Brittany! Where have you been?!

Again, let me apologize and completely blame my absence on my husband. It's not his fault at all, but it's nice to blame someone. Where in the world have I been? Well, all over Washington state, to be honest. Let's start from the beginning

St. James's Cathedral on a beautiful Seattle day

In my last post I mentioned that my husband had a job. He actually ended up with a contract to do the job for a short time and they decided not to renew his contract. Obviously this was really sad because it meant that we were looking at a longer stay with my in-laws. As hard as it was on me it was even harder on my husband, but I'll refrain from discussing that on here. Due to the hardships we've had and the difficulty my husband has had at finding a job, my husband has decided to go to a local college and get his Associate's in Nursing. He's really excited to be heading back to school in the Fall and, honestly, it's hard to hide my excitement too. It will be really nice to see him happy and fulfilled.

Hurricane Ridge (Alt. 5242 ft)

But to make him feel better about the whole job thing (who wouldn't be bummed out), I planned a weekend trip in one of his favorite places: Olympic National Forest. A cabin, which was right next to the line with the forest, was rented from a very sweet and lovely couple. On Friday we drove out to the cabin, checked-in and relaxed. A full evening of food, reading, talking and relaxing was already starting to completely relax me. Saturday the three of us, Sasha (our puppy), my husband and myself set ouf for the hour or so drive to Port Angeles. My husband really wanted to show me Hurricane Ridge so we went into the forest and drove up the windy mountain road to the top of Hurricane Ridge. And it was gorgeous. Once you got past the huge snow pack around us. It was an amazing place to be, though. Sasha, of course, didn't really care for it. Although she did eat some snow. After that we decided to get back to sea level so we drove from the mountains to the ocean.

Cutest little swimmer ever! 

Port Angeles, if you get a chance to go, is a really cute town. If we'd had the capabilities (aka not have a dog) and the time to explore the city more would be amazing, but we had fun with the places we could go. Which just happened to be the beach with a dog that loves to swim. She. Loved. It. My husband would throw the sticks in the water, she'd go after it and bring it back. She was having the greatest time of her life. Playing in the water, splashing around, enjoying the sunshine. All in all, Port Angeles was wonderful. We had a lot of fun, but Sasha had so much more. After we were done playing, we drove back to the cabin for another evening of sublime relaxation and preparing for the next day's drive back to the Seattle area. The weekend was amazingly relaxing and it was extremely difficult to come back to the house and head to work on Monday. But by Wednesday we'd had a bit of a surprise. Sasha had somehow managed to get a tick. Thankfully it was just one and we got it out, but it scared us a little (pssh. A lot.). Poor Sasha had to have a bath an then get this stuff she didn't really care for on her back. And my amazing husband cleaned the bedroom to make sure that no one was going to get a tick if they were in the room. Thankfully, we haven't seen another tick and the one that she did have was extremely tiny. 

Oh hai there Juno, you little cutie!

So this last weekend, after a full week of work after a relaxing weekend, we did something very not relaxing. We got another dog. We drove almost three hours from Seattle to Wenatchee with Sasha in the car, picked up Juno, our new puppy, and then drove back to Seattle with both dogs. I was so happy to be back at our house on Saturday. Sunday, though, was spent with her meeting our families, getting to know Sasha, building a crate, rearranging our room entirely and settling into having a new member of our family. Last night was the first night of crate training and little Juno was not a fan. She had to get up twice and cried for awhile after she was first put in the crate. She will get better at it, though. I believe in her. 

Last post I mentioned that my husband and I are starting a business. That's still true. We had to hold off, though, because the computer that had everything business related on it nearly died. And right now the hardrive in that computer is barely limping along. My husband and I are picking out a new computer for me once payday comes along. Once we have the new computer I will be able to finish working on the website and get it up (finally). 

It's been a tough month, but I know that anything is possible when you have family that loves you. 

A little fun with questions

Kate from Diary of a Blonde tagged me in this cute little interview thing. So let's give it a whirl!

Rules:
1. You must post these rules.
2. Each per­son must post 11 things about them­selves on their blog.
3. Answer the questions the tag­ger set for you in their post, and cre­ate 11 new ques­tions for the people you tag to answer.
4. You have to choose 11 peo­ple to tag and link them on the post.
5. Go to their page and tell them you have linked him or her.
6. No tag backs.

