The Struggle Against Time

Goodness! This is what I feel like inside right now, typing away at my desk...
It has been a doozy of a week. Matt and I are adjusting to marriage while under some significant financial and vocational pressure. It is more than just financial - it is TIME.

I was reading about how in your first year of marriage you need to be careful to guard your time. I feel horrible because of my commute, but it is all we have right now to work with job-wise, so what else can I do? I have to get up at 5:30 in the morning, so bedtime has to be around 9:30 (I made the connection last year that my weight loss was associated with getting exercise and GOOD SLEEP --->that is when my body processes burned body fat. When I get bad sleep, I gain weight. It is hard to be disciplined in this area because I often am not tired at 9:30!). So I have four hours in the evening with Matt. We either run or have a church/social event after dinner and clean up and then before you know it, it's time to start gearing down! WHERE does time go?

I was teary in the grocery parking lot as Matt told me about his day with business meetings and....cooking a meal for our pastor and his wife and getting to hold their newborn baby.

I burned with envy - yet, he was helping ME out. I signed up to provide the meal, and then when I realized we could not afford to get them take out, he offered to make it for me. (I would have loved to if....I had the time...).

It was payday, and we portioned out the cash for savings, giving, the DSL bill, the vanpool, groceries, his student loan payment....and then the cash was nearly gone. Gulp. Sticking to a budget is...hard. But - we are doing it. That is a good thing!

It's date night! How do you have one with no money? Well, in one city block nearby is an Applebees, our favorite grocery store (WinCo) and a $1 movie rental place. We will park in the middle and do our grocery shopping for the week together, get a $1 movie, and use a gift certificate we got in the mail last night to Applebees for dinner. I am SO excited...
Well poop.

As I was writing this an air raid went off.

Did I mention that I live by a nuclear power plant? I better sign off to go inquire...

Nevertheless - have a great weekend, all!!

Financial Peace - Step 1: Savings

This is my FIRST weekly installment on what Matt and I are learning in Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University Class.
GOODNESS was the first FPU class awesome! Matt and I were laughing, shaking our heads, making those grimace (ouch!!) faces on occasion...and learning A LOT.

After basic introductions we watched the first DVD in our class. It was a lesson on the importance of savings. It must become a priority - we must give (tithe), save, then pay our bills. This will be a hard step for us right now because we don't have much leftover after bills right now! Still, we are going to try to find ways to save. This month, we sold some items on eBay and next we are going to Craigslist to sell items to make our commitment to save.

So the first step is to save $1000 and put it in the bank. It was described as a "G.O.K" fund - a "God Only Knows!" fund that can be used when an emergency strikes.

We also learned a little about the importance of investing. An example was that if you put $100 a month stating from age 25 into an account with a 12% return - it will build into $1,176,000 by age 65! I think I finally figured out compound interest...

Daily decisions can make a huge impact. As Matt starts his new consulting gig this week we are praying big and taking action. Since it is commission-based there are a lot of unknowns. We do know what steps we need to take to get started and that feels good. Taking this class together gets us on the same page with money - this is a very good thing.

I will be back next Wednesday with what I learned from lesson 2. Until then...

(PS. One of my "wishes" from yesterday already got answered. My contract at the winery where I work got extended another couple months! :)

I Wish I Could...

If I could wave a magic wand....well, I probably wouldn't - because I don't believe in that hocus pocus. I believe in prayer and in humoring hard knocks in life because they are part of our story. However, there are many times that I say "I wish I could _____ for _____".

I wish I could pay for the adoption of a Haitian child for a childless couple.

I wish I could help create programs in Haiti to fix infrastructure, create jobs, rebuild schools, fix the government, and give them a relief from their distress...

I wish I could get a dear friend the surgery that she needs with no red tape. Free. She would get her life back after a traumatic birth.

I wish I could repay the dear friend that gave us my engagement ring.

I wish I could make more time in the day to spend with my husband after I get home from work. 11 hours a day away from each other is an eternity.

I wish I could repair our friends' struggling marriages.

I wish I could get some cute things for our place and not feel guilty about spending money. I was drooling over a cute leather ottoman and white shelving at Target on Saturday...

I wish I could do something to get fuel prices down to where they were in the 80's...

