Catching Fire

On a slightly random, unrelated note: only 17 more days until The Hunger Games premiere!

I hate to admit that I've neglected you all week. The week started off ridiculously slow, but toward the end of last week, things were crazy as we got ready for our trip to Charlotte.

Last week:

David and I went to the Duke vs. FSU basketball game. It was my very first (yay, new things)! We seemed to be two of maybe four Duke fans in our section, but sports controversy is something I'm good at (Go Yankees). After all that, they go ahead and lose (despicably) to North Carolina (look at me talking like I know something about basketball). Speaking of sports, apparently I'm participating in March Madness. I'll be sure to keep you updated on my terrible team picking skills.

While I'm thinking about it, I've recently decided that I'm a fan of double dates...or even just group get-togethers...as in we need to start going on them. David and I rarely get pictures together because we go out/travel alone. And I'm not really a fan of this:

Anyway.
After church last week, Mal and David went with me to pick up a craigslist find that I'd been working on securing all day. I've always wanted a "tall" bed. One that people have to struggle to climb. One that Leo has to get a running start to jump. I thought what I needed was a new bed frame, but what I really needed was to put a box spring underneath the tempurpedic. After a totally sketch trip behind the Tallahassee mall, I was able to create the perfect tall bed.

AND! I've finally finished my pallet shelf after months of trying to get it done. Another big "Thank you!!" to the best man ever for cutting and sanding it. It took some doing, but it's beautiful. I also did a major clean up last week (even though my room is generally clean) and threw out a bunch of old stuff, filed important papers, shredded incriminating useless documents, and organized my closet and bookshelves. It's amazing how much stuff can fit into one tiny room.

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Usually, people find themselves distracted by fantasies and day dreams. Daily, I find myself distracted by the second most incredible thing in my life. Sparing you the sappy, gushy romance, I'll try to make this quick...

Recently, I'd reread all of my old blog posts. It's hard to deny the transparency of pain and aggravation through my words; a tumultuous rush of frustration and slight regret. Did I say slight? I mean, I don't regret it at all. Without such ridiculousness, I never would be where I am today: carefree, drama-free, stress-free, and in love with a extraordinary man of faith, patience, and understanding. I wake up every day and go to bed every night thanking God for the riches I've been blessed with. I've heard that you'll never appreciate happiness if you've never experienced sadness. This has certainly proven itself to be irrefutable. These days, love, trust, honesty, and God-centeredness are few and far between. I am so utterly blessed. With that being said, it's not hard to believe we've made it 6 months (woo!) without angry tears, screaming, or frustrated expletives.

Moving right along.

Charlotte was great, but exhausting. I met so many splendid people over the weekend. It stirred that seldomly quenched desire for a "good" family; decent even. While there are a few people that stick out in my mind as spectacular, loving, trusting, supportive family members, I could count them on one hand. Spending time with David's family, while so inviting, made me feel the strong absense of family in my own life. Knowing the reasons that I have yet to introduce David to my family makes me apprehensive to have him spend five days in South Florida with me in April. At least he understands that their behavior is not a reflection of me. I might as well have been adopted.

We were doing so well! Let's redirect.

We found ourselves in bed every night before midnight over the weekend. We ate a lot of healthy food (not hard when you're visiting healthy people), but treated ourselves to some birthday cake. We even managed to get our butts up and train before heading home on Sunday. (Which actually ended up being an adventure.) Running without my glasses with a vaguely memorized map in my head--my inhaler left somewhere in the house--did not make for the easiest training day, but 30 minutes and a heart full of worry later (I got lost, David was worried and came searching for me), I couldn't help but feel accomplished. Our running schedule has been variable, but we've managed to stay on task and complete three days each week. Today is our first day of week 4. Halfway there!

Have a great week, guys.

Catch up with my link-ups Thursday and Friday!

“If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough.”

After last week's scare regarding one of my submitted grad school papers (not submitting it for plagiarism critique--supposedly resulting in an incomplete), I received word from my professor that she was going to let my slip-up slide based on my prior performance (#winning!). Thank God. My precious "A" average remains untainted.

Orlando and Tampa presented an array of excitement and slight disappointment. The hockey game was spectacular, despite Mallory's unrest about the Capitals' loss to the Lightning. We were a little far from the rink (still pretty awesome seats!), but I managed to shoot some clear pictures.

 

Hooray for spell check.

Cue ridiculous boyfriend...

And a Bolts' victory!

Lynn, Mal, Me, David, Brandon, Denise

Over dinner, David and I were surprised to find out that Denise's plumbing wasn't working (damn you, septic systems). No bathroom. No showers. Just grossness and gurgling toilets. For convenience sake, we were hard pressed to head over to a nearby hotel, only to learn that every hotel in the surrounding 20 miles was completely booked...except for the Crowne Plaza, which was charging $440/night. Really?! We sucked it up and headed back to Denise's for the night.

Sunday was plagued by tickets: one (not for certain, but a high possibility) for having to run a toll (I threw my money in, I swear!!), and the other for speeding (bound to happen sooner or later). Luckily, the officer knocked it down to 79 mph (the minimum) instead of 87 mph (good thing I slowed down from 100 when I got onto I-10), resulting in $125 fine and 3 points, rather than $205, 4 points, and the likely suspension of my driver's license. I can't even begin to speculate how many points I've accrued over the years. Hilariously, I nearly cried at the thought that I might get a $100 toll-running ticket, but was content getting one for speeding. I may or may not have a speeding addiction.

We finished out the weekend with Day 1, Week 2 of the C2K5, and the Billy on the Street gameshow.

