Robsessed

I realized today that I might have a problem when during my lunch break the following happened:

My friends from work and I were walking through the mall when we passed f.y.e. (a store that sells cds, dvds, etc.). We were engaged in the usual lunch break talk when I stopped DEAD in my tracks!!! I am not exaggerating. You know when you're driving (not flying, but maintaining a reasonable speed) and out of nowhere you slam on the breaks for a small animal? That is what this exact moment was like! There he was, Edward Cullen!!! Completely forgetting what we had just been talking about I began running through the potential ways to get this life size cut out of Edward Cullen (aka Robert Pattinson) in my house. Like any true Twihard, I had to have it- Jake would understand...with time.

Now that I've come down from my adrenaline high I can rationally think through how to make this happen. I think a financial bribe would be my best bet. By now there has to be a waiting list for it, so the promise of money would be just the push I need to move to the top. The only things standing in my way would be a f.y.e. Twihard employee OR an impressionable teenage employee under the influence of his high school, Robsessed girlfriend (both of which are very likely).

Too bad I could never justify this expense to Jake. For now I've accepted the acquisition to be all together unlikely.

After hearing this story Jake seriously thinks I've lost it. To clear things up, I'd like to make the disclaimer that while the initial appeal and moment in the mall did happen, I am not seriously going to have a cut out of Edward Cullen in my house. If I cross that line, the next thing I know I'll be wearing Team Edward t-shirts on the weekends (too creepy for me)- I prefer fan to fanatic.

shower is just another word for downpour

By now I'm sure you know my feelings about Babies R Us- I hate that place (and that's putting it lightly)! It's like the mecca for soon-to-be/new parents, but it's pretty much a nightmare for everyone else. If you haven't been to one take my word for it AND remember, if you have the choice between Babies R Us or Target, ALWAYS, I'll repeat, ALWAYS, choose Target.

Anyway, lately I've been bouncing around from shower to shower- the majority being for babies and it has been exhausting. Not only do I have to seek out the perfect themed gift (which I take very seriously) but I also have to dedicate a few hours to the event itself. Please don't take this rant to mean that I don't enjoy showers...because I definitely do, I just prefer they be spaced out. I'm not exaggerating when I say I've been to 4 in the past month and a half- it's intense! I used to look forward to the cute invitations when they came in the mail, but now they present themselves like a dark cloud with a chance of downpour over my day! I hate that I feel this way!

So, what is the point of all this? Well...I'm feeling especially guilty for sending in my regret for an upcoming shower (a family one at that)! This was my first invite to one of Jake's family events as his wife and I really wanted to go and sort of be part of the family yatta yatta yatta. But this weekend in particular I have a wedding the day before just couldn't do it. Every once and awhile we have to realize our limitations- and after I put together her gift (I'll be sending one in my absence of course) I just don't know that I can recoop in time for the event itself on Sunday. Needless to say, my sister-in-law has excused my absence, but I still feel awful!

bad wife

This past Monday was Jake's birthday and I didn't blog about it. The thing is, I actually thought about it and decided not to (how awful am I???). I've been feeling really bad about this because it should be a blogworthy topic (or so you would think), but honestly this year I couldn't wait for his birthday weekend and day (now extended to week) to be over!

You may be thinking I am a terrible wife or worse, a birthday hater- but I'm not, I promise! That's the crazy thing, I actually LOVE celebrating birthdays. As a matter of fact, until this year I've gone above and beyond in effort to make Jake excited for his BIG day. But slowly Jake has begun ruining these annual moments for me. I mean Christmas was bad enough, but now he took my birthday joy...it's really a shame.

This year, I talked well in advance about having friends get together to go indoor karting or do the new Hanger 09 flight simulation he'd been talking about. Of course, he nixed that idea as soon as he saw the price. So then I moved on to to suggesting a group dinner, something low key... but that earned another thumbs down from the bday boy. So to be honest, I gave up. I decided that if he didn't want to outwardly celebrate, I'd make him at least acknowledge it at home, but that was it. I set out on Saturday to get his gifts- one thing expected (an electric razor) and one surprise (a cycling jersey).

To MY surprise, he came home on Saturday extremely pumped about the cycling jersey he found on sale at Contes...is this a joke??? The one thing I splurged on because I knew he wouldn't expect it was the one thing he'd come home having bought for himself! Unbelievable. I proceeded to tell him that I had purchased something along those lines for his birthday had he waited two more days. He then asked to see what I bought and after looking at it said, "I like the one I got, you should take that back." Kill me now. The upsetting part is that I consider gift giving to be one of my love languages. So that being said, how is that I screw up every gift I get him??? Its tragic.

