On Moving

You know that point in the moving process where you'd rather wrap your head in several layers of packaging tape than build another box and fill it with all of your worldly possessions? I am so there.

My kitchen is 75%
My bathroom is 95%
My bedroom is 80%
My living room/dining room is 60% and that is only because there is less little things in them.

I'm so glad we live in 850 sqft and not some crazy big place. Oh wait,  if we did I probably would just hire people to come wrap my delicates in bubble wrap.

BUT I am super excited to move into a glorious 1100sqft 2 bedroom beauty. To be able to grill again--just in time for good weather to do it in. And Vince os excited to have a room to hang his Star Wars posters up in! Go us!

But really, if your bored, come pack a box!

Cleaning it up for Lent

Last night I had dinner with a great friend I met in grad school. Over flat bread pizza, mojitos, and a giant Fat Tuesday warm cookie we talked about life, love, and many of the details that those two encompass.

I left feeling entirely satisfied. Thays sounds odd but honestly I don't make enough time for just me and my girlfriends to sit and reallu talk. This is why we need girls nights. As women we constantly analyze everything and being able to share those with another person who isn't your spouse but who just gets it is truly a wonderful part pf life.

Ok that was a detour from my orignal post topic but is a is an important preface because last night she asked me if I was giving up something for Lent. I hadn't given moich thought to it before then but having thought about it both on my drive home last night and into work this morning I have decided.

For the next six weeks I will be eating vegetarian lunches.

Why? Because I eat crap for lunch. My days generally have my lunch periods at odd hours and often they are short. That meand that far too often I resort to fast food-overprocessed-junkonabun for a quick bite. And you know what, thats not acceptable.

My body and my health are important.  So for forty days I will focus on plant based lunches. Superfoods. Antioxidants.

That's about how long it takes to make a habit stick. Let's see how it goes. I jist had a delicious fresh salad from The Big Salad. Day One is a success.

Gender, Relationships, and Roles

Lately (read since before our wedding) I have been devouring information about gender and relationships and the roles that we all play when interacting with each other. Turna out there are some amazing writers out there, both women and men, secular and religious that have filled my brain with so much internal debate it had been spectacular.
After spending a solid 3 hours this morning pouring through article upon article and reading infuriating comments and several "yes, that's it!" ones I took a shower--because it was noon, and I needed to. While rinsing my hair I had a revelation: I have read so much, even passed along articles to friends, maybe I should join the virtual conversation.  And so, here I am. I will be sure the good, the bad, and (in my opinion) the ugly of what is going on out there here. Because it matters. And I will also be throwing in my two cents, even it's after everyone else who comes up with these brilliant articles writes theirs!

So have read anything good on gender/relationships/roles lately?

You Have My Heart

For the last few months I almost exclusively listen to Michigan Radio aka NPR while driving. Which is a majority of my week it seems. A couple of days ago after listening to yet abother foreign policy report that hadn't changed in days I had to change back to some regular tunes and landed on Mojo in the Morning's broadcast.

They were discussing cheating on your significant other and it dawned on me: I do not have one doubt in my mind that Vince will not cheat on me. And that my friends is an exhilarating feeling. It makes me feel so secure and wonderful knowing I married a loyal, honorable man.

But then ad they went on I realized that every man or woman blindsided by infidelity probably relished that same since of security in their relationship because thats what you do when you give your heart fully to another person.

You trust.

And trusting is scary when you have been hurt in the past. But if you dont have faith in the person sitting next to you, the one you promised to walk through life with, you are breaking down your relationship as well.

All of this I guess just made me realize that while we are still very much in the honeymoon stage of marriage,  there is no time like the present to live and love fully, to trust, and to continue to build each other and your relationship up.

Observations

Just found this in my drafts dated 12/28/12. It made me laugh, so typos and over shares and all I'm clicking publish.

Driving makes me sleepy. Or rather riding does. 10 hrs of driving, all but 10 minutes of it after the sun so gracefully set at 535pm in Michigan. I'm tires. So is my husband, but he's driving, and for once I'm trying to stay awake with him. So here are some probably very random observations of late:

Diet snapple is 10 calories, regular is 160. They taste exactly the same. How?

People in the mall are rude. But the puppies that are probably from a puppy mill are adorbs and I will never own one because my husband hates dogs. Like very, truly 100% kind of hate. The puppies don't make up for the rude people.

I want a fun party dress for New Years. Karsashian Kollection had two super cute ones. Might have to go back and get one. Yes, the Kardashians have cute clothing lines.

I have felt like I have hard, dry boogers waaaaaayyyy up in my nose. Overshare, no? I've blown, hell, I've picked. There's nothing there. Driving me crazy like a fox. Someone help me.

Old men love my red lipstick. They stare. They comment. They smile and flirt. Just kidding, no flirting. But I bet they want to.

On the same line, red lipstick makes me C.O.N.fident. You can stare people, I know its because my lips make my eyes pop and my new short hair just make me look even sassier. It's not because I have spinach in my teeth and spilled my cherry coke down my shirt. I'm hot!

But really, I do feel sassy.

Did I say I was tired? I get sassy when I'm tired.

Can not wait to get to Oskaloosa, Iowa and pass out. Over and out Mon amis. (incorrect French I am sure)

Boot Shopping

Last year I bought a wonderful pair of knee high camel tone boots (by the lovely Lauren Conrad and her Kohl's Collection) that I LOVE. I mean, I really love them; wear them almost daily, and heck I wear them with black and grey and every other color that's not supposed to match--but I say they do!

Only problem with 365 days of wear (well maybe not because when it was hot I didn't wear them) is that they are wearing out. And I will probably take them to our local cobler and have them re-heeled so that I can still wear them, my dear friend Kelly says I just need to buy new boots. Right, Kel? She even sent me the link to URBANOG.com which has boots galore with price tags that don't make your stomach drop. Check them out! But first, which ones should I buy?

Oh and an important note is that when Hubs saw me looking at the shoes he says, "you do need another pair." And he was serious. Love that man!

1. THESE

2. THESE

3. THESE

4. THESE

5. THESE

 

6. THESE black/brown combo are a  YES, PLEASE!

So which ones do you like? 1-6? And what are these models wearing with their boots??

ps I'm not a big enough blogger to have anyone compensating me for my words here, but darn do I wish I was because they have so much cute going on over there! check it out urbanog.com!

pps thanks Kelly Sue!

14 Days of Ruby Reds

Well, it's DAY 14 of the #31shadesofred #lipstick challenge. I missed posting two days (woops!) because, well, I'm allergic to lipstick and had chapped lips. Yes, yes I did know this prior to started the challenge. Yes I will continue along, I've just been over-hydrating my lips at night to compensate. And actually on Sunday, I did wear lipstick, just forgot a picture.

I'm really enjoying this challenge so far. I have three other ladies actively particpating: @kellysue & @aprilmarie on instagram and my seester on facebook. We've also had some "guest post" support too! I have a lot of thoughts about what wearing lipstick every day has meant for me, and I've talked to Kelly about hers too and they are different experiences. I need to get a hold of April as well to hear her thoughts.

But today, it's two weeks in the wrong order because I can't always work blogger very well, but two weeks of daily photos no less!

If you aren't playing yet, it's not too late! Just grab some lip color (red, pink, coral, purple whatever you like) and put on some lipstick! Even if you do it once, your support would mean so much, and I promise it's fun!