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Yesterday was Lynn's birthday. We had a handful of people over (a little quieter different than last year's surprise party) and celebrated one more year of this lovely lady's life. I first met Lynn on the phone; screaming (like she does) in the background as I talked to the boy I thought I'd marry. She was fun, lively, and had a contagious laugh. So naturally, I gravitated toward her. In what seemed like weeks (months, really), I was stealing time for "girls night" with her, Alaina, Aimee, and some random others every week. For a little while, we walked around Lake Ella once or twice a week, just to catch up and get some exercise. She slowly stepped up as an escape from my reality; bringing strength and perseverance to me when I thought I was trapped in a life that was destroying me. I quickly jumped at the opportunity to move in with her, convinced that she would be much better than any of the roommates I've previously had ('cept for Angela, duh!). It's great to see how friendships evolve from simple acquaintanceship. What used to be merely an exchange of socially acceptable semantics has blossomed in a perfect friendship complete with clothes-sharing, meal-making, Notebook-crying watching adventures. These days, we're spending Tuesdays at 4th Quarter, gossiping about Dexter, losing at board games, and training for the Color Run. Lynn is the epitome of friendship, and the definition of unconditional love. I like doing her eyebrows and dressing her up to go out. I love that she lets me cut her hair without any hair-cutting experience. I miss her when she's not around. I hug her every chance I get. I'm so grateful for the moments we get to spend together, and the patience she has for my debauchery. I'm so blessed to have all these wonderful people in my life. If anything came out of the Justin catastrophe, at least he led me to them.

Lynn gang-banging my football game virginity.  

Last year's surprise party! Her very first!

I can't believe this is one of only a few pictures that we have together. Cheesy smiles, squinty eyes, and all. 

Happy Birthday Unicorns 2012

Mallory's delicious cupcake-cake.

As a final thought, please pray for David's success with his job interview this Wednesday!

Photo cred to DLJ!

Stress: nothing more than a socially acceptable form of mental illness

FRUSTRATED!



David, do you see what I see?

A few times a year, I get into a funk that makes me feel rushed and even more claustrophobic than usual.

But let's start with the good:

1) I never got to blog about my trip to Islands of Adventure with David, but it was perfect. It was really the first time we've taken a spontaneous trip (a large feat for the man who meticulously plans everything). I've decided to keep the trip to myself. Oh, and if you haven't already: GO TO HARRY POTTER WORLD!

2) I bought cute, reasonably-priced running shoes. They're both comfortable and chic.

3) I started making my Valentine's Day cake pops. The heart molds came out great!!

Not mine, but similar!

4) The group's first two days of 5k training were a success. I'm sore. But it's wonderful. Turns out that the C25K app (free!) is perfect.
5) David and I are joining Weight Watchers to help get us in shape and lay a foundation for long-term healthy eating habits.

6) My first graduate class was a success. "A", baybay! (Please laugh.)
7) This upcoming weekend is the hockey game; the details of which have been worked out so that we can head to Tampa after our soccer games.
8) The Tallahassee weather has been absolutely excellent!
9) I've been reading the Hunger Games series, and I'm on the last book. I recently ordered The Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy: Shiver, Linger, and Forever. I didn't initially want to read these, but I've heard good things.

And the not-so-good:

1) I had a mini episode (in my mind) when I found out that David didn't want me to make him cake pops for Valentine's Day. I hadn't really come up with any creative, non-cliche back up plans, so I felt like a crummy girlfriend. That and I had spent too much a decent amount of money on all the supplies. Some good came out of it, though. We decided that not making a big deal out of the stupid day will make us both feel less obligated. I felt a little better. And now I can refine my cake pop making skills for Lauren's bridal shower. Here's to thinking positive.

2) Leo (my dog) peed on my mattress yesterday morning (right after my shower, 20 minutes before I had to leave for work). Not just any mattress, mind you. A cashmere, tempurpedic, unwashable mattress. I called in late, tried some oxyclean (which, in turn, bleached it. damn it.), tried some carpet cleaner, and after scrubbing it profusely, put my fan close by to help dry it. I now have new sheets and a waterproof mattress protector.

Not leo, but kind of Leo.

3) The great weather I mentioned is not so great for 5k training and asthma.

4) I worked on the cake pops last night. Turns out that the molds were too thin for even the super skinny lollipop sticks I bought. Thankfully, David was there to reassure me that my crisis had a solution, and I combined two cake pops with the stick and some chocolate in the middle to make one giant pop. The candy melts were a whole other issue. I tried to lower these incredibly heavy pops into the chocolate, and ended up losing some cake. So the frosting job was shotty, at best. I quickly ran out of chocolate for this first batch, and only ended up with four pops. Frustrated and discouraged, I decided that that was enough for one night. I will say, though, that David really did a good job of consoling me about my baking failure (thank you, darling). Truthfully, the cake pops were delicious, and my standards for the aesthetics were too high.

All in all, there's honestly not much I need to be stressed about. I think it's really just the prospect of going out of town a lot in the next few months, and helping create the best (and hopefully only) wedding experience ever for my best friend.

February 17th-19th: Orlando/Tampa for hockey game
March 3rd-4th: Charlotte with David
March 16th-18th: Orlando for Lauren's bachelorette party
March 24th-25th: Camping with the gang
April 13th-22nd: West Palm for Lauren's wedding-ness

Between the trips, I'll still be working (we're losing another person at work...still not hiring new people), training for the 5k, trying to eat healthy, and getting my course work finished. Prayers for strength!

Oh, and HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!