Where Did My Summer Go?

Um, whoa! Where did July go? It seems the weeks have just flown by. This summer has been a busy one and it’s time to get caught up on some much needed blogging. Let’s start with July 4 weekend.

We spent a fun couple of days with Derrick’s family in Topeka. Remember that quest to make the biggest slip-n-slide? Well, that didn’t happen. The weather was pretty crappy that Saturday and the in-laws were having company over that evening for a cookout. So the slip-n-slide plans were scratched. The rain did let enough to let us see some fireworks. Now, I am not a fan of explosives, but I have to admit, there is something about watching fireworks sparkle against the night sky. There is something about watching children watch fireworks. They were amazed.

My sister-in-law and nephews playing with sparklers.

That weekend was also the first time I attempted to bake apple pie and it was quite a success. Derrick’s parents made homemade vanilla ice cream and it didn’t take long for my pie to disappear. I made one for my parents, too.

Just call me Betty Crocker.

The following weekend, I headed to Rogers, AR and Fayetteville, AR with my mom and her sisters. I also saw my cousin Shani. We had a wonderful time just hanging out and we ate a ton. I’m definitely feeling the post-wedding weight gain, but more on that in a minute.

Last week, we added a new furbaby into our home. Derrick and I had been discussing getting another pet, but we weren’t sure if wanted a cat or dog. We decided since Beasley is such a handful, we’d try a cat. Last Tuesday, we brought home the cutest female kitten. A family’s cat had gotten loose and knocked up so they were trying to find good homes for her litter. Her name was Hope when we got her. Then we initially named her Yoshi, then she was Frankie and now she’s Stella, which is the name I wanted all along. Poor kitty. I hope she doesn’t have an identity crisis since she’s had so many names in less than a week. She certainly has changed. When we brought her home, she was shy and a little evil towards Beasley. Now she thinks she’s running things. She’s everywhere and she’s a sneaky little thing, too. But she’s so much fun and Beasley is starting to get used to her.

Stella playing with her new toy.

Stella and Beasley.

Back to that post-wedding weight gain I mentioned. I’ve noticed my clothes are fitting little more snug than usual. I tried on one of my outfits from my honeymoon and it was not a pretty picture. So I am now determined to get in shape. My first goal is to run the Rivalry Run, which is a 5k and at the end of August. Now that may not seem like a big goal to some, but it is for me. I used to run in junior high and high school. Since then, I’d run on occasion but never enough to get my endurance back to the way it was. Derrick and I did a 5k a few years ago, but we walked/ran it. My goal this time is to run the whole thing. I eventually want to get up to a marathon, but baby steps first. I started training last night. I nearly died, but it felt good to actually do something instead of lying on the couch and pigging out. Tonight was a rest night. Tomorrow it's back to work.

The next three weeks are going to just as busy. I'm heading back to Arkansas to celebrate my grandmother's 89th birthday, the following weekend we are going to visit Derrick's family and the weekend after that is the lake. If I'm not too careful, I might blink and summer will be over. Has your summer flown by?

Slippin' & Slidin' Into Month No. 3

What better way to start my third month of marriage than with a clean bill of health. Towards the end of our second month, we both were out of commission with summer colds, although, Derrick was a little worse off than I was. I just had three days of a stuffy/runny nose and itchy, watery eyes. Derrick, on the other hand, had something a little more severe. He had a lot of chest congestion and aches and pains. The poor guy had to stay home from work Monday because he felt like poo. But we are finally recovering and gearing up for a fun-filled weekend with family and friends.

This weekend marks our first Independence Day as husband and wife. Yes, I probably will be marking most major holidays as a momentous occasion for us newlyweds. I’m sure I’ll be over it after Thanksgiving and Christmas, and definitely after our first anniversary. My contribution to the weekend’s festivities is baking a scrumptious apple pie. Now, I’ve never made a pie a day in my life, but there is first for everything, right? I figured it would complement the homemade ice cream we’re going to have. We’ll see how this shakes out.

Derrick’s contribution is supposedly creating a super-sized slip-n-slide. The family created one Father’s Day weekend, but apparently the new one is supposed to top that one. It would seem that during a weekend where beer and explosives are already involved, we certainly don’t need a monstrous slip-n-slide. I don’t do slip-n-slides and I don’t do fireworks, so once again, we’ll see how all of this shakes out. Other than that, our weekend consists of spending time with family and friends both in Topeka KC. I’ll definitely post some pics of my pie attempt and Derricks attempt at making the largest slip-n-slide anyone has ever seen.

Will Derrick be able to top the super-sized Spider-Man slip-n-slide from Father's Day? Stay tuned.

Gray Expectations

See, I told you I would do better. I’ve already started my second post of the week. Now that we don’t have a wedding to plan, we are starting to focus on the house we’ve been living in for almost a year. Over the Christmas holiday, we painted our kitchen and our kitchen cabinets. When we bought the house, the kitchen was a gross terracotta color and the cabinets were beige. We brightened things up a bit with a nice olive green and bright white cabinets. We even threw in some new hardware.

