Like I said, I'm the worst.

Its been almost a year since my last post. What was I thinking? I was thinking, "Oh sure! I can keep up a blog! I can post on the regular! I can stay on top of things!" My time in college should have taught me better than that. 

Update? I guess I should. I mean, a whole year of things have been happening since the last time I posted. Or ranted, rather. 

Let me try to make this as short and sweet as possible....

• Hubbs and I moved up above Atlanta shortly after my last post. We like it up here. We're close to the mountains and just slightly out of the insane heat that covers the desert known as Middle GA. 
• We both have grown up jobs. And on top of his grown up job, Hubbs has been doing all kinds of filming in the ATL and it was more than amazing being able to see his awesome face in the background of 42. 
• We got involved in a theatre group up here and made some friends who pretty much rock my face off.  
• There is the possibility of auditioning for some Shakespeare in my near future. 
• We took our anniversary trip to Islands of Adventure and all but decided to live in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Its no Disney World, but don't sell it short just because they don't have Imagineers. They know what they're doing, too. 
• My Brother Bear is going off to boot camp for the Navy in a few short days.
• My Seester is a grown up now with her own apartment and dog.
• My Mom spent 4 Months on the Navajo Res and it was the most beautiful place you could imagine. I thought to myself, "The desert is dumb and lame and nothing likes it." I was wrong. I was reeeeeeeeally wrong. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I went a little shutter happy while I was there, but who could blame me? And P.S.- Its coooold there in the winter. Don't let the warm colors fool you. 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  I know I left stuff out of my update. I just tried to hit the high points. 
  
  
  Coming up in the near future? Trying to make our apartment look like two grown people live here instead of the hodge-podge collegy thing we've got going now. Taking on the running endeavor (wish me luck. lots of it.). Moving P. Sherman up here finally (and I'll need some luck for that, too. He's become a wild man.). And some other stuff I haven't figured out yet. 
  Aren't you glad you decided to read this? I'm kinda lame. Maybe I won't make you wait another year to read the gold that flows from my fingertips to this keyboard to this screen. Magic. 
  
  
  Oh! Also, a shout out to my friend Beth Ann (I feel like I'm the only one who still calls you that. Hahaha) who is amazing me with her awesomeness and determination. She's at the tail end of her World Race where she has been doing some amazing work for people all over. Loving on them and letting them know that they are dearly loved by God. I'm so incredibly proud of her!
  
  
  Ok. I think that's all I'm getting out of these magic fingers.
  
  

DON'T BE SHADY.

So. Maybe today(night) I have a few gripes. Things that are super annoying me. Everyone has them. I know I shouldn't focus on them, but maybe if I focus on them just long enough to post this, I'll be able to not focus on them anymore. Or at least for a while. Right? I mean, what's the point of doing this if I'm going to censor myself all the time? Some censoring is needed. If I said everything I wanted to all the time, you guys wouldn't be my friends anymore. I'd be too weird.

So let me vent.

And if you don't want to hear my complaints? By all means, move on to my next post, whenever that may be, and read on. I won't hold anything against you. I don't want to drag anyone along to Gripe-land.

Anyway.

1. I don't like it when people are shady. In fact, I may stop liking you a little for a moment if you are being too shady. Just be real! Is it that hard? To me, if you are being shady, you're probably doing something you shouldn't. Hey, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe you're planning a surprise birthday party or something. But how often does that happen? If you are shady, I'm immediately suspicious. Its not that I want to be in your business either, because I probably don't. But don't act suspicious. For real.

2. I don't like fixing mistakes that I didn't make. If I did everything right on my end and you screwed something up, shouldn't it be YOUR problem to fix?? This mainly has to deal with institutions rather than individuals. I could strangle my doc's office and my pharmacy right now because I'm having to clean up the prescription fiasco of 2012.

3. I don't like it when people spit on their health. What is that? Its when you know something is bad for you and you do it anyway. Its when you do self destructive things because you feel like it. Its when you could solve an ailment easily, but you're too lazy or full of excuses to solve it. Its when you're sick but you don't do everything in your power to get well. Am I claiming to be a picture of health? HECK NO. But do I try to take care of my body and mind? YES. Key word: TRY.

