Prepping.

It's nearly 11pm as I start this post. 

It's not unusual for me to be up this late on a Sunday, unfortunately, but this Sunday falls on Labor Day weekend, so I won't have to deal with drowsiness tomorrow. 

I haven't been busy this weekend, but I haven't been lazy either. It's been a nice mix of both. My brain says I should devote more of my remaining free day being productive, since my to-do list remains hella long, but I also know there's beauty to be found in down time. 

I got my closet reorganized yesterday. All the way, this time. (Last time it was just the shirts -- this time it was EVERYTHING.)

I have also spent a lot of time this weekend prepping for my interview on Tuesday. (That job I mentioned a few posts back? I'm one of three people interviewing for it!) It's a job in an executive-level office, so I bought a business suit the other day. I've been practicing answering questions. I've been studying the job description. I'm taking this seriously. I will still be sad to leave my current coworkers, but I would be so stoked to have this new position. I have also turned various social media accounts private in preparation for Tuesday. 

I also finished what I could on a wedding project today. (At least one more trip to JoAnn's is necessary to get the final pieces.)

During a quick trip to Kay Jewelers, we sized Jake's ring finger today (10.25) and found out what thinness of band he prefers (5mm-6mm). Now he just has to find the right band. 

I'm also prepping for my bridal shower on Saturday. Mentally anyway. Yikes. 

And a finalish fitting of my gown is this week too. 

As if that isn't enough, I'm also preparing to start the Atkins diet. Jake's cousin has been doing it for a month and has lost 17 lbs so far; I could stand to lose >34 lbs in the next two months. Holy crap the wedding is in two months!! 

There is still a bunch of other things to do on my list (thank you, anxious brain, for never letting me forget). While I'm going to try to get the majority of them done tomorrow, there's also a lunchtime birthday party for my love tomorrow, so we'll see. *crosses fingers* 

Forgetful.

I cannot believe that I forgot to mention one other thing that I have wanted to be when I grow up!
It's so integral to my childhood, and even influenced some of the classes I took in college.

Writer.
When I was fourteen, I spent the better part of the summer writing a story that ended up being twenty pages long. I printed it out, glued the pages together, and it was something I was so proud of. It was full of love and romance. Before that, as a child, I'd never leave the house without a pen and a pad of paper to write things down on. Even now, I find things all the time that inspire me to include in the epic that I will one day write. (I have a Pinterest board and a tumblr site devoted to such inspirations.) A poem I wrote at the age of twelve made its way into a book. A friend of mine gifted me a set of nice pens and a notebook to use to write down my poems in. I took a junior-level poetry class when I was a freshman. I am seriously kicking myself that I didn't include writer in my first and original list, as integral to my life as writing has been. (And yes, I have seen myself as a published author many times, and I still do. I just lack the discipline to get stuff going.)

Also...
I left off another one.

Crafter.
I've had an Etsy site for a long time. My original intention was to sell handmade cards and bookmarks on there. Now it's evolved into also including photograph prints, felt crafts, and other handmade things. There's nothing for sale on there, currently. I've never had anything for sale on there. I'm not honestly sure what's stopping me. I think it's one of those things that I think I'll do when I have time, but I have yet to make the time. Also having made (and, let's be real, still making) things for my wedding and reception, I have lots of ideas of things to include for sale on my Etsy site. I still don't discount that I will do this someday. Maybe when I'm a stay at home mom. Maybe next summer. The way I  have envisioned it lately is selling as a husband-wife team with Jacob: he'd make things like his foam swords or bits of furniture, and I'd make my stuff, and we'd be a wonderful happy Etsy couple. Or maybe I'd keep Etsy for myself and we'd branch off into Scoutmob for our joint venture. I still don't discount it. Maybe I'll have to wait until we have my family's land for this dream to come to fruition. Jacob would be able to have a shop. I'd be able to have a crafting cottage (and a photo studio!) and we'd be set. The dream of crafter has never been a stand-alone job for me -- it's always been in conjunction with something else.

Oh well.

