a memorial service for my coworker the pastor talked about how good can come out of bad situations. That because of my coworker's passing we had grown stronger as a work family. I know my aunt's situation will be the same. Her children will be able to come together as one and have a stronger and better relationship.
On April 28, 2013 I went into work like any other day only to be informed that one of my co workers had gone missing overnight. It's a long personal story that's not mine to share in detail, but they would end up finding his body exactly two weeks later. This was a person who had a lot to live for. He was young, had an adorable little boy and an amazing talent to share with the world. Why things happened the way they did can never be understood, but all we know is that a person we had grown to love is no longer with us.
Then this morning I woke up to more bad news. My aunt, my mom's sister, had a bad asthma attack. By the time she was able to get medical attention she had been without oxygen for far too long. She had irreversible brain damage and her immediate family decided to take her off life support. Another reminder of just how mortal we are. I can count on both hands the number of people I personally know living with asthma, but never someone to actually die from it. I guess we take for granted the medical technology that helps people breath ... that is until it's not around.
In both cases I lean on the knowledge that each had a relationship with God and were welcomed into a far better place. My aunt won't have to live with asthma or allergies and is breathing like the day she was born. While my coworker has complete peace. During a memorial service for my coworker the pastor talked about how good can come out of bad situations. That because of my coworker's passing we had grown stronger as a work family. I know my aunt's situation will be the same. Her children will be able to come together as one and have a stronger and better relationship.
Friday, March 22, 2013
Afraid of the Dark?
The other day I was coming home from work when I passed a homeless man pan handling on the street corner. It was about 11pm, extremely dark, and of course I hit the red light; meaning that I had to sit there for another 2 minutes, alone, while this man stared at me. Thankfully me attempts to ignore him were successful. That was until the last minute! He actually walked up to my window and knocked on it trying to get my attention. I shook my head no just as the light turned green and I drove away. I know, I know! There will be people reading this thinking, "Couldn't you have helped him? How selfish of you!" But here is my reasoning ...
I am deadly afraid of doing anything in public at night by myself. While I was in college I worked freelance for a sports program that covered High School football games every Friday night. Most of the games were in the mid-state area, but sometimes it was still a good 1-2 hour drive from where I lived. That wouldn't put me back home till midnight in same cases. One of those times I really really really needed to pick up some groceries. I had a long weekend of work and knew if I didn't do it that night I wouldn't have anything to eat till Monday. There was a Walmart directly across the street from my apartment complex, and being a naive college girl, I never thought anything bad could happen that close to my apartment. But it did. After getting my groceries and walking to my car in the parking lot, a man approached me, grabbed my wallet from the shopping cart, and jumped into a nearby get-a-way car. He didn't have a weapon, but it was still a very surreal, scary experience. I had to wait for police to arrive and immediately called my bank. Within 2 hours the thief had already charged $300 to my account. I had a wonderful bank that covered the $300, and closed the account. They also immediately opened a new checking account with the exact amount I should have had so I never went without money that weekend. However, I still had to get a new drivers license, student ID, I even had to put an alert on my credit because my wallet happened to still have my SS card from something I needed it for earlier in the week. I was lucky that they didn't try to steal my identity, but for all I know there is someone walking around with my card still waiting to strike.
Ever since that experience I make it a point not to shop at night, get gas at night, or go to the ATM at night unless I am with another person. Since then, I've also worked in overnight news for almost 3 years. I hear enough reports of robberies, and ATM thefts in the middle of the night to know better now.
So was I willing to roll down my window at 11 o'clock at night for a homeless man I didn't know? Especially with no witnesses around? Hell no! You could even subtract the homeless portion from the story. If it was just a random person on the street, I would still never roll my window down for a stranger in the middle of the night. Unfortunately that's the world we live in now-a-days.