I wish I could "beam" myself places like they did in Star Trek! I would have coffee with Becky in Montana, go on a walk with Bryn in Mississippi, squeeze my nephews' cheeks back home, eat my mom's cooking, and hike in Ireland - all in one day :)

I wish I could visit my sponsored child in Uganda every year.

I wish I could get Matt some running clothes for his marathon training. He is currently enjoying many of mine :)

I wish I could make more time in my day so I could help new moms in my community. Just to drop by and offer my time if they need a nap, a meal, or help with cleaning.

I wish I could know how much longer my contract is at the winery so we can prepare for the change better...

Our prayer list is pretty full right now. Matt and I keep on praying about stuff until something happens...and yet so much is too.

We also dream really, really big. What are you writing on your dream list today?

Home Improvements & Recipes

I remembered to take pictures this weekend of our home projects! Pat on the back to me :) This was the beginning of our bookshelf project. We are housesitting long-term for Matt's folks, and his dad has an amazing book collection. However, they were all shoved in there mis-matchy and well, there were some crazy titles too. So, we cleaned it up a bit to look cuter. (Sorry Ron - the Einstein books had to go on the downstairs shelf!)
We found some pieces of art and framed pictures to put on the shelf as well - it is much more pleasing to the eye! Who knew this project would only take an hour and we thought it would take all day? (Doesn't it look great, Marian? I personally hauled upstairs all the Jane Austin's so it was not just a man's collection). I added a little chair near the shelf so we could have a place to sit nearby to actually read these great titles. This was a fun project. There are two other shelves to tackle in the living area that are next on our list...

We also FINALLY put photos into the picture frames that we have had hanging up since getting them as wedding gifts. We got 50 free prints from Snapfish, so there was our excuse to get to work. This was a two minute job. My hunky husband did most of the work. ;)
I love white frames and/or matting, so the one on the left was my pick. The one on the left was Matt's. Cute combo, yes? (us and the pictures! :)
I really should have shown a pic of the whole room, but I don't have Photoshop to haze out the laundry pile just under these frames.We had a great weekend. Friday night was the Haiti Telethon for me and guys game night for Matt. Saturday was a run along the Colombia river, a coffee date after (we used our free coffee stamp coupon!) and errands before church. We love Saturday night services so we can leave Sundays for laziness.

Sunday was sleeping in, an omelet feast, a stroll in the sunshine, and projects. We also did a Target run to return a malfunctioning soap pump we got as a wedding gift. I was SO impressed they let us exchange it without a receipt! Yay Target.

I failed to take pictures of the meals we made this weekend but they were blogworthy!

Saturday:
Lunch: Homemade EASY pizzas!
- Take a flat whole wheat pita bread slice (they are round like a pizza!) and put your sauce and cheese and veggie toppings on it. Bake 12 min - so so so good! Mine was loaded with spinach and peppers. "Hit the spot", as my mom would say...

Sunday:
Brunch: Super Veggie Omelette's
- We beat six organic eggs and poured them over a pan of sizzling stir fry veggies that we pulled from the freezer. Broccoli, spinach and green peas with dill. Shred on some cheese and serve with salsa. SO SO good.
- I also pulled some frozen French fries from the freezer and put them through the food processor with an S-blade and made hashbrowns out of 'em. Nom nom nom!!

Dinner: Chicken Parmisiana for Two (fancyness for Chicken Parmesan, really...)
- You take 2 cups of bread crumbs, 1/2 cup grated parmesan and mix them up with an egg. Add two TBSP of water or so, and dip a couple chicken breasts in it. I then fried them up in a frying pan with a quarter cup of olive oil, turning them over. The breading does not stay on great, but it is so good in the end! After you fry five minutes or so on each side, you then layer them in an ungreased loaf pan that has tomato/spaghetti sauce on the bottom. Pour that tomato sauce on top and some cheese and bake 25 minutes. SO GOOD!

That is all for now. Happy Monday, all!

Why My Job Is Important

A Friday laugh brought to you by Fail Blog. I had a good laugh at this because moments before I'd seen this, I was groaning about all the crazy fact-checking that goes into writing what goes on wine labels at my job in the winery...