Who knows what else my brain will remind me of in the coming days that I've forgotten to include on this list, so I may be back. :)

An Ever-Growing List

Last week on Twitter, I posted this tweet

..and then I thought that it might be cool to walk down memory lane and post all of the things that I've ever wanted to be when I grow up.
It's an expansive and ever-growing list.
I'll try to keep it in chronological order, but I make no promises or guarantees that this is the order they occurred in. :)

Police officer.
The earliest recorded history of me indicating this was when I was four and the preschool I went to asked all the kids what they wanted to be. I'm not sure where this idea came from, but I find it interesting that similar careers have been featured later in life. (You'll see, later in the list.)

Teacher.
This has been a recurring career-dream of mine, starting when I was a child. Then, when it came time for me to declare a major for prospective universities, I put down "Secondary Education" and went off to pursue a degree so I could teach both high school English & history. My major became "Elementary Education" when I changed schools a year later. When classes started in August 2009 -- and my third attempt at getting a post-secondary degree, after taking five years off -- I decided that if I were to teach any audience, it would be college students. Even to this day, I know that teaching will somehow be a part of my life, even if it means just homeschooling my children. (I have a Pinterest board with ideas on either how to support my children's education in school or lessons / worksheets to teach them at home.)

Paleontologist / Archaeologist
When I was a kid, I wanted to discover dinosaurs and ancient life so much that I would go and start digging through dirt and brushing things away and looking at rocks of all different sizes, shapes, and patterns. In my youth, I wasn't sure of the difference between paleontology and archaeology, so my youthful brain often used one in place of the other. The release of Jurassic Park only served to fuel this desire -- and Indiana Jones was another movie I'd watch with wide eyes, wanting so bad to be with Indy in the places he saw. Even now, as I'm majoring in anthropology, there is a piece of me that wants to go to Olduvai and assist with digs there, as well as other places around the world. (Some even as close as the southern part of Colorado!)

Geologist.
This was mostly just in line with my paleontology / archaeology dreams - I  knew that certain rocks meant certain things. A certain type of sediment meant that certain types of things might be found there. I was also obsessed with rocks when I was a kid. Like, truly. I'd go for walks and collect rocks. My mom, to this day, has a rock in her kitchen window to remind her of my childhood obsession. My parents even bought me a rock polisher for Christmas (or was it a birthday?) so I could see what was inside rocks.

Rock star.
This one mostly came about after I met and befriended some specific classmates in elementary school. (Most of whom I'm still friends with today.) They introduced me to the New Kids on the Block (oh oh oh-ho-ho, oh oh oh-ho) and we all started dreaming about being in a band. I'd play the keyboard (or, later, the drums) and occasionally back-up the other girls on the singing part. We also had a guitarist. This dream, thankfully, died long ago.

Youth pastor.
When I was in high school, this career choice became part of my "I'd like to be that" list and ceded only to teacher by the time graduation came around. (See, I figured, by graduation, that I'd become a teacher married to a youth pastor.) It was fueled by my renewed participation in church. I was even on my church's Bible Quiz team and became a youth leader in my church.

Chef / Caterer.
I took a foods and catering class during the last semester of my junior year, and I wanted to be a caterer. I'd be a chef that only catered events, and I'd have all of my own tables, table linens, chairs, and other rental equipment -- all personalized by color, of course. I even looked into attending Johnson & Wales University in Denver and fell in love with the campus during a class visit.

Actress.
Though the dream of being a rock star died, the dream of being in the spotlight didn't when I took a drama class in high school and became an understudy for the main part in a play. (I'm so glad that the main person didn't get sick or break her leg -- I never memorized the lines!)

Housewife.
This is another one of those recurring dream-careers. (And yes, I fully consider this to be a career!) I'd be a full-time, stay-at-home wife / mother who would take care of the house and kids and run most of the errands. When my children were old enough to go to school, I'd join a book club and help out at bake sales to keep myself occupied. This, honestly, is what I'd love to be above everything else on this list. I know that it probably won't happen, unless we win the lottery, but hey, a girl's gotta dream, right?

Someone in an office.
Commuting via public transit. Wearing business suits. Preparing that report that's due by 5. Hosting meetings. Running presentations. Getting things scheduled. Working late to meet deadlines. Bringing in coffees for the entire team. Yep -- I dreamed it. I kinda have it. (I don't have to wear business suits, I don't host meetings, and I'm not allowed to work late.)

