Sunday, January 28, 2007

my week at a glance

Oy, it's been so long since I've updated my blog! Sometimes I just feel like I have nothing interesting to say, but I've been trying to convince myself that a blog doesn't need to be full of big, exciting posts all the time and that it's okay to write about the little things. So that's what I'm doing today!

~Earlier this week I lost my cell phone, or it got stolen, or some combination of both. I looked everywhere I could think of, and it doesn't help that at my work I get no reception so when I called my phone I wasn't be able to hear it ring if it was there. So, I've been taking David's phone to work with me as I have a longer commute and no work number, which he does...and I've been hoping that it would just show up, but it hasn't. So yesterday we were at dinner at this nice Italian place and I was saying "I guess I'll have to get a new phone" and he jokingly said that it wasn't fair that I got to get a new one and he didn't. Flash-forward to later that night and we were about to go to bed and he couldn't find his phone. I felt this intense sense of "uh-oh, what did I just do!" and said "uh, don't worry about it honey!" and then quickly walked over to the laundry area and dug his jeans out of the washer and low and behold...there was his phone! It was completely fried and I just started laughing uncontrollably. You know one of those totally inappropriate situation kind of laughs. So I went in and told him I did something bad, but I could not stop laughing. Poor guy, he probably thought he'd married a nutcase! Finally I managed to stifle my giggles and tell him, but he was not quite as amused by the whole thing as I seemed to be. I told him that at least now we both got to get new phones, but that did not seem to help! Lucky for me he wasn't too mad and this morning found it somewhat amusing as well. But, lets just say this has not been my week for phones!!

~On a brighter note, yesterday was gorgeous so David and I went out and played tennis. It's crazy to me that we were able to do that in January! I got to use my new racket that my lovely in-laws gave me for Christmas and I did pretty well. Not good mind you, but not bad for me. Hopefully we'll keep having this nice weather so we can play again soon.

~I got 2 issues of Self magazine in the mail this week. Some little elf must have gotten me a subscription. It's always fun to get unexpected things in the mail!

~I've also been trying my hand at digital scrapbooking this week. I like the textures and stuff of traditional but I've always thought digital would be fun because it's less messy and I like the idea of being able to print out several of the same page without having to actually do more than one. It is a lot harder than I thought though! Once I get the hang of it I don't think it will be so bad though and it will be great for when we have kids. I'll post some pages I've done in a later blog. :)

~I signed up for this free Kraft recipe magazine a while ago and finally got the latest issue in the mail this week. It comes out periodically and has got some really neat recipes inside. Go here to sign up!

I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend!

Tuesday, January 9, 2007

honeymoon pictures (very belated!)

I was going through and organizing all my photos on the computer today and I came across some pictures that David and I took on our mini-honeymoon to Long Beach (WA) after our wedding in Sep. Looking at them and reminiscing a bit made me happy, so I thought I would share a few.

Even though we had dated for almost 3 years by the time we got married, we had never really gone on a real vacation together before this and I was a little nervous about it because it was going to be just us and I was afraid we would end up bickering and getting on eachothers nerves since we weren't used to spending 24/7 with eachother. But, my fears were for nothing, because it was a wonderful few days and we got along great! Probably because he humors me a lot, lol. Hopefully this is just the first of many fabulous vacations to come!

The best picture we got of us on our trip.



The pathway to the beach in front of our cute little inn.



Since Long Beach is well-known for it's kite festival, we thought it was appropriate that the one souvenir we purchased was a pretty kite!



A pretty view near the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center.



At sunset on our last night there. David's eyes are just so blue in this picture, I love it!



Thanks for looking!

Friday, January 5, 2007

A New Year

I have always been a list maker. So when Jan. 1 rolls around I always make my little list of things I want to do and accomplish that year. There's always been the obligatory "exercise more, eat healthier, save money, etc." Not that those things are bad goals, but they often just never panned out the way I wanted them too, and I would end up feeling frustrated with myself for not trying harder and accomplishing more. This year I decided not to make my annual list and instead just try to be content with my life in the present. I still would love to make certain changes in my life, and I want to always continue to grow emotionally and spiritually as a person, but I also feel like I need to learn to not just look towards the future all the time (which I have a horrible habit of doing), but appreciate that I have a wonderful life just as it is, and any goals that I accomplish this year are just an icing on the cake.

I came across this wonderful story today that really illustrates what I've been thinking lately.

The Mayonnaise Jar and 2 Cups of Coffee

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with an unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.

The golf balls are the important things - God, your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions - and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your business and/or job, your house and your car.

The sand is everything else - the small stuff. "If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you."

"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Spend time with your parents. Visit with grandparents. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play games. There will always be time to clean the house - it's a never ending job anyway! Take care of the golf balls first - the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."