Happy Friday, all! I am really excited for the weekend. Who isn't?

It's a busy day at work today, so I will be brief and just share something empowering that I did.

Yesterday I put my foot down with the Big Bank that I have banked with for 15 years. Big Bank got a tax bailout from me the taxpayer last year, and returned the favor by hiking the APR on my credit card up 3%. I have an excellent credit score, never missed a payment, never exceeded my limit - a good customer. I wrote to them and got an automatically generated response. I wrote again, got another one. I knew then that it was time to go with a local bank that would maybe even go as far as learn how to say my name. I did just that!

I marched into a credit union here in town and opened a new account last night. For a person that hates drastic change, it was a big step - but a good one.

I told Matt that I felt that my "justice" button had been pushed. We both have an overdeveloped sense of justice, where we react to issues of injustice strongly. I know I made the right decision, and now Matt and I bank at the same place. A lot easier! (We are still keeping separate accounts tho!) :)

SO. That makes me feel good today. Change won't happen unless we do it ourselves - it is our job to take action.

T(And, the customer is always right!)

Happy Friday, all!

(Trying To Be) Thankful Thursday

Matt and I start Dave Ramseys'(of Total Money Makeover) Financial Peace University on Tuesday. We are enrolling in the class as we are seeking ways to tackle debt and become more generous. Newly married, we know that we will get equipped with really important information. From insurance to credit cards, mortgages to paying off debt - they teach it all. I am excited about it, but preparing for it to HURT. I can already feel my face making that "ouch!" look...

We are in tough financial circumstances at this very moment but are transitioning into a two-income family this next month. We are so humbled and grateful for Matt's new job, and for my temp job that is looking like it will stretch into the spring. But we've already been living so so so frugally - will we ever get to eat out again? Take a trip to the folks' house four hours away? Take a vacation?

I am a little nervous to commit to the challenge. But I need it, we need it. It is time. We have huge goals and that means working hard now to attain them. I am confident that we will!

I still wish I could get up from this desk and hop a plane to Haiti today. But, I now that if I were to drop everything to go to Haiti and help, I would actually hinder efforts there, not help them. And, I only get paid when I work, so....

I am really really looking forward to the weekend.

I am thankful for these challenges and hardships. Looking back, what trials in your life do you need to thank God for?

In a Heartbeat

I told Matt that if we could, I'd drop everything and hop the next plane to Haiti.

I would go and hold babies. The staggering orphan crisis there is unreal, and I can't stop thinking about it. Are there volunteers there that can hold them while they are being fed (are they being fed?). An image that I can't get out of my head and heart was of a rescued little baby boy that was all alone on a army-style stretcher, staring off.

It is so crazy that just this morning I was groaning about forgetting to pack about half my lunch and knowing I'd spent the afternoon hungry. Then I think about some of the rescues yesterday - people that had spent up to a week in rubble being rescued. I've never gone a week without food in my life. I've never gone more than a day without water.

It is not a fun blog read, but that is where I am at. Not really here today. Matt and I dream of the day that we can be financially independent and live off of investments so that we can do full-time ministry. Orphan care, discipleship, fund the cost of medical supplies being shipped somewhere, etc. It means frugality now, living way below our means. It will all be worth it.

A year ago today I was freezing my butt off at the Inauguration. I'd love to be in hundred-degree temps today, over there.

When I am all caught up on tasks at work, I read the updates on Haiti. I send off one line prayers and wish that I could be there to help. Anything.

I'd take home a whole car load of those babies, too.

Perspective

I LOVE THIS!

This picture says a lot doesn't it?

Keep trying.
Don't give up.
Man, you are hungry!
Everything is within reach if you try...

And some thoughts this picture:

Bloom where you are planted!
You can create comfort anywhere you try
Heaters are comfy places...
I need a nap. Now.
Taking a break from hard work!
WHERE is my coffee?

Just some perspective today. Matt and I are tackling some projects big and small, mundane and mondo.

Yesterday Matt made two trips to the nearby recycling center to get rid of bags and bags of recycling that we've accumulated that spill over beyond what the bi-monthly pickup gets. I did online research into "rookie" marathon training plans as we prepare for Matt's first marathon.