So, as you can imagine at this point I was done- completely defeated and not excited for his birthday, which was still 2 days away! The morning of his birthday I mustered up all the energy and smiles I could as I gave him his electric razor (anticipated by him already, I'm sure) and card. Then, I patiently waited for him to go to work and finally felt a sense of relief...his bday was half way over.

1/4 cup will do it

Happy Friday! This morning Jake and I were getting ready at the same time- which is always fun...not. However, this morning he was quite the gentleman and let me take a shower first, etc. etc. To show my appreciation, when he asked me to make his lunch sandwiches I complied. This is easy enough to do if time permits and I had that this morning! I put my creations in his tupperware and then carefully into his VT lunch box (it is really cute that he packs everyday and uses a lunch box). When he came in to supervise my work, I asked if he wanted anything else packed, hard-boiled eggs or whatever. He paused to reflect on the day of the week and replied that he didn't take eggs on Fridays...it gets better. He preceded to get out some nuts and a measuring cup. He scooped exactly 1/4 cup into a container along with the ingredients for a protein shake into his bag. I stood in awe and of course asked if his measuring was typical for him...and it was! He admitted to measuring his oatmeal every morning and so forth. I don't really know why I'm surprised.

I'm seeing a pattern here

This weekend was awesome for several reasons:

1. Jake approached me twice in just boxers and a red blanket tied around his neck as a cape..he made strange statements and talked in his version of a superhero voice. It was weird and awesome at the same time!

2. We went on a date! Jake and I had dinner at Zushi (a first for us) and I tried sushi. I've had california rolls, etc. but not the nicer stuff- it wasn't bad at all! The best part was when the waiter placed my plate in front of me and the two tables near us started cheering on my first bite. I am assuming my grossed out/intrigued face let on that I was a newbie. One guy actually welcomed me to the "club"- is there a sushi lovers club? I guess I'm in. After dinner we went to see the movie Green Zone. Let me start with Jake's way off base description- he suggested it, saying it was a Jason Bourne movie. When I asked if it was really another one in the series he said no, it was just the character. To clarify (of course) I asked how Jason Bourne could play in a movie that wasn't a sequel. Then the truth came...it wasn't really Jason Bourne just that style character. Needless to say, the movie and the role Matt Damon played was nothing like the Bourne series, but it wasn't terrible. I should have learned my lesson when it comes to hearing Jake's version of movie descriptions- first time shame on him, second time shame on me.

3. Sunday we checked out Dani & Tim's new house, played a little darts, and had dinner at Wood Chix BBQ. Jake has been obsessing over trying this place out since he watched the owner on the Food Network and again in a cook off with Bobby Flay. He really lost it when we walked in and there was a sign that said "All You Can Eat Buffet $7.99"- aka heaven on earth for Jake!

All in all, a nice weekend! Jake might describe his meals on Saturday and Sunday as magical...and good food is what makes a weekend great for him! It takes a little more than that for me, but the cape sealed the deal from the start.

Decisions, decisions

Alright, I know I've been talking about this a lot recently in my blog, but it's that time for Jake and I to decide whether or not to renew our lease and it is proving much more challenging than anticipated! We've been going back and forth...and back and forth and there still has been no resolution. Here is the issue, plain and simple- I want to move, Jake wants to stay. Need I say more?

I've tried to make the idea of staying in our current apartment more appealing by thinking of the different things I can do with it, but at the end of the day I still find myself curious as to what else is out there. I definitely see where Jake is coming from and some of his points are valid, but so are mine. Usually when these types of decisions arise, if we're not in total agreement one party eventually comes around. With this particular situation, neither of us is budging...we just don't see eye to eye.

I know we're blessed to have the apartment that we have- there are worse things, but this comes down to that I need change. A home to me has so much more meaning than it does to Jake, and I'm seeing that now. I don't feel like you have to own something for it to feel like home...and I'm glad I don't think that way because we'd be "homeless" for the next few years!