4. I don't like it when people forget what is important. MATERIALS DON'T MATTER. I don't care if you have the newest smart phone technology. I don't care if you have the fastest most efficient computer on the planet. I don't care if your shirt is some name brand. I don't care if you only eat at the finest establishments. I don't care if your car is brand new. I don't care if your hat is the same as Drake's. I. Don't. Care. Don't tell me you NEED any of these things. You WANT them and you WANT them because you WANT people to take notice. To be envious of what you have. To feel elevated above the "have-not's" so you can join the "have's". These are all luxuries. And luxuries last about as long as that last bout of gas you had. If all you talk about are fleeting things, I'm not going to want to talk to you for very long. And I'm sure you wouldn't really care and that's fine by me. I'm not saying having these things makes you a bad person. That's not it at all. Its when people get NEED and WANT mixed up that I have a problem. When they want to elevate their status by what they have. When they care more about their next pair of Nikes than their next family dinner.

Ok. I think I'm done.

Maybe to counteract all the negativity, I need to list 2 things I like for every thing I don't like...
Here goes...

1. I like to feed people. If you come to my house, chances are I'm going to try to feed you. I like to cook, but more than that, I like to feed people with what I like to cook.

2. I like freshly washed bed sheets. When my sheets still smell like laundry detergent, its almost like I get a better nights rest. And they are oh so soft.

3. I like water. I like to drink it. I like to hear it. I like to smell it. I like to play in it. I like to freeze it. I like to throw stuff in it. I like to swim in it. I like it all the time in all its forms every day.

4. I like to watch as many episodes in a series as I can at one time. I just finished Parks and Recreation on Netflix in about 4 days and I laughed my butt off.

5. I like impromptu dance parties. I don't even need music. I'll make my own.

6. I like cat love. When my sweet keekee (who by the way had a name change very early on. He is no longer Snack Pack and has been since month 2- P. Sherman. Yes. He does live at 42 Wallaby Way, Sydney.I think I forgot to mention that) actually wants to be sweet and not a wild psycho, he'll nuzzle my face and purr and it makes me very happy.

7. I like playing with babies. They are so hilarious and amazing. And I don't mean amazing in a casual sense, I mean amazing like "I can't believe you grew inside a human and will one day be a full sized human yourself" kind of amazing.

8. I like family game night. We haven't had one of those in a while. But as long as no one gets their panties in a wad, they're usually pretty fun. I'm going to see if one of these days, someone wants to bust out Clue with me.

9. I like sitting on the porch at night. Even with the scary bugs. And the wild fox in our yard.

10. I like my husband. I LOVE my husband. I love being married. Some of you may think I'm cheating by adding this one to my list. I mean, of course I love him, I married him! But I don't care. He is amazing. He is working so hard to provide for us and I couldn't ask for someone more loving than him. He's doing all he can to help us get out on our own and I appreciate every bead of sweat.


There we go.
I feel better. I puked out the negative and brushed my teeth with some good stuff.
Was that gross to say?
Oh well.

I'm Fired.

So... how ya been? Good? Good.

6 months since my last post? Unacceptable. I'm fired. But because I'm the only one who writes this thing (and possibly the only reader) I'll have to rehire myself.

I guess the biggest reason for the delay in posting was my wedding. It was kiiind of a big deal. I mean, to me it was. When you're planning a wedding, you don't really have time for much else. I won't bore you with the details, just know that I had the most amazing team of friends and family who put together the most beautiful wedding I could ever ask for. From the decorations, to the food, to the music, to the emcee-ing, to the caffeine delivering. It was amazing. If I were a rich man...err, lady... I would buy them all something really nice. Like a car. Or a house. They were THAT brilliant. So a HUGE shout out and THANK YOU to my wedding assembly team of wonderful human beings!!!! I love you all so much!