He researched how to get his desktop working again so he can finish some tax stuff. I shredded a box of receipts. (Grand total = about 6 boxes and counting!)

Things are slowly coming together. I need to get my camera out and take some pics of what we've accomplished and what we are working on! (Remind me). I am drooling over all your blogs out there of getting organized! (Kristen, I LOVE your craft space!! So inspiring...)

In the meantime, have an awesome Tuesday!

BFF's

I have known Renee (middle) and Veronica (far right) since the 4th and 5th grade. We've had some crazy times together.
I went off to college at Central Washington, Renee to Western Washington, and Veronica stayed in the Tacoma area, jumping right into the work world. We've managed to stay in touch all these years. We are all very different, but yet have so much in common, too.We were way overdue to have a girls day together. Veronica and her husband and two kiddos live far away in California now, so when she was in Washington for a visit, we all decided to meet halfway from where I live to where they are - which is the cute college town of Ellensburg. We each drove about 2 hours to get there for a day of eating, coffee drinking, and shopping :)
Veronica is the crafty one - her home is stunningly organized and spic and span - even with two young kids around! She loves to give gifts and is extremely generous. She did my makeup for my wedding and is my go-to person for all things home decor because her taste is awesome and affordable.
Renee got married in June, and I got married in November - so we took a moment to reflect on how it was our first time all hanging out together as married women! Then they pestered me with inappropriate questions and we laughed our heads off. Definitely *that* table at the restaurant...

I will have to do a separate post on Renee alone because I could not get the photo of her to upload today and because I have her to thank for helping me learn study skills as a kid. She's an amazing teacher and expecting her first baby. OH the changes this coming year will bring...

I am working today - but for all of you that are not, enjoy it to the fullest! Happy MLK Day :)

Happy Monday all!

Tips, Yeah!

Happy FRIDAY Y'ALL!!

Well, I am excited about it, can you tell? :)

When I had downtime this week, I read up on all sorts of helpful tips. I have had this book on my shelf for over a year now, and a slow week at work helped provide the time to actually dig into it. "Tiptionary 2 by Mary Hunt" is a collection of ways to save time and money every day. Some of the ones I read made my jaw drop! I just *had* to pass a few of these on to my readers!

My very favorite tips had to do with dryer sheets. They can be used for anything! I've tossed them for so long without a second thought. Now I will remember that they can be used for:

• to get rid of the musty smell that old houses have, hide a dryer sheet in every room and closet


• to dust a ceiling fan, a used dryer sheet can sweep up the dust!


• stuff a new one in the ashtray of your car for a great scent


• and old one can clean your computer monitor


• polish a dry-erase white board with a new dryer sheet for a shiny finish


• clean up the black sooty stuff that accumulates around a candle jar with a dryer sheet!

Some other random tips:

* those expensive dusting sheets? You can put them through the washer and dryer and they work again as new!
* you can wrap celery in aluminum foil and it will last for weeks in the fridge.
* the best way to never lose the end of the tape on a roll is to stick a dime to the tape at the very end.
* if you have lost an earring, use the other one as a pushpin on your corkboards. I have a ton of mismatched ones!
* freeze leftover wine for future recipes that call for it - ice cube trays work great
* Opt out of those "pre-screened/pre-approved" credit card offers by going to www.optoutprescreen.com - helps the environment, too! You can also get off of mailing lists by going to www.the-dma.org - the Direct Mail Association. There is a $1 charge for this, but they do all the work.

AW yeah it is FRIDAY. Finally! I am having a get-together with some girlfriends this weekend, I am so excited to spend time with a couple of my dearest friends! Bringing camera :) Have a great weekend, all!

Thankful Thursday

I gotta jump on the "Thankful" bandwagon today. Being grateful is a great attitude adjustment!

For a paycheck. I'm so grateful to not be out job searching anymore, and able to pay our bills while we start our business.

For my husband! What a hoot. We have a new saying, "the cameras are rolling!" because sometimes it feels like we are on a reality show we are so crazy. We bust out laughing all the time and I love our inside jokes. Matt is a total joy to be around. He is working so hard on his new job right now so that when my contract at the winery is over I will not have to stress about finding a new job immediately.