Navy pilot / Navy chaplain.
After my first year of college, when I came back home that summer, I hooked up with the Navy. I did weekly PTs with them. I womaned their booth at the Greeley Stampede. I read over the STA-21 manual. I was memorizing the Sailors Creed and the 11 General Orders of A Sentry. I got down to needing to lose just fifteen more pounds before I'd be allowed to go to Basic. My plan was to finish my degree, lose those fifteen pounds, and go to Basic as an E-3 (Petty Officer Third Class). At first, I wanted to be a pilot, but my eyesight is bad and so I changed my interest to being a Chaplain. (I could use my then-declared degree of psychology and my aforementioned desire of being a youth pastor.) A few years later, I reached out to the Navy to find out more information about it because I thought about pursuing the USN again, but my thyroid condition had been diagnosed by that point, and the only way they'd take me, the recruiter said, was if I was cleared by a doctor as to no longer needing the medication. So that was out.

Wanderer.
Just leave with a backpack full of things and all the cash I had / have / saved up, and go. I'd work my way from place to place, making enough to pay for a cheap flat and food while saving the rest, only staying between six months to three years in one place. I'd get to see the world (or at least just Europe) that way.

Forensic psychologist.
Look at a crime and tell local authorities the characteristics of the person who committed it. Spend my time interviewing and therapizing criminals. Yep. I wanted to do it!

Crime scene investigator.
Combine my love of science, my love of solving puzzles, and my love of wanting to help people, and you get this perfect career!

An FBI agent.
Basically, see the last two, but on a national level.

A spy.
Seriously - travel the world, sneak into places, and risk my life for national secrets. What kid hasn't wanted to be a spy at some point in their lives?

Photographer.
One of the more recent additions to the list, this one is also a recurring dream. While I do, at the moment, take photographs (and, recently, videos) on the weekends, I frequently find myself wanting to do it full time. Have a crew of cameras at my disposal, a wardrobe for clients to dress in that Sue Bryce would envy, a wonderful studio space with TONS of natural lighting, backgrounds upon backgrounds to choose from, any prop that anyone could want...yes, please, can I have this? There's a huge part of me that would love to also photograph landscapes, and why can't I do both? On a trip to Colorado's eastern plains last year, I was struck by the openness of the land and the weather that met me on that summer's day. I wanted, so badly, to become someone who just photographed weather. Like uproot myself for three months out of the year and just go and photograph weather phenomena.

Cultural anthropologist.
I'm ready to combine my desire of being a wanderer with my love of culture and language. I'm ready to go live in a place for a while, earn the trust of the natives of that place, and learn as much as I can about that place and its people. This can be anywhere from the farming communities in eastern Colorado to the rain forests of Subsaharan Africa.

Event planner.
The most recent career-dream of mine is to be an event planner. I'd plan everything: children's parties, bridal showers, engagements, weddings, retirement parties, funerals. Flowers, linens, invitations, bar menus, themes, favors, items to add to registries...man, I'd do it all. I would become a personal party assistant to people, going to places like Pier 1 and buying a terrarium that would work as a card box for my quirky bride whose theme just fits so perfectly with that. Yes, please! I'm ready to start now. Oh wait -- I need an office. And a warehouse to store all of my wonderful party supplies. And a financier to supply everything. (Start up costs are a bitch.)

Well there you go!

That's most of everything that I've wanted to be when I grow up. (I'm sure I'm forgetting a thing or several.)
There are several of those things on the list that I still want to be when I grow up.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Signs, Signs, Everywhere A Sign

I am one of those people who believes in signs. 

The day after I turned in my application a few weeks ago, I saw a ladybug outside of our apartment. 🐞

And today, the day that I set up my interview, I saw a ladybug near a doorway going into my current place of work. 

(The camera on my phone preferred focusing on the stairs in the background through several different tries, but whatever.) 

So I'm taking those sightings as signs of good luck. 🙌🏼👍🏼

Please keep your fingers crossed for me! 😘

Unpacking.

It's been a while since I've gone deep, and the surface-level posts that I have shared have left a gaping hole where the truth wants to come out.
So, consider yourself warned: this post will start out superficial, and then go deep.
Feel free to leave now if you so choose. :)

I've been finding and falling in love with new music lately. A lot of what has caught my ear has been acoustic, but there has been some alt-rock stuff, too. My love and use of Spotify has helped with that. I have built extensive lists of music for our upcoming wedding, since I need to have three different playlists, and it's been a wonderful resource for finding new artists and music.

