3.21.12

So. Today was a little hard. I will admit it.

I pretty much bounced back and forth between feeling ok and feeling totally NOT ok.

1. First, I had of big to-do list to complete for my mom's memorial. After completing a good number of them, I felt proud and accomplished! This isn't the most abundant feeling after you've been fired and your mom dies, so I was really excited.

I'll call my mom and tell her all about it!!!!!

2. OH WAIT. 

Yes, I took a picture of my cry-face. Because I am narcissistic. And I wanted to see what all my relatives would see this weekend and make sure it wasn't too horrible.

The constant forgetting and remembering has got to be the hardest part of this by far.

3. I decided to perk myself up by going shopping. I'm pretty sure this is how my mom would've wanted me to look at her memorial.

Did you know that it's best to wear a bright orange sports bra under evening wear?

4. After taking some time to reflect, I realized exactly what I needed to make it through the day. Pictures of cute things. Today's selection: french bulldog pups and micro-pigs.

poison ivy recap

So, as I have mentioned, I have pretty extensive poison ivy.  How does one get poison ivy all over their entire body?  Did I roll it into a joint and smoke it?

It started off as the first really nice day in Spring.  I was planning on making a post about how we did yard-work, but really Jake did most of it.  There was a huge weed growing through the back of our fence and warping it.

Jake said we should take it down since it was causing damage to the fence.

I was all like:

Isn't that our landlord's problem?

And then Jake was all like:

I really think we should take care of it!! I'm an overachiever!! 

So, at first Jake tore into it and I monitored from a safe distance.

But it quickly became apparent it was a huge job! So I jumped in to help. And as we were yanking and cutting the weed down with our bare hands, and it was raining down onto our faces and probably into our noses and mouths, we kept remarking what a strange looking plant it was. 

After that, we apparently touched every square inch of our bodies before washing off. Two weeks later and I still look like this:

I don't feel like this pic does my injury justice, so I've highlighted a few areas for your attention.

One good thing to come of this is I have to be sure to take my medicine with food.

Please let me be a cautionary tale. Learn from my mistake. Don't listen to your husband and don't do yard-work.

3.19.12

I know I said I would update quite a while ago. But, unfortunately, the last few days (all kidding aside) have really been big days.

Last Tuesday, after a long battle, we lost my mom.

She had a lung translpant due to COPD five and a half years ago. A while ago she was diagnosed with chronic rejection. And all too soon, she left us.

It's a strange feeling, and I always wondered how I would react.  So far, I'm a little numb. I definitely have windows of intense emotion (I get kind of mad when I see old people - why do they get to be old? My mom was only 58). And I still cope by telling innapropriate jokes (while looking at a memorial venue at a park I opened a bar-b-q grill and told my dad we could pull her ashes out of there and put them in urns for guests).

And sometimes I get really irritable and irrationally angry. **CAUTION - FOUL LANGUAGE BELOW.

I told Jake it's a little like getting married.  Nothing really has changed, but at the same time everything has changed.

I've been scanning pictures for a slideshow for the memorial. Here's a little walk down memory lane.

My mom in high school.

My parents in their late 70's awesome-ness.

I'll always remember her like this in the morning.

I realized two things while looking through old pictures of myself.

1. WOW - I was nerdy.

Excuse me, do you think my french horn would fit in the picture?

Unfortunately, this is still my skill level when it comes to make-up.

I'm pretty sure this is me receiving a remote control car and talking parrot for my 12th birthday. TWELFTH.  

2. I WAS SO CUTE. And my parents didn't believe in pants.

Also, to add insult to injury, I have poison ivy over about 80% of my body. 

Yummy!

But, I want you to know that the whole time everyone was very concerned about you, Becky.  <3

Thanks for the continued support, and I look forward to getting back into the swing of things and not working again tomorrow.

3.05.12 & 3.06.12

I'm out of town and can only update from my phone. That means NO pictures. And blogs and books without pictures are like a cranberry juice without vodka. NO, THANK YOU! I'll return to update on Friday- or sooner if I suddenly grow an ability for tech support. Of course, I'm always up to answer questions. Feel free to drop me a q in the comments section.

3.04.12

1. I woke up this morning to wonderful news!  An email informed me I received the first comment on my blog - ever!

Everything I do - I do it for Becky.

2. In response to Becky's appreciation I decided to show her a little appreciation!

I hope today meant as much to you as it did to me, Becky.

3.03.12

Sorry for the late/short post today. At first today didn't seem very epic, at all. But, looking back, I realized today helped strengthen the sanctity of my marriage.

1. First, Jake and I started our day - super early.  I think it was about 12:15 am.  We decided to quench our morning thirst with a beverage.

2. After that we were at an all time high level of relaxation. We decided to rest our eyes for a bit. When we refreshed, we were ready for some nourishment.  I ran to Krispy Kreme to get us some power breakfast. When I left I realized we had mistakenly received an extra ham and cheese kolache.  Knowing my dear husband, Jake, has been trying to eat healthier I quickly disposed of the extra kolache.

Everything I do - I do it for you.

3. I downloaded a new app for my phone, Baldify. It's free (this weekend only!!). Probably it'll be good for your marriage, too.

If you can see this and still want to stay married you know you're in it for the long haul. (That's Jake on the left.)

4. Finally, I painted Lucy's nails.  While this doesn't tie into the marriage theme, the look on her face was all I needed to know I had made the right decisions in life. 

3.02.12

Wow - today was truly epic.  I may not have done a lot, but what I did really had impact.

1. First thing this morning I noticed a little baggie on our front lawn. Upon further inspection it was found to contain the drug known as cannabis.  That's right - REEFER. People, I literally took drugs off the street.  It was a great start to my Friday.



2. Jake, my husband, texted to inform me he was bringing home lunch.  In turn, I filled his world with laughter and joy.  I'm pretty sure that's priceless.

3. The food Jake brought home was my favorite!  Cheesesteaks from Way South Philly on E. 6th. If you live in Austin and haven't been there you're doing yourself a serious disservice.

authentic - with cheese whiz

4. Fueled up and raring to go, I decided to look at the ol' job search with a new perspective.  What will set me apart from other applicants?  How can I make an impression? After a brainstorming session, I ended up with this picture of me looking sad to send along with my resume.  How can you resist?

5. After that, I was on a roll.  I was thinking outside the box all over this mother.  Here's an example:

INNOVATIVE!

Today was such a success; I can't wait to see what tomorrow brings!

3.01.12

Here's what I did on this lovely Thursday.

1. I made this thing I saw on pinterest. It is from this tutorial from Cornflower Blue Studios.  Of course, mine is like the bastard cousin compared to her's. Hopefully this will help me keep all my lofty goals straight.

2. Rocco and I went to get some coffee. His beauty garnered a lot of attention from the baristas.

3. The coffee left me feeling inspired.  I did a little artwork. To be original I used my husband's leg as a canvas.  I am so avant-garde. I heard that if you cringe at the body hair you're totally not getting it.

4. Time to make dinner!  This one is an old family recipe. The sauce has both raspberry AND chipotle. Where do I find the time?

5. Finally, I performed physical therapy on this plant and probably saved it's life.