Life in Pictures. With some words.

We’ve been shopping a lot lately. With the holidays coming up and Brian working on his latest fixer upper, we’ve been making a lot of trips to the city for supplies. (I feel like 78% of our relationship has been spent at Menards. Lol.)

And at our trip to Costco, I made him try on coats for this winter. I married a man who hates being cold as much as he dislikes large amounts of clothes on him. Thus, coat shopping is tricky. And he married a woman who has a slight obsession with coats – rain coats, pea coats, wool coats, quilted coats, coats with fur, coats with designs…all coats. Lol.

And after making our rounds, we treated ourselves to a little shared milkshake :)

Thanksgiving morning I decorated our first little tree while Brian went to fix a sink at his renters. I have never watched Irving Berlin’s White Christmas and I didn’t finish it then, but I did start it that morning. Our house is coming along!

And yesterday we headed to the city to go Black Friday shopping after I got off of work. We decided a few weeks ago that we weren’t going to buy Christmas gifts for each other and try to save our money to get our vehicles winterized, but Brian surprised me that evening and said we could sneak out a bit and see if there was a deal we couldn’t live without. So of course I headed to Kohls! I’m very proud of myself – as the Black Friday signs flashed in my face and the incentives reached out of the aisles and practically grabbed my arms – I walked out of there with a reasonable amount of goodies in my arms and Brian felt accomplished in getting a good deal on an item he’s been wanting for over a year.

When Top Gear ended, Brian was pretty distraught. Thankfully, The Grand Tour started up on Amazon with our favorite British characters and we have a fantastic time on Friday nights watching the show. I’m also a little focused on NBC’s Timeless. I feel like most TV shows encompass Brian and I’s relationship : the bookish girl who barely can carry on a normal sentence without contributing random trivia partnered with the athletic, good looking guy who has to learn to work with her.

As I was getting ready for work this week, I took a look in the mirror and realized I may have a problem with plaid. Haha. Sounds about right! (And you get a good look at our makeshift closet and pile of shoes…you’re welcome. Lol.)

Happy Thanksgiving!

To be honest, this past year was one for the books. Our family went through so many changes in the past few months alone, I think we can agree that 2017 better be a little calmer. Lol.

We love two members of the family this year, my cousin Elijah a month before our wedding and my uncle Rob about a month after. And smack dab in the middle I was in the throws of planning a wedding. And then, after two months, I felt like a new woman. I had a new name. I had a new house, new life, new town, and now a new job. Looking back, it feels as if I blinked my eyes and everything had changed.

And with the holidays, I am very aware of everything. I am aware of my memories with my parents, I am aware of my new life with my husband. I am aware of those around me and how their lives affect mine. I am aware of money, insurance, vehicles, and things my single self merely thought of in passing. I am aware of every moment and how I need to make it count. Time is flying by me and I feel like it’s slipping through my fingers!

I am also learning. I’m learning how to enjoy the moment, no matter how fast it’s going! Just a day ago we were saying our vows, blissfully focused on one another. We’re still focused on each other, but now we look just past our beloved in order to keep them safe, well feed, and healthy. My mind in now consumed by the daily necessities that I often forget to be thankful for each thing that passes through my hands. Car keys – I have a vehicle that runs, well most of the time. Haha. Fabric – we have clothes to wear. Towels – we have a place to keep ourselves clean. EVERYTHING is something to be thankful for. An irritated customer’s voice on the other end of the telephone lets me know that I’m still employed and have a job! Haha!

Every now and then I am subdued by the idea that I’m not working in a museum in a big city, eagerly uncovering an ancient mystery. Heck, the history and genealogy department of a library would be good enough for me. But when I feel my face droop with delayed expectation, I simply have to reach over and brush Brian’s hand to remember all that I have to be thankful for.

Simple tip: If you’re blue or saddened by something you feel you should have or think you deserve, look around and see what you do have. Family, friends, a roof, food, transportation, safety, health, imagination, dreams, etc. Gratitude is the way to happiness unlike any other.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Graduation Day!

Back in September, my parents, husband, and I drove out to New Jersey for the grand celebration of the graduating class of 2016. Since my alma mater, Thomas Edison State University is an online university, the average age of the graduates was 36, I believe. It is a school that allows higher education not founded on the expected experiences of college or university. TESU offers freedom to learn at your own pace, in your own time, and with options for a better outcome! And considering finances and location, online college was the perfect fit for my lifestyle.

So…early on September 23rd we shoved out and made it to the East Cost that evening. (On the way, we stopped and had lunch somewhere in Pennsylvania or Ohio). After an Italian dinner that left only one person satisfied, we rested at the hotel. I sort of freaked out for a bit, but everyone else was pretty calm. Ha! 

The morning of was rainy and somewhat chilly, but by the end of the day it was a beautiful breeze and sunshine.

We had arrived at 9:45 in the morning for me attend the Awards Ceremony that preceded the Commencement Ceremony, and after walking across the stage and saying my new name into the microphone, my two gold chords (for my GPA) were draped over my neck and I walked down to my seat, legs somewhat shaky and mind extremely aware that I was going to have to do that again at the next ceremony. 

Then came the actual commencement ceremony, which, after a few long speeches, presented me with my pseudo diploma and I walked back down the stage and sat as I watched people from all different walks of life reach this ending in their collegiate journey. It was humbling to see how hard everyone worked – through deployment, unemployment, children, family issues, and health problems.

That night we drove to the Atlantic Ocean at the Jersey Shore and enjoyed a half hour or so playing on the beach until dinner. It was so beautiful and calm, sweeping me back to the possible sight of people before me who had looked at that horizon with such a range of thoughts and lives. It’s moments like that, that bring me a little closer to the past that are mesmerizing.

It was a trip I’ll never forget and I give thanks to God everyday that I was able to pursue a passion – something I REALLY REALLY REALLY want to go after. While that might not be at the forefront due to recent life changes, I can still look back and say that I went after a dream.