My brain has continued thinking about the event-planning course of action that was mentioned a few posts ago. I'm not eliminating it from my list of possibilities -- so much so that I've actually changed the name of my photography business to go along with it remaining as a possibility. That means that I've had to redesign my business logo, and I'm creating a new website to go along with it. (I'll get into that elsewhere, so I'm not going to do that here.)

I have applied for another position on campus, much to my own bittersweetness.
I love my work family. I would miss them, my regular interaction with the students, and the familiarity with what I do there. The thought of starting something new is a bit frightening -- especially since I'm not unhappy where I am.
I think I'm just feeling an overall sense of overwhelm where I am. I'm expected to be a receptionist at a busy front desk AND an administrative assistant without any chance of staying late, coming in early, or working on the weekends. One or the other or a manageable mix of both, but don't give me one-and-three-fourths full-time assignments and expect it to be all done in the time of one without allowing for some leeway and comp time. (FLSA is kicking my butt.)
The position for which I applied is a different classification, meaning that I can work more than forty hours as necessary as the duties dictate. (Something that I would consider a boon in my current position, especially during the months of July and August when so much is happening administratively!) I also wouldn't mind the chance to just do the administrative piece for a while, and step out of the customer-service-centered role (since every job I've ever had has been heavily customer-service oriented). From what I've seen in my three years of experience, it's also a rare thing for administrative assistants to have a chance to move up or advance at the university. The position is for more money than I currently make, too, which is another boon. 

It's been months since I've paid my bills in full.
At the time of writing this, I am currently behind on both credit cards, both student loans, and my phone bill. I think I also still have yet to pay the gas and electric bills for this month. We have a place to live, food to eat, a fed and happy pup, and cars to drive, so I don't feel like a complete failure. 
I hate collection phone calls. I've gotten to the point that I don't even answer the phone unless it's someone I know. Granted, they're probably willing and able to help me figure out a payment plan, but I can't just do that when I'm driving home. I also don't like answering the phone when I'm at work -- which is the case a lot of the time when they call. I hate collection mail. I'm grateful that it only comes for the bills that I get electronically, but I don't like seeing the red PAST DUE stamped across the front. I know and understand that it's that psychology that makes people want to take action and remedy the situation, which is precisely why companies use the PAST DUE as they do. And it's not that I don't want to pay the bills -- I desperately, so desperately -- want to. We've just had a lot of expensive, unexpected events happen since we've moved in, and we haven't been able to really keep our heads above water. 
We are just another sad American statistic about being one of the commonly-found households that couldn't financially survive a fiscally-catastrophic event. We have no savings. We have nothing liquid that would support us if one of us got laid off or injured and unable to work. We're living in an apartment that neither of us could even afford on our own. Combined, we don't even make the median household income of the city we live in, but we make too much to qualify for aid. (How does that work?)

Because of all this work and financial stress, I've been neglecting myself.
I just started a skincare routine again last week. (After not sticking to one for a month because my TimeWise cleanser from MaryKay ran out, and, in the face of all the financial stuff going on, I didn't feel like spending $20 on my face.) I'm using Aveeno Absolutely Ageless cleanser, and I had to give it a few days to know what to truly expect, but I like it. I still have lots of my other TimeWise accouterments, including the moisturizer and the day and night creams, so I have been supplementing the Aveeno cleanser with those, and they all seem to play nicely together. (Since allegations came out earlier this year about MaryKay and animal testing, I will not be replacing my current supply once it's gone and will probably transition to the complete line of Absolutely Ageless for my facial skincare needs.)
I have not been eating right or exercising, and my weight is nearly back up to where it was when I started the weight loss program that I've been doing. I figured that the weddings I shot last month counted as my exercise for the day, but then it became super-busy at work AND I had to cull and compress the images for client proofing, so I was (a) exhausted and (b) sitting a lot more when I got home. Of course, being tired prevented us from cooking at home more (a goal I've had for a long time) and choices were not always health ones. My body can tell that we haven't been active -- my legs hurt and my back is stiff.
Add in a nice batch of guilt for feeling like I should be doing some housework or working on some of our remaining wedding crafts when I have "free time" (like even now, for an example) and there's a nice big batch of "yep, that thirty-minute cardio and subsequent twenty-minute shower is not going to happen." All of this has also increased my stress-eating, something I didn't even really recognize was as pervasive in myself as it is until about four months ago. (So there have been quite a few trips to the vending machine at the end of the hallway for chocolate.)