So now my life has transitioned from college student, to disillusioned graduate, and now to wife! I think I'm going to like this track the best. My Hubs is amazing. And getting to spend every day with your best friend is definitely a plus. With the way life is going right now, its nice to have someone who can be a little piece of sanity in all the chaos. A lot of bad news has struck our family in the last few months, but I'm trying to find the little ray of light in all the crap. This might be it.  Hubs has had some amazing opportunities working as an extra on the set of "42" and he has just been hired at a Sherwin Williams just north of Atlanta. I'm totally freaked out about moving there. I have a million questions in my mind mostly centered around "How are we going to afford (Insert anything that costs money here) ??????!?" But I've got to trust. I've always got to trust.
There are things that I'm really excited about, too.
1. We'll be closer to Atlanta than we are now. That equals more performing opportunities!
2. We'll be really close to some wonderful friends and some pretty awesome family, too.
3. We'll have our own apartment!!!! (maybe this should be #1)
4. Mountains. Super close.

I now realize most of this has to do with our proximity to nouns... People. Places. Things. I think I'm okay with that.

For those of you who have been following my life through my thousands of posts (wait.... there's only a handfull? Huh. Oh well.) you will hopefully stick with me through the next leg of my journey. I'm hoping things get exciting. There will be lots of adventures with Hubs. And I really want to be better about posting. And putting up lots of pictures. So bear with me. Here we go!

I'm sooo bad at this.

Why am I not good at posting on a somewhat frequent basis? After this post you'll probably wish I hadn't posted. I'm tired and I have no idea where this is going. So it probably won't be worth reading. Or maybe it will be, you never know!
So, I've been wedding planning, of course. Praying so hard that all the little pieces fall into place. This really has been an exercise in faith. I have to trust God with the planning of my wedding. And we've all seen the shows on TV that prove how little a bride likes to give up control of her wedding. I just have to learn not to freak out. Which is hard for me. I'm slightly unstable on the best of days. But you guys love me anyway, it adds to my charm!

I am tired. My brain has been boiled dry. I'll thrill you with stories of my life sometime soon. I would say tomorrow, but you all know that would be a miracle. I'll do my best.

Yikes

It's been a while.
A lot has been going on in my life! On the day to day, not too much has changed, but in overall lifeyness... there has been one wonderfully earthshattering development... I'm engaged to the most wonderful man! Yes ladies and gents, he finally proposed after 5 long and awesome years! And of course I said yes. In fact, I couldn't have forced myself to say anything but yes! So needless to say, my life has become filled with wedding planning. We haven't nailed down too much. We've got the wedding party set, the guest list, the over-all theme, ideas for lots of things, but the one thing that I am having trouble with is nailing down a venue in Savannah that's not going to cost me all of my shoestring budget. Don't get me wrong, I am perfectly content with my budget. I'm less than content with the fact that Savannah is EXPENSIVE. Sorry Forsyth Mansion, this bride is not made of money. In fact, most brides aren't! So get over your fancy self.
I've been meaning to post but every time I get online I end up drowning in wedding research. I get sidetracked easily.
In other news, I have aquired an orphaned kitten thanks to my Brother Bear.
On his way over one day, he heard a bebe keekee meowing so loud that he could hear it inside of his car. So naturally the so-called "Cat Whisperer" got out and grabbed the kitten. I mean, he's got to be 4 weeks old, max. He said he looked for the mom or any other babies and didn't find anything, so he brought the kitten over. And since he's in school and working full time, he didn't have the time or money to keep him, so I ended up with sweet little Snack Pack.

He likes to sleep riiiight in my face. But don't let his sleeping angelic face fool you too much. He's out of control. Adorable as all get out. But out of control. Bottle feeding him is quite dangerous as my kitten shredded hands will tell you. He's even gotten me a few good times in the face. I'm a little lacking on Cat Mother instincts so he gets frustrated with me sometimes, but we're hanging in there.
I thought about re-naming him after an Autobot since we have Optimus Prime already. Then I would teach Optimus to say "Autobots, ROLL OUT!". He's not picking it up very well.

So if I didn't seem like a crazy cat lady before... maybe I do now. Oops. At least I'll be a married crazy lady!

