Four Months

Joe and I have been married now for just over four months.  It’s nearly Christmas, and it doesn’t seem like any time has gone by at all.  Is that good or bad?  I don’t have any previous frame of reference with which to gauge these things.

Joe got us Netflix for the Wii, which is pretty much the best present ever right when going on vacation.  Usually, Winter Break signals a period of manic boredom when I start to clean things with a bucket of bleach and a fresh toothbrush.  Now I can watch nature shows, A Bit of Fry and Laurie, movies, or what have you rather than resort to crawling around on my knees getting high on carpet cleaner fumes.

We had an early Christmas dinner here this evening with my mother, father, and youngest brother in attendance.  I made a duck, with stuffing, taters, green beans, and sweet potatoes, all from scratch.  I love to cook, as long as I have the time and ingredients to do it “right”.  This means that I like to cook twice a year.

Joe opened up one of his presents early – the Samsung Intercept.  He was quite happy, which makes me quite happy.  He doesn’t really need another tiny, shiny screen to stare at, but what can you do?  TOYS!

We are set to leave town for Christmas, visiting Joe’s sister, brother in law, and nephew in Minneapolis.  My MIL bought us the plane tickets for Christmas, which was very kind and thoughtful of her. The weather outside (their house) is frightful, so (hopefully) their fire (will be) so delightful.  Even if their “fire” is just baseboard heating.  I’ve lived in Seattle my whole life.  I really don’t do anything sub 20 degrees very well at all. Except complain.  I can complain at ANY temperature.

Poor Little Lappy

Just thought I would share the Seattle Weekly blog post about the Monday mayhem that ensued at karaoke last week. They talk about me!

Snappy Dragon and the Perils of Caring Too Much

Joe and I ate dinner at Judy Fu’s (which was delicious) but all the whie I just kept thinking, “Man, I am burned out!”  I have been waking up extra early each day to go to the gym, which will finally start showing some results now that my recently diagnosed thyroid problems are being taken care of.  I feel like I’m constantly running – to the gym, to work, to school.  I never eat lunch anymore – I spread it out into snacks throughout the day that don’t require actual sitting.  And here I am, trying to figure out wedding stuff.  I don’t know if I can hack it.  The wedding is a ways away, and I like to think about it, but maybe I shouldn’t.  Maybe I should throw it on the back burner for a while and just go day-by-day. Unfortunately, going day-by-day has often resulted in things sneaking up on me and then me freaking out and rushing around all over again.

At least I got to eat some kick-ass noodles.

Long time, no see.

Well, some doin’s have been a transpiring in Shilohville lately, and I feel the need to expel some of my brain sludge to make room for more, well, brain sludge. After four years, Joe has proposed to me and we are now engaged to be married. We are tentatively setting a date around the month of August, in 2011. The wedding and reception will be taking place in Anacortes complete with karaoke and various other wacky madness. We have a tight budget, but with our Army of Crafty Friends, I think we’ll be able to pull something together that will be quite brimming with awesomeness.

The proposal was an emotional affair. He proposed atop a large hill at Rosario Beach in Deception Pass State park, and I surprisingly cried, seeing that I am not much for happy tears. What I wasn’t at all prepared for was the surprise engagement party awaiting us at the local Anacortes bowling alley, complete with all of my local friends. Talk about cognitive dissonance. My brain basically melted, and I cried like a baby.

Shock and Awe

Joe Smooches

Showing the Bling

Designed by the man himself

Oh dear readers, be prepared for the deluge of wedding madness that will ensue.

The Grind is Apt

It’s amazing how wholly consuming the basic, necessary activities of life can be.  I get up, go to work, then gym, then home, cook, clean, sleep and repeat.  Where is the fun?  Where is the spontaneity?  When do I get ME time?  I don’t have kids, just a boyfriend, a few cats and some houseplants, and somehow my life has become the most unbearable grind. I suspect work is the culprit.  It seems like all my coworkers, myself included, are being worked like never before, and are getting even less credit for our accomplishments than ever.  I am so deprived of motivation.  The only reason I feel like showing up at all is for my students, many of whom don’t get any positive reinforcement in their lives with my comments and attention being the only exception.  I am pretty sure that sounds conceited, and it would be were it not true.

I accidentally took two doses of my medication today, which caused me to tweak out right proper.  I don’t believe I actually sat down until 2PM.  This has led to a more increased level of exhaustion than I normally experience, powerful enough that now I am actually sitting, I cannot will myself to rise again, even though I have to pee.

Joe’s nephew was born yesterday, which is joyous and lovely, but makes me fear the eventual bearing of my own children.  I am barely capable of taking care of my cats.  I live paycheck to paycheck.  I often consume nothing but coffee and peanut butter on a given day.  I usually work 10-11 hours a day, and when I get home, I want nothing to do with anyone.  I love children, and I love my students, but I’m pretty sure I will want nothing to do with my own kids.

Anacortes is Love

I just returned from a three-day vacation with Joe in Anacortes.  Needless to say, it was grand.  I feel very relaxed – I did not want to leave.  Joe got us a great room at the Anacortes Inn – the room had one of those in-room hot tubs, a king bed, and a giant television.  We brought the DVD player and our NES – the evenings in Anacortes are not exactly hopping with activity – and played the crap out of Super Mario 3.

There was an old A&W that is no longer an A&W – it decided to stay an awesome drive-in instead of keeping the A&W name and becoming a nasty franchise.  It is now called the Fidalgo Drive-In, and we ate there as soon as we got into town. I recommend the Tillamook Bacon Burger and Draft Rootbeer Float. There was a bowling alley right across the street called the San Juan Lanes, and we bowled a few games both Thursday and Saturday nights.  There is a cafe in the bowling alley with the best, most affordable prime rib I’ve ever had.  I know that sounds incredulous, but it was so good that Joe got some for take out to bring home with us.  All through Anacortes, when we would ask people where we should eat, they would tell us to go to the bowling alley and they weren’t kidding.

We spent a day at Rosario Beach up at Deception Pass – it was a beautiful day during which we BBQ’ed and I dominated at Risk.  I poked sea urchins, and Joe and I climbed rocks.  We also played catch, but as we predicted, we lost the ball in some brambles.

Joe and I spent a lot of time talking about what it would take for us to be able to move up to Anacortes – steady work being the chief issue.  If I could get a teaching job up there in the next five years, and Joe could sell a manuscript, we would most likely wave goodbye to Seattle and hide from the world.