I want to say that I'll get better now that this is all of my chest. That I'll start exercising twice a day, every day (which is what I need to do to feel like I did everything I could to get healthy come November 5) and that I'll suddenly get a grip on my finances and my time-management so I'll be able to do everything and the Renaissance woman I idealize myself being in my head. My apartment will always be immaculate and my refrigerator will always be full of prepped meals ready to go for the next two days. I will always have weight-loss shakes for breakfast, salads for lunch, and fruits for snacks.

For those who may not know, I've been on antidepressants for over a year. It's led me to feeling like a robot, time and time again.
While I don't feel the negative emotions as strongly as I once did, I also don't feel positive emotions much at all. My current "happy" or "content" is what was once a solid line in the middle of my emotional graph. It's like I don't feel anything unless it's a negative emotion or a primal one (fear).
I've also been seeing a therapist regularly over the last year. He's helping me deal with my anxiety, sense of low-worth, depression, and suicidality. He's trying to change the way that I talk to myself -- using caring, compassionate language instead of language that isn't very nice or loving. There are a lot of things that we need to unpack, because there are a lot of things I've been carrying for far too long. And some of those things that I've been carrying have morphed into something else and ingratiated themselves into my life in ways that are twisted and Stockholmsian, so we really have our work cut out for us.
I know things will get better.
They have to, right?

Behold My Field

I like starting things on specific days or milestones.

Like promising to start exercising on the first day of the upcoming week or telling yourself that you'll put moisturizer on your face every night starting on the first of the next month.

Well, today I turned 31. I didn't have any big goals set for myself (aside from maybe a more regimented skincare routine, but I've already gotten a pretty good one down thanks to my visit from my Mary Kay lady in January) and even the small ones didn't happen. 

Do I feel like a loser or like I didn't get anything done? 

No, no I don't. 

Maybe that's the gift given to us as we age each year: our field of fucks is cleared out a little bit more. 

Three Month Updates (Again)

The semester has finally ended.
We are now working into summer.

Hooray!

The talk around the office these days is all about getting things ready for the move into the new building, which will finally combine all of my organization into one building. (Currently, my department is across the street from the majority of our organization.)
I have my own set of tasks for this process: scanning old documents since we won't have a basement full of filing cabinets, making sure our current forms are in our online document management system, and participating in the paper purge (happening July 19).
This in addition to preparing for a site visit from our accreditation agency, meaning I have to make sure the last six years of evaluations are up to date and all accounted for and prepare a new spreadsheet for use with all evaluations going forward.
...plus, I have my usual summer tasks of preparing to welcome our new training staff, including stuffing a whole bunch of binders with information that they'll need in their first three weeks of on-boarding with us.

I am finally seeing results from my weight loss program! I took about three weeks off and didn't do anything for it: no exercise, no tracking, nothing.
I got back on the wagon and started with Cardio 2 a few weeks ago. I've noticed a difference in the way my clothes fit. (And I'm finally down below 280 lbs!) I'm excited to see where this momentum takes me.

One of the recurring parts of my job is planning and coordinating many events, like welcoming new trainees and then saying goodbye to them. Someone asked if I'd ever considered being an event planner, and I hadn't really. Years ago (we're talking high school), when I wanted to own my own catering business, I guess it was partially event-oriented, as I would supply the food AND the linens, chairs, tables, etc. But, since that coworker asked me about it last month, I will admit that I have regularly thought about pursuing that path.
Even at the wedding that I just photographed this weekend, I was thinking about it.
When Jake and I were at Barnes and Noble, I thought about it. (I even selected magazines to look at that were event-oriented.)
I think it would be amazing to help people plan events, and to take over when they are lacking in ideas. (Thanks to my mama's encouragement and examples growing up, I am able to look at something and see it a million different ways than just the way it was intended to be used.)
Who knows where this newfound desire will take me.
I've thought about asking Jake's cousin if I could shadow her when she does an event. (She does them all the time for her church, and, actually, she's coordinating my wedding, so...)

Ugh. Wedding.
Things are happening. Things are being planned. Crafts are being made. That's about it. :)
(I'll properly update the wedding blog at some point soon, but for now, that's all I got.)

