Married

So I'm married.  Almost for 3 months now.  It's normal...not strange.  I thought it would be strange, but it's not.  It's normal.  And good.  Brad and I were just talking the other night and I realized that I'm really in love with him - haha, good thing, right?  I used to think that I loved him enough and couldn't possibly love him any more.  But let's be honest, that was in my younger, "less experienced" days when everything was chocolate, roses, diamonds, and dinners every night.  Now I know I was wrong.  I can honestly say I love him more every day.  There's something really wonderful about spending every day with your best friend.  That's how it is with us.  We love being together.  Not because we're insecure and can't spend time apart, we just really like to be around each other.  He puts up with me and my crazy and I put up with him and his crazy - it's a great trade off.  Anyway - enough mushy love stuff. 

These are a few things that I've learned in the short, short time that I've been married:

1. "We" is way more important than "me".  I used to think it was all about me (sometimes), or want it to be (sometimes). However,
2. He always has and will likely continue to nearly always give me my way. (YES!  Maybe this is why it doesn't matter that it's not all about me, because he still makes it that way.)
3. Guilty pleasure reality TV shows (i.e. anything on Bravo) are to be recorded and watched on my own time.  He's definitely not interested.  I knew this - every now and then I can suck him into something (like the Glee season premiere).  He only does it because he loves me and I know that he laments the hour of his life that he can never get back.
4. Old habits and routines are hard to break, but it's worth it to let them go and make new ones together.
5. Agreeing on things like which way the toilet paper should come off the roll (from the top, NEVER from the bottom), make life easier.
6. Give a little to get a lot. 
7. People come with quirks and strong preferences for things.  I wasn't even aware of most of my strong preferences, but I've learned I care about things like the way towels are folded (to fit in the cabinet) and how things are loaded in the dishwasher.  *I have compromised and now place utensils up, rather than down (except knives), but bowls and items on the top rack have a specific order and place, thank you.* 
8. I'm a terribly messy cook.
9. We're better at doing things when we do them together.  Especially when it comes to stuff that neither of us want to do.
10. Boys are still boys, even when they're married and grown up.
11. I leave drawers open.  All the time.  Ever seen Date Night?  Yeah, well apparently I'm just like Steve Carell.

Goodness Gracious It's July!

At one point in time I had a blog...that I wrote semi-regularly.  At one point in time I also had a brain.  Yet, it seems that over the past two months, both of these things have been lost or neglected.  Seriously, I was running errands a few days ago and had to go back to my house not once, twice, but three times in a matter of 5 minutes (never more than 2 miles from my house) because of things I forgot.  Whew, I hope that gets better once all this craziness is over.


Quick recap on life:

• May 7 - Graduate from IU with a MPH degree - wahoo! 
• May 9 - Pack up my life/apt from Bloomington and begin the trek to Texas
• May 11 - Commence unfolding life in Dallas/wedding planning on steroids
• May 15 - BABY!!!  [NOT MINE - but equally exciting and demanding of attention]
• May 31 - Baby Shower! 
• June - Various meetings with wedding coordinator, florist, cake people, finally sending out wedding invitations, doctors appointments, engagement pictures, trip to Madisonville for Father's Day, dress fittings, trip to College Station/Houston, birthday, two-a-day workouts, get a new wedding ring, test run hair appointment, continued work for IU
• July - Pick a DJ, continued meetings with florist, coordinator, getting final counts for wedding [SIDEBAR:  Our original plan for the wedding/reception was a nice dinner for family and close friends, approximately 60 people.  What we are actually doing:  Full blown reception at the Dallas Museum of Art for 200 people...planned in 2 months.  Awesome.  Will be the best party ever.]

July...that's now.  How did that happen?  I'd certainly like to know.  I keep telling people that I think it's so ironic that as a hard working graduate student with an internship and a job, I had time to watch trash TV and spend days shopping at the outlet mall, and here I am now, with no 8-5, no school and I just caught up on Real Housewives of NYC (that ended a month ago), I haven't seen any Top Chef D.C., Work of Art, OR Bethenny Getting Married - GEEZ!  Rough life, I know. 


But the truth of the matter is I'm now one week away from getting married and I couldn't be more ready.  I can't wait to have my closest friends here to share such a momentous occasion.  I tell Brad regularly that I can't believe this is all happening - 5+ years in the making.  I really never thought we would ACTUALLY end up together.  Now here we are, only seven days from the rest of our lives and I am excited to be joining the ranks of the marrieds. 