Facts About Moi:
1. Graduating from college has been my greatest achievement to date. It only took six years which also included countless boyfriends, two engagements and one marriage! 
2. My favorite piece of jewelry is my wedding ring, my next favorite is all of my Peridot jewelry.
3. My love of Mexican food drives my husband bonkers. Whenever he suggests we go out to eat, my list consists of all of my favorite Mexican restaurants. His list generally consists of Thai, Sushi and Chinese. Problems tend to arise. 
4. I have a strong aversion to self-professed "Bitches" and "Bad Boys". I, especially, don't like bad boys. They're rude, caustic, and worthless. Why would I go for a bad boy when a nerd is so much cuter?
5. Toxic friends are one of my biggest pet peeves. Ditto on toxic significant others.
6. Accounting is something I'm doing for the time being, but probably don't want to do for the long term. 
7.  My favorite food is Mac & Cheese with a can of Tuna. Whenever I'm down, my husband will make me a bowl to cheer me up. It generally does the job.
8. I absolutely love the beauty of Seattle. It's gorgeous here. But I could do without the traffic.
9. The Hunger Games Trilogy is one of my top five book series of all time
10. I haven't had a hair cut since June...it's January. 
11. I love the style from eras that have long passed, especially the 40s 50s and 60s.

Q's From Kate:
1. Who is your favorite Disney Princess and why? Ariel. She risked everything for someone she loved and nearly lost it all.
2. If you could change your major, what would you change it to? Either Astrophysics (which was my original major prior to Accounting) or Midwifery
3. What is your best talent? Coding websites, despite my lack of training and probably my ability to sing.
4. Where would you most like to travel to? Aix-en-Provence in France. <3
5. What is your New Years Resolution? To lose weight, to be healthier, to take care of myself and my marriage.
6. Sweet or Savory? Both. At the same time. Yum.
7. What was the last song you listened to? Ellie Goulding's "Your Biggest Mistake"
8. Which celebrity would you have sex with, no questions asked? Ewan McGregor. I hope my husband isn't reading this...
9. What is your favorite TV show and why is it so great? 30 Rock. It can make me double over laughing  every time.
10. Would you rather be at the beach or in the snow? Both are awesome, but there's something that is wonderful about an ocean beach
11. What is your heritage? Irish. From my freckles down to my temper.

Q's From Me:
1. What is one item you can not live without?

2. If you could live anywhere in the world, money not being an object, where would you live?

3. What's something that can move you to tears because of it's beauty?

4. What is your greatest achievement to date?

5. Which celebrity would you have sex with, assuming your significant other was out of the picture?

6. What is your dream job and why would you want to do it?

7. What is something you wish to achieve in the future?

8. What is your comfort food when you're down?
9. What is your favorite kind of chocolate?
10. What is your all time favorite song?
11. What is your favorite thing about the current season?

11 Friends:
1. Colleen
2. Danielle

3. James

4. Hailey

5. Tim
6. Tom
7. Stephanie
8. Jeremy
9. Aly
10. Lacey
11. Courtney

Relax and let live

I'd love to relax here...

This month has been stressful at best, reason for a person to be committed at worse. Thankfully, no one has managed to commit me and my emotional breakdowns have not been large enough to totally take me out of service. In fact, my emotional breakdowns happen to coincide with the two days of the week that are reserved for relazing: the weekend. So, instead of hanging with friends, playing Xbox, going on dates with my husband, my time has been spent mindlessly sifting through pins on Pinterest or sleeping. Thankfully, Pinterest is enough to completely chill me out after five to ten minutes, but the lying in bed and sleeping/sulking/refusing to remove myself from the dent that my body has created in the bed needs to stop. And after a confusing, frustrating and emotional resurgence of my good friend, Depression, on Saturday, I knew something had to be done.
My husband says that I live as if I'm continually running from crisis to crisis, few of them my own. For the most part I'm in agreement, but I think of it as being in almost a constant fight or flight mode. No matter how we define it, this constant stress still makes me a complete wreck more often than not. Well, starting Sunday, which happened to be yesterday, I promised myself that I will try to take everything that happens in stride. Try to relax and live this life. There should be no reason that I need to spend hours on Pinterest just to calm down after a stressful day. To spend more time laughing and being with my husband and puppy. They make me smile the most. Most of all, though, accepting that we can not force our lives to take a certain route. Everything happens for a reason. St. Francis of Assisi said it best, "Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference." Amen.

