Just another night at 3780

Saying that Jake and I love our dog is an understatement.  We are obsessed with our dog.  And by obsessed, I mean we are abnormally infatuated with this 19 pound Boston Terrier that was introduced into our lives nearly 2 1/2 years ago, named Tank.

So, what prompted this blog?  Moments like these...

Scene: 8:29pm and a DVR'd episode of Billy On the Street: Funny or Die is playing.  Jake is laying on the couch in his fleece jacket because he refuses to set the thermostat higher than 62° and I'm on the chair playing on my new MacBook Pro, lovingly named Watson.

Jake: Would you rather Tank be soft and have a not so cute face or keep his cute face and not be soft?
Me: Cute face, I don't care as much if he is soft.
Jake: Really?  I don't know about that.

a minute later...

Jake: Would you rather Tank not shoot bunnies (aka fart) or not beg for food?
Me: Easy. Not fart.
Jake: No way.  I'd rather he not beg for food.

another minute later... 

Jake: Would you rather Tank have his cute eyes and face and lose his floppy ears or get buggy eyes and an ugly face but keep his floppy ears.
Me: Lose the ears.
Jake: Seriously?  Why?
Me: Buggy eyes lead to more health problems and I don't want an ugly dog.
Jake: (to Tank) Mom did a good job picking out the cutest Boston Terrier with the best ears and face.

end of conversation.

I won't even get into the details of this past Sunday where me, my Dad, and Jake were at one point all sitting in the living room begging Tank to come sit by us.  Don't even worry about the fact that we paused a movie to have this weak moment.  He chose me, but who's keeping track?

PS After I read the draft of this post to Jake he told me he didn't say any of this and that, for the record, Tank ended up choosing to sit near him Sunday.  

seriously?

Last weekend Jake and I hit the beach so he could play volleyball with some friends and I could soak up the sun.  Surprisingly (for Jake) we stayed a few hours and I ended up getting a good little tan before my trip to Boston... which was much needed considering the week called for me to be in dresses.  That's beside the point of this story though... the best part is what went down when we left.

As we walked back to our car, we made comments on how packed the streets were and how living at the beach would be tough this time of year but at least people couldn't park in your driveway.  Jake told me that if people parked in your driveway you could have them towed, but you'd still have the inconvenience of doing so.  The idea that people would find it appropriate to block a private driveway blew my mind, it just seemed so inconsiderate.  

Maybe a minute after this short exchange we crossed the street only to see a busted old rodeo parked perpendicularly behind my car and the car beside me.  I looked at Jake and something along the lines of "seriously?" was all that came out of my mouth.  We'd literally just been having this conversation and now found ourselves blocked in our space for no reason other than this person clearly didn't want to go a little further to find an open space.  Immediately I became annoyed because it was well over 100 degrees and I was certain with how crowded the beach was that we were not going to find the owner. 

My next move was to call a towing company who directed me to the police since it was public property.  Apparently they can only tow illegally parked cars and this car was not illegally parked, just inconveniently.  I called the non-emergency line and had just requested an officer come out when I see two older women approaching- one shaking her finger and yelling.  I tried eavesdropping on what she was saying to Jake and quickly discovered she was the owner of the clunker blocking me in.  I let the operator know the owner had arrived and that I would call if an officer was still needed.  Wait, the story gets better.

Once I was off the phone I could hear her better and everything about her and what she was saying was r.u.d.e.  She basically told us that we had no right no park in front of her property and that gravel area was parking for a private residence.  I politely explained that before parking I checked for private driveway signage but there wasn't any nor was there a house # or visual of her home for me to know that.  She said that her signage was ignored in the past so she took it down and the police would never tow anyone so she just started taking matters into her own hands.  She let me know that she was sick of people doing this and she could easily go back down to the beach and leave me hanging there unless I paid her $20.  

Now, I started to get fired up.  I had been apologizing and telling her I honestly wouldn't have parked there had I known it was residential parking and that while I understood her frustration, I wasn't someone who had parked here before and she was treating me like a repeat offender.  While it made sense that she was frustrated, I wasn't going to pay her to move her car.  I explained that if she wouldn't please (yes, I was sure to say please) move her car that I had already requested an officer come out and I was sure they would ask her to do so.  She responded that she knew for a fact that they wouldn't make her do a thing because she wasn't parked illegally.  This got my wheels turning...

