AAAHHHHH!

I'm tired. Why? Because I just ran two miles. Yep. I don't care that in the grand scheme of things that isn't really a long distance, it is a big deal to me. Two miles, straight, without stopping, even though I really, really wanted to. It's the longest I've ever run before in my entire life. I pretty much hated every minute of it, but I am nonetheless very proud of myself now (hence the post) and I will definitely be doing it again.

On other news, Chris left last Wednesday for wildland firefighting duty and he was called out to a fire Thursday and Friday so I didn't get to talk to him on our anniversary. He came home last night and I've got to say, the absence thing so far is a good thing. He has been so crazy lovey since he got back. We celebrated our anniversary tonight with a date and saw Inception (good, but confounding). Tomorrow we are planning a hike and then have a birthday party in the evening, then he leaves again on Wednesday :( Missing a picture? Oh ok. Here are a couple pics of the babes doing what they do.

on my husband

Well, today is the anniversary of our first year of marriage, and what am I doing? I'm sitting here at home just relaxing with a sleeping puppy. Chris is out of town on fire duty and I'm expecting to be alone for the next several days. I am sad we won't be spending the day together, but I am looking forward to some down time to read a book and work on some paintings I'm doing. Absence is good, you know what they say about fondess and such.

Anyway, I just wanted to reflect on some of the things I love about him:

1. the way he takes care of me when I'm sick

2. how much he loves our furry babies

3. that he is really good at cleaning

4. I never have to fight him over chocolate

5. he says he not a snuggler, be he totally is

I'll leave it at that.

Happy Anniversary Baby!

the table is done!

As you might know, I hate my kitchen table. It has been hand-me-downed for several years, and no offense to any of the previous owners, but I really loathe it. I am very into interior design, and let's just say, it is not my style. It has killed me that through all of my efforts to make our little apartment lovely, I still have to deal with this knotty pine, country table. I told Chris I would be requiring a new table by the time we buy a house. Chris, ever resourceful and having extra time on his hands, offered to refinish the table in order to squeeze a few more years of use out of it. Well, it took a while and it was a lot of work, but it is finally done!!!

here is the before...not working

in progress

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here
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is!


need to see it again?
before

and after
chair before


and after

Special thanks to my wonderful husband for working so hard on it for me, it is definitely invited to stay with us a bit longer...

Here I Go Again

Let's just say that over the past few years, like many people, I have gained a little weight. Particularly since the wedding I had let myself go, so on January first I began my new exercise and healthier eating regime. I was doing well, going to the gym about five times a week and keeping track of what I ate in a food journal (which I highly recommend - I certainly did not restrict myself from eating things I love, but it kept me accountable for how much I ate). By March I had lost about ten pounds, but then April and May came with tons of homework and stress. Going to the gym totally went out the window and I gained about five pounds back. So I decided to really start it again, June first, with rejuvinated motivation - afterall, it is bikini season.

So here is my news, the reason for this post, something I am very proud of. It may not be a very big deal to most people, but today I ran a mile without stopping. Let's get it straight, I am NOT a runner. I hate running. This is a big milestone for me. Throughout all the years of school when we ran the mile, I never once ran the whole thing without walking at least part of it. I went into the gym, went to the treadmill, set it at a decent pace and told myself I was going to run (let's be more accurate - jog) the whole thing, and I did. Like I said, it doesn't sound like much, but hopefully it will lead to more miles in the future. Here's to getting back in shape!

hello birdy

The other day I ran to Office Max (for pushpins!) and noticed the sign had a little guest. A bird's nest in the 'e'. There was also one in the 'a' but I didn't get a picture of that one. Can you see the little birdy? Adorable!

Skittle Vodka?!

A few weeks ago on a Friday night Chris and I were bored and none of our friends were up for hanging out, so the plan was to get together on Saturday. What should we do in the meantime? Apparently Chris decided we were going to make Skittle Vodka for the following night. We hadn't done it before and thought it might be fun for an evening activity together. Well, it was quite a bit of fun, especially eating the extra skittles!

the stuff
sorting the skittles by color/flavor

filling the bottles (after we emptied them, I insisted we drink the water rather than waste it...that wasn't so fun) with the vodka as evenly as possible. I say we did a remarkably great job.

Then we filled them with the respective skittles, shook them up, and put them in the freezer over night until the skittles had all dissolved and the flavor infused. Then just strain the remaining white stuff and it is ready. They turned out fantastic, I've got to say the boys enjoyed it the most, seeing as how they drank all of the vodka in about two nights. They preferred it in shot form, but Leah and I enjoyed our drinks (the only one we got) mixed with some Sprite.

Day with my mom

Last Saturday I had a wonderful day, just me and my mom. First, I went over and we made strawberry jam! My favorite. I feel sorry for those who only grew up on store-bought jam. It is just not even close to the amount of fabulousness as homemade. My husband is also now hooked on this jam, so it was neccessary to make more for next year.

the stuff
the process

the haul

This is just about enough to get Chris and me through the winter. Next, we went to see The Parade of Homes! One of my absoulte favorite things to do, tour beautiful houses. Hello, dream come true. We go every year and I look forward to it every year as the school year comes to a close. Then we ended with the traditional after-parade-of-homes-ice cream. It is always so warm ice cream in needed. Usually this is in the form of a blizzard, as it was in this case. We were also quite famished, so we also split a chicken strip basket (another one of my favorites). So all in all, a great day filled with things (and people) I love.