This makes me smile

So far, my attempts have not been fruitless. Despite running a bit late this morning, I just smiled, took a deep breath and just reminded myself that I would get to work shortly and that things would be okay. In fact, I managed to joke with my husband about the one thing that tends to set me off most, clothing. Or rather, my lack of cute clothing that fits. So far, it feels like I've accomplished so much by not freaking out, or even stressing about, the little things in life.
My husband is probably reading this and either nodding his head encouragingly, hoping that I'll keep it up or rolling his eyes, because I'm a neurotic crazy person. Or, more likely, both.

Moving right along

Today will be my first weekly check-in regarding my weight loss plan!

Check In #1
Weight Lost: 0
-Diet: Eating better was difficult at first, there was that tiny meltdown discussed a couple days ago. But, I'm happy to report I'm doing much better. Actually, my husband and I had ice cream last night after a very adorable date, and it tasted way too sweet. My diet is for sure evening out.
-Working Out: Started this on Friday. Friday was a seven mile walk. Yesterday was a half mile run. Today is a rest day for a lot of reasons (More on that shortly...). This week, aside from tomorrow, should be better for exercising. I just need to get my butt out of bed in the morning! I'm forcing myself to either do a run around the block or go to the gym that I have a membership at but never attend.
-Overall: This has been a gradual change to my diet and my exercise habits and I think they are working thus far.

Now for the topic everyone wants to talk about and the reason I'm not running/exercising today....My best friend is having her baby today!! Last I heard she's being induced. We're going back to the hospital in a bit to check on her. But it's exciting!

Baby steps

So, last Sunday I posted regarding my weight loss plan. Honestly, so far, I've been pretty terrible at it. The first day I tried pretty much surviving on as little as possible and then broke and started scarfing everything I could...including a Caramel Brulle Latte. And that latte was so not a skinny one. So first day, I failed in an epic fashion. Second day, armed with some delicious and nutritious snacks, my day was so much better than the one prior. Wednesday came around, same deal. I ate even less, snacked some, and felt amazing. So, I guess the first step for myself was to eat better. Exercising comes after the eating better part. Now, my desire for refined sugars and starchy foods is super limited. (I actually just want to snack on a handful of almonds and dried cranberries. Yum!) We currently have two bags of Hershey's kisses and I've only had five over the past four days. There just isn't a desire for me to eat them! In addition to losing my sweet tooth, my energy has gone up immensely. Today, my husband and I are going to a local park and walking five miles to our favorite doggy park at Marymoor and then the five miles back. Our puppy is going to be so tired, but I'm trying to find reasons to get us out and about because we both feel like we need to "get rid of" the weight.
On the bright side, my ability to keep up and manage the exercise part this next week may not be as bad as the week prior. After all, I have more energy!

A time to be thankful...

Lately, there have been many posts on my facebook regarding people being thankful for something each day. This is a brilliant idea, to state what you're thankful for, as it makes you realize how thankful you are for the things you take for granted. The only downfall is, I don't particularly care for some people's thankfulness...nor their terrible grammar. I decided to follow suit, because, like I said, I think it's important you vocalize what you're thankful for, but without spamming my friends' news feeds.