It does remind me of an experience David and I had early on in our relationship. I think it was our 3rd or 4th date. We had met at a bar for a band that was playing. We drove separately, so after the show was over we were standing in the parking lot talking. It was almost midnight. We ended up getting approached by a homeless man asking for cash. It was apparent he had been drinking. David handled the situation very well. Instead of giving cash he told the guy about the Rescue Mission just a couple blocks down the road. He also offered information about "Room in the Inn." No surprise, the guy only wanted cash and could care less about the other options suggested for him. Still, when it was clear the guy wasn't going to go away, David was able to get us out of there. My knight in shining armor!
I am deadly afraid of doing anything in public at night by myself. While I was in college I worked freelance for a sports program that covered High School football games every Friday night. Most of the games were in the mid-state area, but sometimes it was still a good 1-2 hour drive from where I lived. That wouldn't put me back home till midnight in same cases. One of those times I really really really needed to pick up some groceries. I had a long weekend of work and knew if I didn't do it that night I wouldn't have anything to eat till Monday. There was a Walmart directly across the street from my apartment complex, and being a naive college girl, I never thought anything bad could happen that close to my apartment. But it did. After getting my groceries and walking to my car in the parking lot, a man approached me, grabbed my wallet from the shopping cart, and jumped into a nearby get-a-way car. He didn't have a weapon, but it was still a very surreal, scary experience. I had to wait for police to arrive and immediately called my bank. Within 2 hours the thief had already charged $300 to my account. I had a wonderful bank that covered the $300, and closed the account. They also immediately opened a new checking account with the exact amount I should have had so I never went without money that weekend. However, I still had to get a new drivers license, student ID, I even had to put an alert on my credit because my wallet happened to still have my SS card from something I needed it for earlier in the week. I was lucky that they didn't try to steal my identity, but for all I know there is someone walking around with my card still waiting to strike.
Ever since that experience I make it a point not to shop at night, get gas at night, or go to the ATM at night unless I am with another person. Since then, I've also worked in overnight news for almost 3 years. I hear enough reports of robberies, and ATM thefts in the middle of the night to know better now.
So was I willing to roll down my window at 11 o'clock at night for a homeless man I didn't know? Especially with no witnesses around? Hell no! You could even subtract the homeless portion from the story. If it was just a random person on the street, I would still never roll my window down for a stranger in the middle of the night. Unfortunately that's the world we live in now-a-days.
It does remind me of an experience David and I had early on in our relationship. I think it was our 3rd or 4th date. We had met at a bar for a band that was playing. We drove separately, so after the show was over we were standing in the parking lot talking. It was almost midnight. We ended up getting approached by a homeless man asking for cash. It was apparent he had been drinking. David handled the situation very well. Instead of giving cash he told the guy about the Rescue Mission just a couple blocks down the road. He also offered information about "Room in the Inn." No surprise, the guy only wanted cash and could care less about the other options suggested for him. Still, when it was clear the guy wasn't going to go away, David was able to get us out of there. My knight in shining armor!
Thursday, March 14, 2013
The "C" Word
For years I've followed a blogger and youtuber by the name of Hayley G. Hoover. She's about 5 years younger then me, and has a HUGE following on the internet. I once read an article about her, written by a fellow youtuber, on how and why Hayley had found "internet fame." The answer was simple ... she was transparent. She let people into her world and didn't hold back. They knew random details about her life and she shared most, if not all, of her experiences growing up. She's grown up with the internet and didn't know life any differently. That same transparent identity can not be put on me ... While my husband and parents probably think I share far too much of my life on the internet I've never had the courage to divulge as much as Hayley does.
(side note: There are some things Hayley hasn't talked about including a very nasty breakup with her equally as "internet famous" boyfriend and musician Mike Lombardo. The breakup involved the FBI and child porn charges. It was pretty big news in the Youtube world -- yet Hayley has never talked about it or answered questions about it.)