How is that she could be blocking a car in a private drive and not be illegally parked?  Also, why wasn't she able to have cars towed or receive help from officers in the past?  Well, probably because technically it was public property.  There wasn't a mailbox or house # because I think her property was a guest house of some sort in the back yard of another beach home.  So in reality she had no driveway.  Should she?  Probably.  But she made no effort to deter folks from parking there.  Surely a cone or no parking sign (even if i wasn't legitimate) would deter some people.   Then if someone consciously disregarded it surely that isn't someone you would feel little sympathy for when blocking them in.  It's a risk they took, right?  Regardless, I continued to apologize and tell her that nothing was done maliciously on my part, but her behavior was intentional and I refused to pay her for simply turning her car on and moving a few feet forward.

So what'd she end up doing?

She moved (hesitantly and complaining, of course).  Did she pull into my spot?  Nope.  She reversed just enough to let me out and blocked the other two cars parked to my right.  She got out and said she hoped I didn't know the people who owned those cars because she wasn't moving again.

Oh, and I forgot to mention her friend's commentary during the breaks in conversation.  She went on an on about how if we're from the beach we should know better than to park in front of people's homes.  Again, I'm still wondering where said home was... but that is neither here nor there at this point.  Jake explained that we were very familiar with parking which is why we've never had this issue before now.  He also told them that they should know what to expect during summer and that any type of signage would be better than nothing and responding the way they had.

We ended up finally leaving.  No police or cash was involved.  Maybe a few sassy comments ensued on the ride back, but can you really blame me?  Seriously.

I'm awful

I really am awful when it comes to care taking.  I like to think that's not the case, but anything over 24 hours and you've lost my interest.  Don't get me wrong... for those first 24 hrs you feel like a king/queen, but after that you've lost your status.  My concern has a limit and it's called time.

This makes me embarrassed and concerned for so many reasons.

1. I'd like to have kids (well maybe just one) at some point and I realize their issues/needs can't be contained to a single day.  Bummer.
2. I have friends and family members that stay at home and have a gift for care taking and I can't even be patient with Jake and his broken foot for two weeks.  It's true.  I'm way over this injury and he still has at least another two weeks to go.  kill.me.now.
3. My brief concern for people and their needs is a bit selfish and highlights how truly impatient I am.
4. The truth is, if Jake didn't wait hand and foot on me each time I got sick I'd be devastated.  There is something about being on the receiving end of this treatment that makes you feel better.  Can you say hypocrite?
5. This behavior isn't earning me much credit in the wife department- well just in general, I wouldn't even be appealing as a roommate at this rate.  I don't clean up after myself, I don't like to clean up after others, I'm not a good cook, I enjoy 'me' time, if I could have sole control over the tv I would and I wouldn't think twice about it... oh, and you can add not being overly sympathetic for others in times of need to the list.

wow

So much has happened since my last post (most likely because a lot of time has passed) but I'm going to do my best to bring you up to speed.  Hopefully, in the days/weeks to follow I can go into more detail on some of the updates.  Here's to keeping you in the know...

-Jake and I got accepted as counselors at Camp Jake by The Red Thread Promise.  We'll be in Haiti just shy of two weeks this July and are getting really excited!  We have been toying around the idea of doing a block party that could serve as a fundraiser as well.  The plan is to provide the food and drinks (a perfectly timed home brew) and put a shoe box out for donations- old school style.  Anything collected above our $500 fundraising goal would go straight back to the organization.  More details on this definitely to follow.

-Jake broke his foot.  He is fine, but it sucks.  He is pretty limited in what he can do and I predict will go stir crazy by the end of the week.  The worst part is that he's been training for a half ironman that he now won't be able to do.  As a matter of fact, he broke his foot while trail running this past weekend as part of his training plan.  Poor guy.   The only thing he hates more than inactivity is wasting money.  This incident has resulted in both.

-I'm headed to San Antonio tomorrow for work and am bringing our new(ish) Marketing Coordinator with me.  The plan is for this week to serve as a live training for her before our biggest event in June.  I'm really looking forward to teaching her the ropes and having some company while working the event, it should be fun!

-I've taken a break from my book and am having a really hard time picking it back up.  Hopefully my upcoming travel may create an opportunity to dive back in.

-The hard drive for my work computer crashed today.  Need I say more?