Dear Bloomington

Dear Bloomington,

I appreciate your kindness as I was temporarily displaced in your city for the past 2 years.  I enjoyed the food, the company, the outdoors, the crew, the proximity to a larger city, my church, the work, the fun nights out, and the seasons.  I didn't so much appreciate the [lack of] shopping (College Mall just didn't do it for me - thank goodness for Edinburgh and Indianapolis close by), some people I encountered, the extreme cold and snow, and the drama of academia.  However, I will always hold fond memories of our time together.  You were great and just what I needed.  Thanks for taking care of me for the past 2 years. 

After a brief 14.5 hour trip down south, I've made it safely back home.  My life is still a hot mess - boxes everywhere, trying to unpack and repack, only to unpack again in another house and storage unit - but it is great to be home.  Texas welcomed me with open arms (and 90 degree weather with insane humidity...no big deal).  It's good to be back.

xoxo,
Annie

Real Lessons from Graduate School

Apparently my life only happens once every couple months, at least based on how often I update this blog. Well, in my defense, life has been a little crazy. I'm trying to finish this silly graduate program, pack up my house, work, finish an internship, move my life, plan a wedding, and soak up all the time I can with my dear friends here in Bloomington.

As I have thought lately about the nearly 2 years I have spent here, I look back on {most of} the memories with fondness. As a tribute to this lovely place, I've decided to share some of the lessons I've learned from my time in Bloomington. These are things that are far more important that the lessons learned in the classroom. These are life lessons I can carry with me, wherever I go. Where applicable, these lessons have been attributed to those who taught me such great wisdom.

1. As a graduate student, it is still appropriate to roll out of bed and come to class in your pajama pants. [Fogle]
2. If no one else cares about my classes (e.g., the professors who teach them), neither should I.
3. You don't always have to do the work to get the grade. [Fernando/Lindsay - who got a 100 on her Environmental Health Map despite the fact that she never actually created one or turned one in]
4. Apparently tights are a perfectly acceptable substitution for real pants, even if your underwear shows through them. Leggings are also a good substitute, even if they weren't made to be and are worn with a short top. [Half of the girls at IU]
5. Showering is optional during comp exam weekend.
6. Little 500 weekend is well spent with rest hour, canoeing on Griffy Lake and sitting in a garage with friends watching the rain and eating food. [Not a poster presentation where your advisor does not even acknowledge you]
7. Dating someone in another state is a great way to increase your frequent flyer status. [Brad/American Airlines]
8. Always clean the snow off the top of your car, not just the windows. [See Story of the Day Post]
9. In with love, out with anger. Love. It's all love. [Fernando]
10. Class is better with a quick stop by Sugar & Spice beforehand.
11. Opinions and input about your graduate program are rarely acceptable.
12. Never keep a wallet you find on the ground, even if it has $200 in it. [It could belong to a 13 year old boy who got it for his birthday, who lost his father as a small child. No big deal.]
13. Studying for an exam and bowling (with a little studying in between) will get you the same grade. [Union Bowling Alley/Statistics Final]
14. Ice skating is always a great beginning to a night out. [Shambles & Shenanigans Evening]
15. Mushroom hunting is a reasonable hobby. [My internship supervisor]
16. Never encourage tequila consumption. [La Cha/Hannah]
17. Spring isn't the only thing popping up and your happiness will show. [Night Moves - where more nice girls are always wanted]
18. Friends together!
19. Not everyone who works in a convoluted system is convoluted.
20. Pizza, soda and/or Dunkin' Donuts should always be served at large group events. [HPER - You'd think in a school of public health we'd promote more healthy options...not so much]
21. Handing out condoms at Wal-Mart to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is not socially acceptable. [True story - I have a picture to prove it.]
22. This is Public Health.

Google Assistant

Dear Google,

You're great. I can't even tell you how many times I send emails, forget to attach the file I promised, and have to resend the the email (and actually include the attachment). At least I'm not wasting paper. Now, I know you're smarter than everyone else and trying to take over the world, but could you cut a deal to give me these messages when I send email via Microsoft Outlook?