Let's be honest, our current apartment provides everything we need...just not everything we want. Is it a crime that I want to have more than one bathroom? All I want to do is get ready in the bathroom (since there isn't space in our bedroom) without Jake pooping in there at the same time! Who wouldn't want that "luxury"??? I'd also like the option to grill when it warms up and it would be nice to have more than one story to create a sense of separation between common space and bedrooms (especially since those rooms are a WRECK). I don't think I'm a bad person for having these wants, I just don't.

For all you experienced renters and/or home buyers, any advice? Maybe you're recently married and have advice on how to approach this first-time stand off...if so, I'm all ears!

Diet...who's dieting?

The McCrowell household is on a diet. It's awful. Let me tell you how we got here...

During the last week of February Jake told me that starting March 1st we were going on a diet. Naturally, I asked why and he plainly told me he wanted to lose 10lbs. Yes folks, thats what he said. Are you kidding me? Is this a joke? If you're reading my blog you most likely know me and as a result know Jake- he doesn't need to lose any weight at all, N O N E!!! So, being a girl with some insecurities I assumed he created this diet for my benefit. I mean thats the only possible explanation, right? I asked him if he thought I needed to lose weight, I mean there are better ways to tell me then blindsiding me with a diet plan and giving my less than 7 days to enjoy all my favorite foods! Without skipping a beat he answers no (smart move on his part) that he races better at 195lbs and he has a race coming up- it was as simple as that (guys aren't complicated like girls, but thats a whole other post). I have to admit, I felt a bit of relief upon hearing this earnest confession and then rage when I comprehended what it meant. Did this mean no treats...at all? This couldn't be happening, but it was and still is.

How am I holding up? Fine. Sneaking my treats has been a challenge but all in all I'm doing ok. We have been eating this salad, rice, and chicken meal (not every day) which is actually good and we just don't keep treats in the house. Jake has additionally tried to reduce his peanut butter intake and I think is slowly cutting out his evening snack, usually 1-2 apples with each slice covered in peanut butter (surprised?).

Honestly, this is actually a good month for this to take place because March is full of birthdays...and with birthdays comes cake, and with that comes no judgement because Jake usually isn't there! Besides, even if he was, who wants to be a party pooper? Not me and definitely not Jake, it goes against his nature!

Can you feel the love?

Today was my mom's birthday and to celebrate we did the traditional cake, ice cream, and presents at the house...you're never too old for birthday presents! As expected, my sister and brother-in-law were in attendance, but surprisingly Jake was there as well. As a side note, Jake is earning quite the reputation for being absent from family events since we got married. I'm not actually sure how he manages to get out of it each time, but regardless I find myself flying solo and explaining again and again that he isn't there because he's off doing whatever.

Now, when both Dani and Jake are in the same place at the same time, it's only a matter of minutes before the sarcasm and sly insults spill out. To Dani's defense, she is always sarcastic-it's just her sense of humor, but for Jake there really is no excuse. It's all in good fun, but tonight it got just a smidge physical! I don't know what happened but through the banter I asked politely to get a picture of the two of them together for purposes of my blog. When I finally got the camera up and running (apparently this is a struggle of mine) I looked through the lens to see them "playfully" fighting. Next thing I know, Dani is all red and pointing to her mangled wrist...still no explanation on this from Jake. Then after a few seconds of peace they decide to try posing for the camera again- after another failed attempt, Jake walked away a little sore and protective of his man parts. There is no blow to low for my sister!

What's the worst part about all of this? I didn't even get a picture!

As a side side note, when Jake asked me what I was blogging about and I told him, his response was, "Are you blogging about that your sister is an ass?" Can you feel the love?

Uneventful

I've been catching a lot of flack (I think thats the expression) for not blogging recently so to make it stop, here I am! To be honest, it's not that I haven't thought about blogging, I just haven't had anything blogworthy happen. I guess the point of today's post will merely be to update.

Jake just finished his Strawbridge clinical and will start his FINAL clinical Monday. That will run through the end of April and then he graduates in May...pretty crazy! It seems like just the other day he was sweating getting through Anatomy and now he is prepping for his boards, confidently working with patients, and selecting a start date for his first job in VB!!! I can't believe he's come this far and I know it sounds corny, but I'm really proud of him!

As for me, I'm still at my Marketing job (over 2 1/2 years, can you believe it???) and am trying to be patient and open to what's next. I absolutely love my co-workers and am just enjoying seeing those friendships grow! I guess we'll see where I go from here!

Thats all for now- we are decorating the apartment since we're fairly certain will be staying there so I hope to have some fun photos or at least descriptions to share after tomorrow!