I have also noticed something about myself over the past couple of weeks. I am running out of patience for negativity. It makes my skin crawl. And maybe that's because I have been known to get in a negative rut. I know life sucks. But EVERYTHING in life doesn't suck. If it did, there would be no point. Yeah, maybe you don't have all the gadgets you want, but you wanna know what? Those gadgets you want will break or be obsolete within a year, which will give you something else to complain about. Maybe you feel out of place. I have felt out of place quite often. It was up to me to do something about it. I found a way to make myself feel at ease, to feel in place. I'm tired of hearing people complain about things that are in their power to change. I know I'm as guilty of it as the next person, and like I said, I think that's why it bothers me so much. There is so much about life that we have no control over whatsoever. But we do have control of finding Joy in our lives. Yeah, there are things going on in my life that break my heart but I have a family who loves me and accepts the weird crap I do, I have friends who are pretty awesome, I have someone who loves me no matter how crazy I get, I have little creatures who make me laugh, the sun is shining, the weather feels amazing, I got to see a saweet grasshopper today, and at the end of it all, I know I'm loved and blessed. Everybody has their crap. Believe me, I know. But you have to find the good in it all or else you're going to be miserable. I'm not going to say "Think about people who have it worse off than you" because comparing your pain to someone else's doesn't do anyone any good, but instead look for the little things that make life awesome. Need some help? Check out http://www.1000awesomethings.com/ . When I'm finding it hard to see the good in things, this does the trick. I would say I'm sorry for venting, but I'm not sorry. We get so comfortable in our negativity and we need someone to tell it to us straight so we can get out of our rut. Make the choice to stop being negative and to start enjoying life.

Just call me the pet whisperer

I miss my Savannah people. I'm pretty attached to them. I have yet to reconnect with anyone back home. That's mostly my fault. I'm not even sure who still lives here anymore. So, since I have no social life anymore, I've taken to talking to my pets. I know, its super weird. Its gone beyond the occasional comment here and there. I'm having conversations with them in voices that human beings would commit me for. And singing them songs. Not even real songs, just crap I make up off the top of my head. What is my life?
The only human I talk to most days is my awesome boyfriend. But guess where he is? Yep. Savannah. I talk to my parents too, but they're usually at work all day because that's what grown ups do. Necessity is the mother of talking to animals.
I need some people friends. Either that, or learn how to speak Cattish and Dogonese. Maybe they offer those classes somewhere.
I've submitted my application for substitute teaching. Now I wait. And wait. And get cabin fever. And wait some more. I told you before, my life isn't riveting.

If something exciting happens, I'll be sure to let you know.

There's still hope for email forwards.

Since I've been home, I've become my mom and dad's personal chef. It's a pretty sweet gig, I must admit. Especially when they say, "Just make whatever you want". SCORE! I love cooking, and more than that, I love feeding people. So all around this is pretty nice. And the space I have in this kitchen is much more than what I had in my old apartment. I swear it was like cooking in a shoebox. I learned how to use minimal counter space when making a full meal. Add that to my list of skills on my application.

Now the reason for this post-

As I was rifling through the bottom of the freezer looking for the shrimp I need to thaw for dinner, I found this long forgotten and much needed list on the fridge. It was cleverly hiding behind a Papa John's coupon. Its one of those email forwards where the sender swears only 7% of people will take the time to read. The email claims it is a list of life lessons a 90 year old woman wrote. Regardless of the truth of the origins (am I so jaded that I can't trust the origins of an email forward that has passed through millions of junk mail boxes? Yes, apparently I am.) the actual list rings pretty true. I thought I would list some that stuck out to me.

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
     Oh how true it is! I feel like this is my mantra. In my own words, Life sucks but God is good. Things happen for a reason!

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
     Precisely why I'm home and writing to you now. If I had tried to make it this far without my family and close friends, I would have quit the first time I fell on my face. When I see someone who's life has been overcome by work, I think about this and I hope they figure it out before its too late. If I ever become that person, someone please give me a wake up call.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
     Need I say more?

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
     I graduated with my bachelor's in Theatre. I fully intend to be an actor. This should be every actor's mantra.

32. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
    It makes me laugh because its true! We should laugh at ourselves more often.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
     God loves you regardless of what you do. If the creator of life can love us and our imperfect selves, we should be able to love people more like that. Love them anyway.


If we lived a little more this way, life would be a little easier. Isn't it worth it? Sure, just because someone offers us a little advice on things they've learned over the years doesn't mean that we won't run into our own snags. Life would be no fun if it were that way! We are here to learn and love. So even though I'd rather be back in Savannah, I'm going to make the best of being at home.
Life after college....? Let's see what we can do.