For life. All this footage of the earthquake disaster in Haiti is heartbreaking. I am grateful that there has been a rapid response, and that Haiti has been "put back on the map" for folks that never knew where it was in the first place - but I pray for the families of those who lost their lives. It is all so sad! So, I am thankful for my life today.

For the internet. I would be bored out of my gourd when all my assignments at work were done and there was nothing to do! I can read blogs, do research, plan stuff for the future, do budgeting, etc. Also because Facebook is accessed through the internet, and that is how I re-met Matt after he'd moved away 10 years earlier...

That Matt and I have the same size foot. Because I totally stole his Puma's today. And a pair of his socks. ;)

For the vanpool. Because, on days like today when I have to drive and spend $20 on gas, I realize how much the $5 bargain is...and how much I miss that nap everyday!

For our church. It is awesome to finally get plugged into community again when you are in a new town, a newlywed, and eager to grow in your faith. Matt co-leads a Bible study for them and I love watching him get all fired up. I'm excited to get more involved in women's ministry in the coming months - especially helping out new moms.

For my adorable nephew! His grandma emailed me a pic this week that made me grin from ear to ear!

That it is almost FRIDAY. I can hardly wait....

What is one thing that you are especially thankful for today?

Heartbroken for Haiti

I'm sure that you have heard on the news about the earthquake that took place in Haiti yesterday. I felt so heartsick over the people there, as Haiti is the poorest nation in our hemisphere. I have friends that have spent time there before, and I had read last year about their food shortages due to crop failure. Those stories stayed with me.

You can make a donation to the Red Cross here. World Vision is also preparing an emergency response and accepting donations.

Here is a little information on the country. I have found that compassion can grow and build when I become more familiar with those of whom disaster affects.

I know that this sort of thing is not a popular blogging topic but as I was composing a post on some helpful tips, I could not stop thinking about it. Doing something felt better.

I found a blog of a young woman from Washington State that has been doing relief work there this year. She is currently missing. What an angel! I always feel a connection for others that care about 'the least of these' and I can tell that she does too. I'm praying for her and her family today.

Our thoughts and prayers are going out to Haiti today!

Blog Posts to Come...

I have a ton of things I would like to blog about, but they all require that I get some photos together - which I hope to do soon. I am still getting a routine down that includes getting up at 5:30 in the morning and not getting home until that time in the evenings - and still making time to exercise, eat, sleep, check Facebook, and spend quality time with my wonderful husband. In the meantime, this is what I am thinking...

• I love freebies. Everyday I sign up for at least one free item to be sent to me by mail, and provide a "junk mail" email address for the company's correspondance to go to. I like going to Freebies 4 Mom the best - she has good taste on what items are worth filling out the form for! I'd love to provide a link or two a week to hook my readers UP! :)
• Ever since I got married, I take a lot more interest in my domestic surroundings. I have come to love home decor blogs like Young House Love. I have always been tidy and organized, but it is funny how much more interested I have become in creative design and Do-It-Yourself techniques to decorating (mostly, because it is cheaper). Though Matt and I are housesitting for two years for his folks, I have had a lot of fun making our home a fun reflection of us. I hope to do some writing on what projects we are up to and before/after pics. Right now: Matt's office. It is quite the undertaking...
• I have never really thought that I am a good cook. Matt had his good share of bachelorhood, but he admits he ate out a lot and cereal was a big part of his diet. I LOVE cooking for us now because he groans over every meal I make. Amazing how powerful affirmation can be! So, I have found myself digging into more cookbooks lately too. I think I have come up with some really fun, easy, and healthy recipes - but I am too shy to share (I don't want to sound like I am bragging...and I am the daughter of Flitzy Phoebie afterall!!) so perhaps taking some pics of fun dishes I come up with will push me to hit that "Publish" button...
• I need motivatation for running. Writing about our training schedule and such is great accountability! I stumbled across the sport only 3 years ago in an attempt to cure insomnia. It worked wonders and made me lose and keep off 15 stubborn pounds. So, I would like to write more about how to keep at a running routine even in bad weather and such. Matt is signing up for his first marathon this year, I am so proud of him.
• I love devotionals, daily scriptures, and encouraging stories - I would love to include more of these in my posts without worrying about my audience. The circle of wellness is more than physical, mental, emotional - it also includes the spiritual component. I may just be writing it for me to remember, but I hope it encourages others on their faith journeys.
• All things financial - I feel like I have learned SO MUCH over the past year about money. I've said so many times, "I wish I knew..." about many financial-related topics, and just discovered websites like Wisebread. I realized it would be great to write more about what I am learning here. Matt and I are starting Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University in two weeks, a 13-week course that I am sure is going to kick our butts. We have a goal in mind to pay off all of our debt in 2 years, and I think it would help to write about it too.

