When Being Responsible is Hard...

Ah, home ownership.

I had so many big plans for our house before we moved in. How many have I accomplished? Exactly zero.

It's not a matter of laziness per say...There have been, ahem, circumstances (which I will reveal in time)that have slowed me down considerably. But it's more than just that. I seriously underestimated the time and money involved in the things I desperately want to do to make our house "us."

I want so badly to paint the walls a pretty color, replace the ugly powder-blue carpet, get rid of those god-awful popcorn ceilings in every room, just to bring our otherwise adorable house into this millennium. I had all these grand notions of DIY glory but soon after we moved in I got a big 'ol reality check.

Could we afford to do it this moment? Sure. Does that mean we should? Therein lies the question.

When LT and I made a decision to buy a house, there were of course a lot of factors involved. Basically it came to one thing for us: location. We wanted to be central. The thing is, you pay for that.

For the same money we could have spent on a brand new house 30-45 minutes out, we bought a 1984 2-story in a modest neighborhood- close to EVERYTHING. The grocery store, the mall, the airport, the hospital, our families and most of our friends- all within 15 minutes or less. Also we're in an awesome school district for when that time comes along. 

Yes, we hit the jackpot on location alright, but it doesn't stop the little pang of envy I feel when I make the drive to visit my friends in their gorgeous, newly built brick houses with the pretty upgrades. As cute as our house is, and as much as I know we made the right choice, I can't help but want those things too.

As tempted as I am to throw all of our savings at making our house "pretty", I have to force myself to take a step back and ask:

Can I live with it?

The cold hard truth is, yes, I can. I can live in 1984 for a while. And I just have to take it one step at a time. The people that have to have everything right now are the ones that end up broke and in trouble ("House-poor" as my Mom puts it), and that's the last thing I want for our little family.

I know we'll get all of it done eventually, one project at a time. For now I just need to count myself lucky that we, two twenty-somethings, can afford a house at all. 

It sucks being a responsible adult sometimes.

Much love to ya,

Fall Where Art Thou?

With all this talk of pumpkin spice everything, I feel obligated to write a post about Fall. Or, in DFW's case, the lack there-of. Supposedly the official "beginning of Autumn" starts this Sunday. To this I roll my eyes and call BS, because according to weather.com the Texans in our fair city can expect a high of 97. 

Beginning of Fall my ass.

Things work a little differently here in the Lone Star State. Our Summers are brutal, our Falls and Springs are fleeting, and our winters are freezing, nasty messes that seem to last for-eh-ver. It's sad when we all get excited that the high is "only" in the 90's. Trust me-you feel the difference.

My friends and I were talking the other day about how you really know Fall is here when you have to wear a jacket on Halloween. One year you're bummed because you had to cover up your awesome genie ensemble, the next year you were sweating through your pink Power Ranger costume. I really hate Texas weather. 

Don't get me wrong, I love pumpkin spice everything but it just doesn't seem right when I haven't even broken out the sweaters yet. "Hi there Starbucks dude, let me just order my pumpkin spice latte while I stand here in my sundress and flip flops." It doesn't feel natural. 

I definitely need to get over this complex. After all, the temperatures in Hawaii stay in the 70's-80's year-round. They basically have no seasons, but of course they celebrate holidays. Maybe they need seasonal drinks to help them get in the spirit of things?

Anyways if Sunday rolls around and it magically drops to the 70's I'll happily eat my words and buy a round of pumpkin spice lattes for everyone. 


But don't count on it.

Much love to ya,

  

I'm not Dead--And I got a Liebster!

First of all I must apologize for the ridiculous amount of time I've gone between posts. Let's just say there are games afoot. But you shall know everything in time. Patience, young grasshoppers.

So anyways I was beyond stoked this morning when I woke up to see a message from the lovely Savannah over at Arizona Sunshine, telling me she nominated me for a Liebster Award! What, what?!! Thanks Savannah!

For those of you who don't know what it is (I didn't, so thank the Lawd Savannah's nomination came with an explanation) here's how it works:

1)Thank your glorious nominator and link back to their blog.

2)Answer the 11 questions from your nominator and then give 11 fun facts about yourself.

3)Nominate other up-and-coming blogs that you enjoy following and who you feel deserve some extra bloggy love!

4) Come up with 11 questions of your own to ask your nominees.

Here we go!