There's a portion of David and I's life that I've left quiet when it comes to the internet world. Since November 2012 my mother-in-law has been battling Stage 4 Breast Cancer. It was her second round. The first happening around 2007. I remember this because I knew David back then even though we weren't dating. I told my immediate family and a few select friends, but for the most part I never mentioned it in my youtube videos, blogs, facebook, or twitter. I didn't think it was my news to share. It was my husband's and I didn't want to step on his toes.
That being said, I do feel confident finally sharing the good news. As of a couple weeks ago doctors did another PET scan and say her tumor markers have been gettin smaller -- meaning she's beating it again! Amazing news! And news I'm willing to share with the internet world.
(side note: There are some things Hayley hasn't talked about including a very nasty breakup with her equally as "internet famous" boyfriend and musician Mike Lombardo. The breakup involved the FBI and child porn charges. It was pretty big news in the Youtube world -- yet Hayley has never talked about it or answered questions about it.)
There's a portion of David and I's life that I've left quiet when it comes to the internet world. Since November 2012 my mother-in-law has been battling Stage 4 Breast Cancer. It was her second round. The first happening around 2007. I remember this because I knew David back then even though we weren't dating. I told my immediate family and a few select friends, but for the most part I never mentioned it in my youtube videos, blogs, facebook, or twitter. I didn't think it was my news to share. It was my husband's and I didn't want to step on his toes.
That being said, I do feel confident finally sharing the good news. As of a couple weeks ago doctors did another PET scan and say her tumor markers have been gettin smaller -- meaning she's beating it again! Amazing news! And news I'm willing to share with the internet world.
Friday, February 22, 2013
Our First Valentines
Because of my work schedule David and I never seem to celebrate holidays on the day it actually happens. We've become accustom to opening Christmas presents on Christmas Eve and doing Thanksgiving a week before ... even a month before. So when it came to this year's Valentines Day it really turned into a Valentines Week.
I'm one of those people that even if it's not near a person's birthday -- but I see a good deal -- I'll buy it and then save it for the special occasion. So, needless to say I have been planning David's Valentine presents since early January. We've talking about doing The Viking Cooking School but when I went to their website they were already sold out for Valentines week. I little dissappointing considering it was a month away. That's when I found a place that does cake decorating classes. I had mentioned the idea to David before and he seem interested so when a deal popped up on Groupon that would make the class buy 1 get one free I pounced on it. The only problem was that the classes were on Saturdays which I always work (10am-11pm). I decided to bite the bullet and ask for a vacation day the Saturday after Valentines, but I wouldn't tell David till that week -- and make it a surprise. I also found a living social deal on a Brazilian Steak Place we like ... so another good deal.
Fast forward to Valentines week! I ended up having to work an extended weekend before.
Friday 1:30pm-10:30pm
Saturday 10am-11pm
Sunday 11am-11pm
Monday 9am-5pm
Besides the 12 hour gaps to sleep I was basically at work for 4 days straight. David knew I was tired by Monday night and offered to bring home dinner so I didn't have to cook. This is what he got!
I thought it was very cute and of course yummy!
Our actual Valentines night plans were to go to a Predators Hockey Game. David thought of the idea and I loved it. Still he wanted to take me out to dinner some time before since the night of the hockey game we wouldn't be able to (I worked right up till the game). We decided on Dave & Buster's. Anyone who knows us, knows we are a sucker for arcade games. Typically on Wednesday nights Dave & Buster's has half-priced games ... so we always try to go then. This time around we got a good deal with tokens so we only ended up spending $50 on food and games. That's when we found "THE JACKPOT."
While playing games, I noticed a machine that was only charging 0.5 tokens. Most of the games cost 5.0 or 6.0 tokens so it seemed like an awesome deal. I played a couple of times and noticed that the token count on my card wasn't going down. It was letting me play for free! And I was winning 200-500 tickets a game! Eventually, a worker was told that the machine was broken but they said they didn't care .... We ended up playing that one game for about an hour and winning over 40,000 tickets without spending a single token.