So folks - keep me accountable. I really love blogging and I don't want busyness to get in the way of it. Is there anything else that you would like to hear about? Photography? Matt's funny movie quote of the day?

Happy Tuesday, all!

On Babies...

Oh I know what y'all are thinkin'. Nope! We are going to wait a couple years! Geesh people :)

I did take some pictures of a fun baby shower this week that I attended. We got to peek at the little girls' nursery - so gorgeous!
...and how CUTE was this card for the expecting mom?
There were lots of sweets and I had one of every kind...

The games were funny - take magazine cut outs of facial features and build an image of what our pastors' wife's baby will look like!
Kinda creepy, gotta say...

I'm sorry I have been MIA so much! We are still so busy with house/life/business stuff right now, often I am not sure how to write about it. Matt and I are so hopeful for the new business working out we don't want to get ahead of ourselves, but it is looking really good!

He recently went to meet with a potential client and their conversation ended up taking a turn and basically Matt was made a consulting partner with that business! He will do some graphic design work, but the main chunk of his work day will be consulting. It is a company that helps to find areas of a company's budget that can be cleaned up and trimmed - resulting in saving them a lot of money. It can translate into additional jobs being created within a company and more saving for them.

Matt is excited because he is brilliant, and can now use more of his intelligence to work. He has been looking for work for almost 2 years, so this is thrilling. We are moving forward with still starting our business so that I can do some of the work and be able to work from home after my contract at the winery is over this spring. God is good! Please pray for us and the smooth transition - it is all still in the early stages and commission-based, so we are hopeful for success there.

We had a great weekend! Saturday was the baby shower, a nap, church service, a preview of Financial Peace University that we are taking this spring, and a movie in thanks to Redbox. Sunday was sleeping in, big breakfast, photo editing, a 5-mile run along the waterfront, coffee date, errands, and cooking all afternoon/evening. I made a grain salad - cracked wheat, spinach, broccoli, carrots, cabbage, peppers one mixed with balsamic vinaigrette and olive oil. Also, I boiled up the leftovers from a rotisserie chicken and made chicken and dumplings! Nom nom nom...

Matt and I laugh A LOT. I am so glad that I have him to laugh through life with! We are really so blessed...

Happy Monday all!

Wednesday Laughs: "One Words"

Ohhh did my mom make me laugh today. I sent her a forward of "One Words" to her that she proceeded to fill out and return to me today. What a hoot! Of course, she could not stick to one word answers. She wrote this while highly caffeinated...

Gee, this was so complex. I could only think of a few good answers...

Your favorite thing? Turkish coffee

Your favorite drink? Turkish coffee

Your dream/goal? to go to Turkey and Greece

Your fear? dying before I have my coffee

Where do you want to be in 6 Yrs? having a coffee party with Ruhiyyih and her two widdle babies.

Where were you last night? George wants to know that too!

Something that you aren't? addicted to coffee

Muffins? sure, with coffee

Wish list item? organic, free trade, fresh roasted, Turkish.....coffee.

Last thing you did? drank TWO Turkish coffees.

What are you wearing? 4 layers. I need more coffee.

Your pets? (cat) she is for sale, cheap. OK, she's FREE! We'll deliver...

Friends? only those who are addicted to coffee.

Missing some one? nope, I see double, so if someone is here, there is two of them.

Drinking? coffee

Some thing you're not wearing? Fairy wings

Your favorite store? Goodwill

Who will resend this? rescind?

Where do you go to over and over? Google

My favorite place to eat? campfire, Quincy Lakes, with family.

Favorite place I'd like to be right now? Jones Bay, with family, camping.

That made my day. I had to muffle my laughs so my co-workers would not hear me!