Here's to hoping I update more regularly in the coming weeks! :)

Snow Day!

I have a snow day today! (My honey does, too!)

The traffic light near our apartment.

Let's see how much I get done today.

What I'm wanting to do: 

• finish creating our engagement photo book (free coupon from Shutterfly!)
• work on homework (technical manual due on Friday and a 10-12 page rough draft due next Friday)
• edit some senior photos
• dishes
• workout

I don't have high hopes -- my eyes are already droopy.

My brain was awake at 5:30 and I wasn't able to go back to sleep, so I figured sleepiness would be something I'd deal with today. (But I wasn't anticipating being able to actually deal with it.)

Things.

In mid-December, I was diagnosed with diabetes. Hooray.
I started taking the two medications that the doctor gave me, like a good girl, two pills at breakfast and a third at dinner. Every afternoon, like clockwork, between 2:30 and 3:00, my blood sugar would plummet and I would need something to eat -- fast. It didn't matter that I had already eaten lunch at 11:00 or 12:00. So, naturally, I stopped taking the medication, and then made an appointment to go back in and see him.

We're trying something new with the medication now, where I'm taking one of the original medications at breakfast and then again at dinner time with plans to increase that same medication to two pills at each bookend meal of the day.

I've been doing a lifestyle change with a program called Real Appeal through my insurance. I'd call it a diet, but it's really more than just changing how you're eating. It's also teaching you how to eat, what to eat, and what kinds of exercise you should be doing. The Success Kit came with a food scale, a Magic Bullet-like blender, a stretchy exercise band, a scale, measuring cups and spoons, a set of exercise DVDs, a portion plate, and a recipe book. There's an online class every week that lasts for thirty minutes. There's also a place on the website where each of the members logs his or her weight, exercise, and food every day. (Well, ok, the weight thing is once a week at least.)

This program, at its basic level, is very similar to the other two programs that I did, one through my insurance last year and one through the university for the six weeks before that. This program, though, came with all kinds of things to help you be successful. Where the previous program had the class every week and included a lot of the same material, this program came with a set of exercise DVDs and a recipe book. Those two things right there are huge when you're going down this path. Instead of just hearing your coach say, "You need to log in at least thirty minutes of work this week," you have something that you can go do -- you have the tools in front of you. There's even a workout schedule that is completely optional to follow, and the suggested meal plans are customizable. I feel that if I can keep on this program, I will be successful.

That's the problem though: keeping on the program.

I followed it great for two or so weeks, and then fell off the wagon and didn't do any extra exercise for three weeks...or was it four? All I know is, I'm supposed to be doing Cardio 2. This morning, when I decided to get back on the wagon, I put in Cardio 1 just to get my feet wet, and the tap-out jacks were killer on my arms. I was very glad that the same two exercises that I've had to modify in the past (jump ropes and jogging in place) were the same two that I had to modify today, and that I didn't have to modify any additional exercises. I didn't leave this morning's workout the most sweaty that I've left it before, but I also don't think I was pushing myself as hard as I could. The meal plans have never been something I could follow, but logging my food is super easy. (I had to do that with my previous program and getting back in the habit was easy.) The recipes that we've tried out of the book (namely the Baked BBQ Chicken and the Chocolate Pudding [made with silken tofu]) have been really delicious.

The real reason that I'd stopped exercising was that I was having a bout of depression. That nasty little beast likes to rear its fugly head in my life every now and then. The great news is that my weight didn't go up or down much more than its regular yo-yo pattern during that bout. I'm not sure what pulled me out of it, but I did set up an inspiration board in two places in the apartment so I can be reminded of why I'm doing this. These boards include inspirational quotes and photos of children, since getting healthy to be a healthy mom for my future children is a big reason why I'm doing this.

"What -- not your wedding?"

Losing weight will be a bonus for my wedding, but it's not the main reason that I have for losing weight. Sure, I don't want my arms to be bulks of jiggle that day, but it just seems like losing weight for my wedding is a selfish reason, and my innermost Self is Others motivated -- so: kiddos.

I don't know why this was the story that I wanted to share with you after nearly three months of silence, but it is. When I was thinking about it the other day, I felt like I should share it with readers of my blog. Who knows -- maybe it will help someone.