What's been your most favorite vacation? We went to Maui last spring and it was amazing. We didn't want to leave!
If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be? Cheese. I love cheese on an unhealthy level. I always tell people that if I was stuck on a desert island and could only pick one thing to eat forever it would be cheese.
What's been the most inspirational book or movie you've read or seen? This is probably an pretty obscure answer but one of the most inspirational movies I have ever seen is Life is Beautiful. It's a foreign film that came out in the 90s. Warning- do not watch without a box of tissues handy.   If you couldn't live where you're living now, where would you live and why? Maui. Or at least somewhere in Hawaii. When we left last spring, I was legitimately sad. Everything about the Hawaiian lifestyle was totally us. It's just so laid back, and beautiful. We could see raising a family there. We even looked at real estate--holy reality check. It's going to take a lot of hard work and saving but we're determined to end up there one day. We call it the 5-year plan. 
What's one thing you would tell your 16 year old self? Oh geez. My 16 year old self was a train wreck. Hmmm...I would tell her that you don't have to find love at 16.Don't let your young life revolve around a guy, especially one who doesn't respect you. Stop being so serious and go have fun! It will save you years of heartbreak and tears.
If you could live in any other time period what would it be? The 1930s-40s. I love listening to my Grandmother tell stories about her life growing up in Biloxi, Mississippi  It was just such a simpler time back then! There seemed to be far fewer "blurred lines." Plus I love the fashion and music of that era. 
If you were an animal, what would you be and why? Let's go with Winnie, specifically. She's the most spoiled dog on the planet. She basically gets whatever she wants-usually.
If you had to pick a movie to be your life, which one would you pick? The Hunger Games? Totally kidding. Probably...It's a Wonderful Life. It would be pretty cool to have the opportunity to see how blessed I really am even when things seem like they couldn't get any worse. And if you haven't seen It's a Wonderful Life I demand you go find and watch it immediately. Otherwise YOU CAN'T SIT WITH US.
What stereotypical "man" job would you want to try out? Man job? Most things that men do I have no interest in doing whatsoever. But, for the sake of not copping out...I wouldn't hate being in the secret service for a day, have that whole "Agent K" thing going on.
What's your favorite pizza topping? CHEESE!!! Duh.
What's your favorite form of social media? Truth be told, I really suck at social media. Half the time it just drives me bonkers! Really this blog is my main form of social media.
11 Fun facts 1) I hate onions. 2) I was born in Oahu, Hawaii. 3) I'm the oldest of 4 kids. 4) I listen to Disney music while taking bubble baths. 5) My favorite band is Dashboard Confessional. 6) My Mom is my best friend. 7) I don't get along with Tequila. 8) I hate cooking. 9) I'm not crafty. 10)I want to be a published author one day. 11)I desperately want another dachshund for my birthday.

And my nominees are...
Brooke @ Babbling Brookelyn
Danae @ Duh!Danae
Tina @ Joey's Mom Has Got it Going On
Rebekkah @ Reba K Writes

Here are my 11 Questions
1) What's the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to you?
2) If you could trade lives with anyone for a day, who would it be?
3) Have you ever confronted a stranger about something?
4) Who is the person who has had the most impact on you and why?
5) Scariest thing that's ever happened to you?
6) What you would never wish on even your worst enemy?
7) What's your guilty pleasure?
8) If you go back to any day of your life, what would it be?
9) Biggest pet peeve?
10)Fashion trend you just don't get?
11)Is there such a thing as a dumb question? :P

Much love to ya,

Learning Selfless Love

Hey y'all! Sorry I've been MIA. Just been in a little bit of a funk as of late and haven't felt much like "sharing." Not that life's that exciting at the moment.

Has anyone else noticed that the "short week" following a "long weekend" seems to last forever? Just me? Ok.

Maybe it's because every minute of the last 20 days has been a count-down until LT comes home. And today is FINALLY the day. I swear it has felt so much longer than it's actually been. Looking back, I don't know how we got through Basic and OCS when we were limited to once a week phone conversations that barely lasted 5 minutes. How the hell did we do that?

LT's Basic Graduation- We had to say goodbye again right after because he went straight to OCS.

I think after a year of marriage (and almost 5 years with LT)I've let myself become more vulnerable. I learned to rely on LT for so much more than I ever thought I would. 

After being in an emotionally abusive relationship throughout high school and the first couple of years of college, I'd basically learned to guard my heart like it was always under attack. In fact I think it took a couple of years of dating LT to finally realize what selfless love is, and how to return it. In fact I'm still learning. 

But there's a flip side to this selfless love stuff. I've also learned that it's really easy to take for granted. When LT isn't here, I'm basically on my own. And for all the times I complain about wanting more help around the house, I find myself standing in the mess, totally overwhelmed and very aware of exactly how much he really does for me. Even the little things make a huge difference.

The time LT took me to the pet store to play with puppies because I was having a bad day.

I once read that love is an action, not a feeling. It's more than just telling someone. You have to show them. Somehow I lucked out and found someone who shows me all the time. I can't wait for him to come walking in the door tonight!

Much love to ya,