So, ten things I'm thankful for...
1) My husband. The man who is always on my side, makes me laugh, brightens my day, and loves me despite my problem...of being insane. He was crazy enough to marry me after four months of dating, and even though many people doubted our relationship would last without out any outside forces, let alone weather things like a terrible economy, financial problems, life changes, we still are trucking along. Me and him. Him and I. We're in it for the long haul. And I'm thankful that the man I'm going to spend the rest of my days with is him.
2) My family. The people who raised me and shaped me into the woman I am today. They have helped me accomplish so much in my life and have picked me up when I have fallen down. And I have fallen down quite a few times. They bought me my first car, pushed me through college, and were my emotional life lines. And while they make me insane sometimes, I love them with all of my heart.
3) My In-Laws. My second family, is what this should say. The people who took us into their home and have allowed us to live there while we get our feet under us. They have been understanding, patient, and loving. I love them both very much. And I couldn't be more thankful for them.
4) Sasha. Our little bundle of fur and urine. Thankfully she doesn't smell like urine as much as she used to! Sasha has been our little baby since we met her that day in January. She has grown up so much and is the sweetest, kindest dog I've ever known. When we have children, she is going to love to have someone that can play with her.
5) Stephy. When you've known someone since you were twelve and you're not twenty-five, to say you have some history is a grave understatement. This woman. She had loved me, when others have kicked me down. Always, and I mean always been there for me. She has stood up for me. Loved me. Protected me. And been one of the greatest friends in the world. I feel lucky to be her best friend and to be involved with her and her pregnancy. To be part of this life-changing moment. I love her so much and I hope she knows that.
6) Education. Having an education is, for sure, a good way to get a step up in the world. Which is why I'm so thankful for it. Thankful for having the opportunity to study something that will impact my future and my family's future.
7) A Job. With a capital J. Something that does so much more than pay the bills. I feel so blessed to have something while many of my friend struggle to make ends meet and fight the economy.
8) Friends. I'm thankful for those that have supported me and loved me through everything. Especially the ones that were there for all of my exciting moments in life.
9) Family Friends. In particular one. My mother's best friend. The woman who held me after I cried my eyes out after going to a friend's funeral even though she was having a dinner party. She kept my mother sane during the planning of my wedding. She has loved me and my family for as long as I've known her and I'm forever thankful for her.
10) Love. It really does make the world go 'round.

Shall we sing together?

"I'm singing in the rain,

just singing in the rail;

What wonderful feeling,

I'm happy again." - Arthur Freed

Who doesn't want a kiss like this?

Living in Seattle, we're blessed, according to my mother the word to use here would be cursed, with about six months of rain. Keep in mind my mother lived most of her childhood in Nebraska while I grew up in the middle of the Tongas rainforest in Juneau and then transplanted to the Seattle area. So, it makes sense that our views are a little different on the vast amount of rain our area receives. My views are that it's a very strong blessing, and recently coming from a small farming community, that just happened to have a college in it, on the Eastern side of the state, I know the importance of the rain. But the importance of the rain to crops and livestock isn't what interests me about the rain.

There is nothing, in the world, more intoxicating than the smell of the air after a fresh rain. The water you breathe in. The dampness of the wood. The smell of wet grass. The fresh, crisp taste of it all. Rain nurtures the earth as it nurtures my soul. And after a great rain, the feeling of being renewed is all over. The rain has washed away all of our troubles, concerns, and questions about life...until Monday at least.

The months that bring the rain are, by far, some of my favorites. It was quite disappointing to move to the Seattle area in June and find that our summer was extremely dry and our Fall quite slow on the uptake. But the current weather is more than making up for the summer now. And thank goodness for that.

My life needs GPS so I can find it

Beautiful Seattle in the Morning

Sometimes a kick in the butt is all you need to realize you need to change yourself. I suppose my kick in the butt came yesterday. My husband has been trying to get a job that was pretty much tailor made for him. He'd been in for two in-person interviews and one phone interview. He was a finalist. And instead of choosing any of the finalists, they contracted out. It's been heartbreaking because I know my husband is angry. Angry at the company for not saying that was an option, at the general health of the world and nation's economy, at himself for not getting the job. And it's heartbreaking. Because none of it is his fault.

Marriage is a confusing thing. We all see our parents and their successes and utter failures. We assume what marriage will be like and once you're in it, you realize it's not at all what you imagined it would be. But you cope. And you try. You give everything of yourself to the marriage and to your significant other. And I know it's cheesy, but the saying "If you bleed, I bleed" couldn't be truer. And with that sentiment and disappointment, I have received a kick in the butt.

Today I woke up at five in the morning, a time that is unheard of, and managed to drag my sorry butt as well as my husband's cute butt out of bed and to the gym. I read somewhere that exercise will improve your mood and outlook on things. I hope it does. For him. For me. Because we're in this together. And if waking up at an ungodly hour is what it takes to help both of us through one of the worst economic disasters since the 1930's, I will do it everyday. 

I love my life. I love our opportunities. I love the family that has so kindly brought us into their homes and taken care of us. But most of all, I love my husband. And always will.

Words to live by

"The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud." - Coco Chanel