Tuesday Laughs

I fell out of bed this morning while trying ever-so-sweetly to wake Matt up. It was very ungraceful of me! It had us both laughing - early in the morning, too! ;)

Hopefully this is not how my whole day will be...

In other news, this made me laugh today:
:) I love it.

I am finding all sorts of ways to smile and laugh during this season of trusting God with some really, really big things and decisions. It feels good to choose joy, even when life is a little scary...and to count my blessings. I am so grateful for my husband, the home we get to stay in, the job assignment that I have right now, our health, and the ability to be creative to save money. Tonight I hope to make my own granola bars!

Happy Tuesday, all!

Busy!

WOOOO!!! Lookie my new blog header! Matt had a ball making it. What do you think? :)

We had a GREAT long weekend! Friday was a day of reflection, planning, and play. We did not do much work around the house (well...I did go downstairs to look for my hiking boots and got distracted by a bookshelf that needed organizing...)and instead we wrote our goals for the year and relaxed. It was so needed after the busy holiday season.

Saturday we took down the Christmas tree and decorations, went for a three mile run, and did some organizing and chores. We attend an evening service at our church on Saturday nights, so that was our evening activity. I had fun creating a paperwork organizing system in the late evening.

Sunday we slept in, and I made waffles again. It just may turn into a Sunday tradition...I had it growing up in Montana when my Grandaddy would make them for all of us kids to give my mom a break. The rest of the day - we could not be stopped! Laundry, dusting, vacuuming, organizing/sorting boxes of stuff, cleaning rooms, etc - we still made time to go on an afternoon walk and watch part of "Yes, Man" and relax too. I feel like we got over a huge pile of work that we have put putting off for so long because of me being sick and busyness.

So, back at work today and I am feeling really hopeful for the stuff that Matt and I talked about for the year. We are really optimistic about his business taking off soon, and me finding a job closer to home in the spring. We also are committing to running another marathon this year - TOGETHER. We are eyeing the Missoula Marathon in July so I can see some family and friends too. Anyone want to join us? :)

Also: this year I am going to share random things that make me laugh. Matt cracks me up A LOT. Today it was over how goofy he is at 6am. He is NOT a morning person and tries really hard to be one... :)

Happy Monday, all!

2009 Rundown

2009 was a great year. A hard one too - lots of changes - but overall, amazing and life-changing.

January - Inauguration craziness in DC. Coldest day of my life, but awesome to see for the historical perspective.

February - Visited Matt and had Valentines together in Seattle! Battled cold after cold, really discouraged about my health around then :(

March - Cherry Blossoms came out in their full glory, and my dear friend Kathy visited from Australia!

April - Matt visits for Easter and we have a wonderful time together. I started feeling major fatigue around this time too...

May - Sick on my 30th birthday! This is when I decided it was time to move back home to be nearer to family. I also got blessed with the best birthday gift - a cruise to the Caribbean with my dear friend Bryn! A great place to get over the chronic fatigue issues...

June - The PROPOSAL on June 6th, our one-year anniversary. I moved home on June 26th, after three years of life in DC. Sold/gave away most of my possessions. A sad goodbye to the wonderful Edison House and a big hello to my new nephew, Daniel, born to my brother Rue and sister-in-law, Annie. :)

July - Fourth of July with the whole family, week-long camping trip in Eastern WA, trip to Glacier National Park, MT and glorious hiking, housesitting for my brother and sis-in-law, and the beginnings of wedding planning...

August - A trip to Colorado for a wedding, trips to see Matt across the state, marathon training, and moved to his town at the end of the month.

September - Moved in with a wonderful family from Matt's church, lots of running and wedding planning and job searching!

October - Chicago Marathon on the 11th, and a wedding countdown... Matt lost his job and we started praying like crazy...

November - Bridal shower, wedding, honeymoon, unpacking/moving into Matt's house and starting my new job at a local winery doing admin work. A lot of adjustments in one month!

December - Settled into new job and new routines, got more involved at church and in the kitchen, and eagerly awaited celebrating our first Christmas together. It was wonderful, simple, and unforgettable.

A wonderful, amazing, hard year. SO excited for this new year - 2010 - oh the possibilities!

HAPPY NEW YEAR all!