It’s been months since we’ve done anything else to the house, so it’s time to get motivated. In a quest for new sites and blogs to waste time on, I found Décor Pad, a source for decorating and renovating. Members can post photos of their home makeovers, explore different paint colors for different rooms and get inspired. There’s also a section where you can find the look for less and shop for unique pieces.

I'm super excited about this find because the hubs and I want to paint our ugly brown family room gray and our brick fireplace white.

I needed some kind of idea of what this color with the white-brick would look like. I love these looks from Decor Pad.

Everything is so bright and airy and I think it would really make the family room feel more homey. The family room is the one room we actually agree on, but least we agree on something. Now the question is, exactly when will we get started on this project? Stay tuned.

First Day of Summer

I am officially embarrassed. I was such a dutiful blogger when I was planning our wedding. Now that it's over, I've pretty much abandoned my poor blog. In an effort to breath a little life into it, I decided to change the layout and brighten it up a bit. Perhaps that will motivate me to keep it up.

Believe it or not, I did write something for our one month anniversary, I just failed to publish it for some reason. It was about lessons I've learned during my first month of marriage. I can't believe almost closing out month number two. Below is what they were and they all still apply to this day.

Lesson 1: It's Okay to Be Ambitious, Until Reality Sets In

The Monday after we returned from Jamaica, I took the day off to take care of changing my name and other business. With all my new cookbooks, utensils and other goodies, I decided it was a good idea to plan our meals for the week. I began writing everything down, going to the store to get exactly what I needed instead of what we thought tasted good at the moment and even kept a little calendar on the fridge so my other half would know what was on the menu for that night. I was a newlywed warrior--coming home from work and heading straight to the kitchen. While dinner was cooking, I'd do other things around the house like straighten up, catch up on laundry or work on thank you notes. That lasted about two weeks. Lately, I've been slacking. The first night I didn't have a meal prepared, Derrick was shocked and appalled. Reality had set in. The luster of being a new wife was starting to wear off and wear me out. I still do most of the cooking, but unfortunately, I can't keep up with the hectic meal planning at this time. Maybe I'll get back into it once we get more settled in.

Lesson 2: The Name Change Game--Cute at First, but a Pain in the Rear End

So that Monday I took off work to get my name changed turned into quite a stressful one. Before I could do anything, I had to visit the Social Security office. It was pouring rain and as it turned out, the office's computers were down so they couldn't process anything. I filled out some paperwork and thought it might be nice to make my maiden name my middle name. No can do in Kansas. Apparently, I'd have to go through a big to do legal name change that would probably cost a lot of time and a lot of money. You may wonder why I would like to keep my maiden name somewhere and somehow. Well, I'm an only child and my parents didn't have a son to carry on the name. So here I am. I've had my maiden name for 30 years. I've grown accustomed to it. It fits me and I wanted to keep it in some way or another.

Despite everything, I am starting to get used to my new name. I had to change it at the bank and and at work, both of which was quite the process. Sometimes I forget to sign with my married name. I get confused. Maybe in a year everything will be squared away. Until then, I guess I'll have a double identity.

Lesson 3: Face It, He's Never Worn a Ring Before so it Takes Some Getting Used To

I've had to get used to the fact that my husband is not used to wearing a ring. He is always playing with it, complaining that it's loose or tapping it on the table. It irks me, but I understand. He's got this new thing practically attached to him. I've had a year and half to get used to wearing my ring. He's had a month (now almost two). He's a guy. I know it will take some time. We will have to work on him not leaving it on the kitchen counter where it could just roll off into the garbage disposal never to be seen again.

Lesson 4: Moms are Great Before the Wedding. They are Even Better After the Wedding

What a difference a wedding makes. My mom and I butted heads so many times planning the wedding. She wanted one thing and I wanted another. We had some pretty rough moments. But the day of the wedding and ever since then my mom has been great. She's cheerful, doesn't seem as stressed and just pleasant to be around. Not that she wasn't pleasant before. She was just under a lot of pressure I suppose. She had a daughter who really wasn't all that into wedding planning. I mean, what mom wants a daughter like that? But I have a feeling that our relationship will continue to get stronger as the weeks go by. I'm especially looking forward to espresso the first Saturday of every month.

Lesson 5: Married Life is a Blast

I know marriage is hard work. I can't say the past month has been all sunshine and lollipops, but it has been fun. It's surreal to call each other husband and wife. When we walk down the street or in a store, I know he's not my boyfriend or my fiancé, but he's my husband. The other day he said he loved hanging out with his best friend in the whole world--me.

We've had our moments during our first month of marriage, but I would do it all over again if it meant I still got to spend the rest of my life with him. He's an amazing person, a great friend and the best husband in the world. I can't wait for this next month of marriage and all the months to come.