**Disclaimer -- Yes, I felt a little guilty. But the fact that the worker knew and said he didn't care made me feel less guilty. If they knew and cared, they could have turned off the machine!**
So all in all a long, nice Valentines week. Recap: heart-shaped pizza, Dave & Busters, Preds Hockey, Cake decorating classes and a Brazilian steak house. We are blessed and lucky.
I'm one of those people that even if it's not near a person's birthday -- but I see a good deal -- I'll buy it and then save it for the special occasion. So, needless to say I have been planning David's Valentine presents since early January. We've talking about doing The Viking Cooking School but when I went to their website they were already sold out for Valentines week. I little dissappointing considering it was a month away. That's when I found a place that does cake decorating classes. I had mentioned the idea to David before and he seem interested so when a deal popped up on Groupon that would make the class buy 1 get one free I pounced on it. The only problem was that the classes were on Saturdays which I always work (10am-11pm). I decided to bite the bullet and ask for a vacation day the Saturday after Valentines, but I wouldn't tell David till that week -- and make it a surprise. I also found a living social deal on a Brazilian Steak Place we like ... so another good deal.
Fast forward to Valentines week! I ended up having to work an extended weekend before.
Friday 1:30pm-10:30pm
Saturday 10am-11pm
Sunday 11am-11pm
Monday 9am-5pm
Besides the 12 hour gaps to sleep I was basically at work for 4 days straight. David knew I was tired by Monday night and offered to bring home dinner so I didn't have to cook. This is what he got!
I thought it was very cute and of course yummy!
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| A heart shaped pizza along with a smore's pizza |
While playing games, I noticed a machine that was only charging 0.5 tokens. Most of the games cost 5.0 or 6.0 tokens so it seemed like an awesome deal. I played a couple of times and noticed that the token count on my card wasn't going down. It was letting me play for free! And I was winning 200-500 tickets a game! Eventually, a worker was told that the machine was broken but they said they didn't care .... We ended up playing that one game for about an hour and winning over 40,000 tickets without spending a single token.
**Disclaimer -- Yes, I felt a little guilty. But the fact that the worker knew and said he didn't care made me feel less guilty. If they knew and cared, they could have turned off the machine!**
So all in all a long, nice Valentines week. Recap: heart-shaped pizza, Dave & Busters, Preds Hockey, Cake decorating classes and a Brazilian steak house. We are blessed and lucky.
Friday, January 11, 2013
2012 Survey
It's a little late -- but don't they say it's better late then never?
I stole this from a friend's blog.
1. What did you do in 2012 that you’d never done before? Bought a house and got married
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I didn't make any resolutions. In fact it was one of the 1st years I didn't.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? My sister Katie had her third child, Carter Mark.
4. Did anyone close to you die? No
5. What countries did you visit?
Jamaica, Mexico & Haiti
6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012? Free time to just do nothing and hang out with David.With both of our new jobs this year it changed our schedule drastically where we really don't get to just have a day to ourselves.
7. What dates from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? Getting Engaged, January 1st, 2012
My wedding date, October 28th, 2012
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Finally getting off overnights at work. It's come with it's own set of challenges and setbacks but it's so nice to not be sleeping during the day.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Getting back into a healthy lifestyle ... yeap, that went bad
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I got really sick after our wedding and had a bad cough for almost 4 weeks
11. What was the best thing you bought? A house, a wedding dress
12. Where did most of your money go? Bills, new furniture and appliances for the house
13. What did you get really excited about? My wedding and getting to see all the Youtube BIPB girls together
14. What song will always remind you of 2012? "I won't give up on you" Gavin DeGraw
15. Compared to this time last year, are you:
- happier or sadder? Happier
- thinner or fatter? Fatter
- richer or poorer? Richer, both David and I got better jobs and finally paid off a lot of debt
16. What do you wish you’d done more of? Exercise, crafting
17. What do you wish you’d done less of?
I can't think of anything
18. How did you spend Christmas?With family -- both David and I's
19. What was your favorite TV program?Walking Dead & Grey's Anatomy
20. What were your favorite books of the year?
Divergent Series, & Matched Series
21. What was your favorite music from this year?Silver Seas, Katy Perry, Adele
22. What were your favorite films of the year?Twilight #4 -- I know, but I didn't get to see many films
23. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?I turned 26. We had a cook out at our new house
24. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?Working a different schedule that didn't include weekends
25. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012?Uh…. what's fashion?