BTW: I have a wedding blog, too. I've got several posts in queue, but not many posts as of yet. Don't worry -- more are coming. If you care to follow it or peruse it, just click here and you'll be taken there. :)

Much and Many

Thanksgiving was great. We made a traditional sage and bread stuffing for dinner, and it went over well. (No leftovers - huzzah!) The vegetarian something that we took was a Quorn Turk'y Roast, and it was delicious. So very much so, in fact, that I had to go buy another one to have to cook for later. (Even meat-eaters in the group enjoyed it!)

So much has happened since then, and I kinda feel bad about slopping all of it into one post, but ce la vie. (And it's honestly par for the course on this blog!) :)

Early in December, my parents and Jake and I went to a park to take some quick family portraits to put them on a Christmas postcard, and then we went to lunch. Of course, it was cold and windy that day, when the other days surrounding it were sunny and enjoyable. (Go figure.)
Jake and I put up our Christmas tree that evening after dinner, and as I was taking a few photos of it, he proposed to me! Hooray for being officially engaged!

I finished my class with an A. I signed up for an on-campus class next semester, one of the requisite writing classes. Huzzah. The book for this one should only be $25 to rent, so that's about an 80% savings from last semester.

We have done two Christmases -- one with half of his family (due to illness and traveling) and one with mine. One more awaits us on January 1. I'm not sure how awake we'll be that day, as we have a cocktail party in Denver on the 31st to celebrate his aunt's 55th birthday. We have possibly a third Christmas with the aunt and uncle, because I'm not sure they'll want to host the party on the 31st and then get up early and drive to Greeley for the Christmas, but who knows.

Now that Christmas is mostly over, we can start actually planning and talking about the wedding in a serious way. (Something that my Type A brain wanted to do the night that he asked me to marry him!)
Mom and I are going to look at dresses on the 31st at David's Bridal, as they're having their $99 sale until January 19th. (I fell in love with a dress on Modcloth, but we'll see what DB has.)
Jake and I have our engagement photos on the 2nd, thanks to my awesome, wonderful, and insanely talented friend, Krista, of Juhl Photography.

So, yeah.
Much and many things have happened in the last six weeks.

This post does seem a little summary, but sometimes that's what happens when you're typing a post on your lunch break while actually eating lunch. :)

A Sunday Update

Tomorrow is Monday again. What??!? How?

This weekend, my honey and I spent some time walking around downtown Fort Collins, which is one of my favorite things to do, made even more favorite by the holiday lights that go up around this time every year. (I think the lighting ceremony was actually last weekend.) We saw a man with a typewriter, just hanging out. (I think he was writing poems on the fly for people. We were on a mission and didn't stop to chat.) There was also a woman just sitting in the wonderful weather, hand-knitting. Today, we went to New Belgium Brewery's Maker's Market and scored some Christmas gifts for people that we were still needing. Supporting local artisans, crafters, and makers is one of my favorite things to do, especially during such a commercial holiday like Christmas. (You may remember my post from last year.) I foresee more events like the Maker's Market in our future, as well as looking on Etsy and Scoutmob. I also foresee more visits to Old Town in our future. :) I also spent some time embedded in magazines, which is like the "real life" and "old school" version of Pinterest to me. I dogeared my favorite images ("liked" them) and will eventually rip them out of the magazine and put them in a scrapbook or folder at some point ("pin" them).

Today, in the spirit of getting healthy and losing weight, we weighed ourselves. There are forty pounds difference between us, and I found out that I have gained about 18 pounds since moving in with Jake, in only seven months. :( I don't know what I can do to get down to my goal weight, but I am going to give it my all. (I intend to start earlier than Jacob, like, tomorrow.)

This week, my supervisor is off to Antigua to celebrate her 40th wedding anniversary, and retie the knot on the beach. So, I'll be the main person at the hectic front office from this Tuesday through next Wednesday. It's a fate which I am not looking forward to. (At least next week is Fall Break and a lot of students will be off campus, and probably back home for Thanksgiving, since there are no classes!)

As far as Thanksgiving, this year it is in Denver, and we've been slated to bring the stuffing and something vegetarian. (One of the magazines I was pouring through this weekend was the most recent issue of Vegetarian Times, and it had three stuffing recipes in it. Wah-hoo!)