Thanks,

Annie

P.S. - Come to think of it, beyond these messages in Outlook, I think I just need a personal Google assistant to give me kind little prompts like this in all parts of my life!

In case the picture is too small, the above window popped up when I was trying to send an email. It reads, "Did you mean to attach files? You wrote "I've included" in your message, but there are no files attached. Send anyway?"

Spontaneous Surprise

"The irony of commitment is that it's deeply liberating -- in work, in play in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around as rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life."

Heaven knows this quote was written just for me. To say that my head has been a barrier in my life would be a gross understatement. Now I've made it to the other side. Last month I was searching for the above quote in its entirety and the "I'm Feeling Lucky" button took me to a stranger's blog. I found the quote and also read the remainder of the post, which was about her and her significant other. She was recounting a conversation they had in bed about the events that occurred to result in their being together. I'm always amazed by the intimate moments that people feel comfortable describing on the internet, but regardless, she wrote the following that I feel is true:

"It made me realize everything goes and moves in synchronized ways. We're all mechanisms, and our half change choices usually lead us to somewhere so unexpected, profound, and often blissfully chaotic that we often catch ourselves glancing back, trying to remember if anything had ever happened before that. If it mattered, if it was worth it, and if it were brilliant enough --we realize that often times the bad and the ugly lead us to the beautiful and the astounding."

Well ladies and gentlemen, life is beautiful and I'm officially astounded.

Invention Convention Winner

Today I realized that one of my favorite, most ingenious little things that makes my life better is.....

(drum roll)

......the lint roller!

What a wonderful creation for perfectionists like me! I know there are some people who don't even notice lint or fuzz on their clothing, but nearly every outfit I put on is lint rolled prior to wearing or exiting the house. I'm one of those crazy people who travels with a lint roller or knows that I have one where I am going. It makes me crazy when I have fuzz on my black shirts when I pull them out of the dryer. I get fuzz inside my pea coat especially during the winter with all the sweaters I wear. Even if I have a freshly lint rolled outfit, the inside of my jacket must be rolled as well so I don't just spread the fuzz. Just another one of my neurotic behaviors.

The lint roller. Love it.

It's the simple things.

Welcome 2010

So here we are. 2010. Two thousand and ten. Twenty-ten. Pick your poison. Here we are in the future. I would have thought that surely by now we would have figured out how to make flying cars that drive themselves or something cool like that. Turns out the future is just like the past. What a disappointment! Everyone thought the world would fall apart at Y2K [ that's a shout out to my dad ;) ] but computers are still around running the world. Now I guess we'll just have to wait a couple more years until the 2012 and see if the world ends, as projected by the Mayans [see December 21, 2012 - complete with countdown, which seems a little morbid if you ask me]. I sure hope the world doesn't end in 2012. I've put in a lot of work the past few year and I think I would appreciate enjoying the benefits a little bit longer - even if heaven is better earth.

Besides, chances are that this year is going to be a big one. Lots of things made the "To Happen This Year" list that I finally wrote last week. I was a little slow on the whole New Year thing and didn't get around to articulating my resolutions/goals/must dos into a list until the middle of the month. So January 17th was my January 1st. That just means I got to eat whatever I wanted for 2 weeks longer than everyone else! Except by now everyone has already given up on that resolution, right? Those only last about 2 weeks?

Anyway - here's a snippet of my list of things to potentially occur this year:

• Finish grad school - not a potential, actually happening thank goodness
• Drive the speed limit
• Get married - did I just admit that to the entire Internet community? I think so. Note to self: Don't write blogs at 3 AM when your faculties and judgment are impaired.
• Go skydiving and/or bungee jumping
• Take the stairs, even if they don't have piano keys [see The Fun Theory]
• Blog and journal more :)

And there it is. We'll see how it works out. Stay tuned. Wahoo!

Goodbye 2009

Now that it is nearly the end of January [...and because I took an accidental nap from 6:30-9:30 PM and now it's 3:00 AM and I'm not sleeping...anyway, I digress], I figured I would do something about this blog that I used to have once. In a similar style to my summer recap, my Christmas card will be a good way to sum up the end of 2009.

There it is. My 2009 in a neat little 4"x5" (ish) card.

::Confession - I didn't finish the Old Testament by December 31.
::Confession, Part II - I'm still not finished with the Old Testament. Give me a break, do you know how long it is?!? Not exactly 'light' reading.