26. What kept you sane?My Youtube girls
27. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012.Patience is hard to come by, but if you are patient good things can happen.
I stole this from a friend's blog.
1. What did you do in 2012 that you’d never done before? Bought a house and got married
2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I didn't make any resolutions. In fact it was one of the 1st years I didn't.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth? My sister Katie had her third child, Carter Mark.
4. Did anyone close to you die? No
5. What countries did you visit?
Jamaica, Mexico & Haiti
6. What would you like to have in 2013 that you lacked in 2012? Free time to just do nothing and hang out with David.With both of our new jobs this year it changed our schedule drastically where we really don't get to just have a day to ourselves.
7. What dates from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? Getting Engaged, January 1st, 2012
My wedding date, October 28th, 2012
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Finally getting off overnights at work. It's come with it's own set of challenges and setbacks but it's so nice to not be sleeping during the day.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Getting back into a healthy lifestyle ... yeap, that went bad
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I got really sick after our wedding and had a bad cough for almost 4 weeks
11. What was the best thing you bought? A house, a wedding dress
12. Where did most of your money go? Bills, new furniture and appliances for the house
13. What did you get really excited about? My wedding and getting to see all the Youtube BIPB girls together
14. What song will always remind you of 2012? "I won't give up on you" Gavin DeGraw
15. Compared to this time last year, are you:
- happier or sadder? Happier
- thinner or fatter? Fatter
- richer or poorer? Richer, both David and I got better jobs and finally paid off a lot of debt
16. What do you wish you’d done more of? Exercise, crafting
17. What do you wish you’d done less of?
I can't think of anything
18. How did you spend Christmas?With family -- both David and I's
19. What was your favorite TV program?Walking Dead & Grey's Anatomy
20. What were your favorite books of the year?
Divergent Series, & Matched Series
21. What was your favorite music from this year?Silver Seas, Katy Perry, Adele
22. What were your favorite films of the year?Twilight #4 -- I know, but I didn't get to see many films
23. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?I turned 26. We had a cook out at our new house
24. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?Working a different schedule that didn't include weekends
25. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012?Uh…. what's fashion?
26. What kept you sane?My Youtube girls
27. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012.Patience is hard to come by, but if you are patient good things can happen.
Monday, January 7, 2013
Finally ... House is Almost Complete
A while back I posted pictures of the new house and talked about how the dining room has become more of a collecting spot then a real dining room. While we were unpacking stuff it became the room that all the unknown boxes went, and while we were getting married it became the room that all the wedding gifts were stashed. Even now that we've been married over 2 months it still has random gifts and boxes from both events. Our goal is to ultimately make it an entertaining/game room for when we have people over, but it hasn't been a top priority.
Then the other day we were at Costco walking around when I spotted THE TABLE. I called for David and showed it to him and we instantly knew it would be perfect. It wasn't too expensive and thanks to a nice good-bye present from the former owner's of my work place we had a little bit of money sitting around. So we went ahead and purchased ... but did we know what we were getting into??
The table came in 4 boxes. One with the table and three with the chairs. Everything had to be assembled by us. Let me tell you the boxes were heavy and I'm pretty sure we looked like fools as we tried to load everything up into the SUV. We had to tie down another purchase to the roof cause there was simply not enough room in the SUV anyone.
Once that was complete we then had to get the suckers home and IN THE HOUSE!! A mini workout.
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| The biggest box being unpacked |
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| David getting the bottom support screwed together |
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| Having too much fun! |
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