I hope to post when I get back this weekend, but I understand if you take your time to check back!

4 Day Challenge: Day One

Well what do we have here?  Looks like a successfully prepared shrimp, avocado, and tomato pizza to me.  One day down, three more to go.

Truth be told, I got the recipe from Pinterest (they got it from Spice is Nice) and if I had to describe it in three a few words I’d go with easy, fresh, and filling (but not heavy).

Jake gave it 3.5 out of 5 forks (5 being one of the best home cooked meals he has ever had).  I’ll take it.

Directions below.  Try it if you dare.

Shrimp, Avocado and Tomato Pizza:

1 pizza dough ball

6 cloves garlic, minced

3 T. olive oil

1 cup shredded mozzarella and/or provolone cheese

2 scallions, chopped

2 large tomatos, chopped and drained

1 t. adobo sauce or 1 t. finely chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (this ingredient adds a lot of spice, so feel free to opt against adding it or go for more if that's your thing)

10-20 medium sized shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1 avocado, diced

1/2 a lime's juice

1. Preheat oven to  475°.  Roll out the pizza dough, preferably on a pizza stone. Brush with 2 T. olive oil and 4 cloves of minced garlic. Then spread cheese evenly over the top.

2. In a medium sauté pan  add 1 T. olive oil and bring to medium-high heat.  Add remaining 2 cloves of garlic and stir until fragrant.  Then add the shrimp to the pan and stir for a 1-2 minutes.

  

3. Add the tomatoes, scallions and chipotle peppers to the pan, and sauté for an additional 2-3 minutes to soften the tomatoes and flavor the shrimp.  

Note: The peppers will really add a kick, so if you don't like spice consider leaving them out. 

  

4. Spread the shrimp mixture over the pizza and top with a little bit of cheese.

  

5. Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove from oven and immediately top with cilantro and avocado.  Squeeze lime juice over top of the pizza, let sit for 5 minutes, and then serve.

4 Day Challenge

Jake’s Birthday is coming up so I decided to enter into a four day challenge of cooking homemade, new recipes for dinner each day this week up through his birthday.  This is my gift to him since last year I did the same thing but just for his actual bday.  Since this year he made the same request, I thought I needed to up the ante just a little bit to make it better than the last.  This may or may not be a very difficult thing to do since I rarely make elaborate (using the term lightly) dinners and traditionally save experimental recipes for baking.  Thank goodness for Pinterest!

Regardless, the cat is out of the bag since I told him already that this was his gift starting Monday.  Eek!  The week’s lineup is:

Shrimp, Tomato, & Avocado Pizza

Panko Crusted Chicken Stuffed with Ricotta, Spinach, Tomatoes, & Basil

Scallop Tacos

Avocado Chicken Parmigiana

Stay tuned to see how things turn out!

weekend catch up

Jake and I had one of those weekends where we didn't have an overwhelming amount of structured plans, but enough that we were out of the house as much as we were in it.

-Friday night we really wanted to rent Horrible Bosses and of course couldn't find it at a single Red Box close by; instead we opted for Green Lantern, which I wouldn't recommend.  I love Ryan Reynolds, but in general the story was sort of corny... and there aren't enough shirtless scenes to make up for that fact.  We did eventually snag Horrible Bosses on Sunday and it was worth the wait... hilarious.  I'm still shocked that Jennifer Aniston played that role- she did fine, it just didn't seem like a character she'd play.  Whatever. I still loved the movie.

-Saturday Jake went to "man night" where each guy was given his own rotisserie chicken to eat and glass of home brewed beer to drink.  I guess that's their idea of fun?  Meanwhile I went to a girlfriend's house to eat brownies and watch Millionaire Matchmaker (the host has lost a ton of weight!)... how different our evenings looked.

-Sunday I did my first official weigh in since starting Weight Watchers a week ago and lost a a total of 4.6 pounds!!!  Jake and I talked about it Friday night and I mentioned that I would be thrilled to lose 2 or 3 pounds, so I'm sure you can imagine my surprise Sunday morning; I actually got on the scale 4 times just to make sure it was accurate.  I'm really proud of the progress and while I know it will slow, I'm feeling pretty encouraged to stick to the plan and be honest about my points each day!  Now if I could just lose another 2 pounds when I weigh in this Sunday I'll be really pumped.

-Ooh, Sunday I also finally found a pair of black flats.  They are more memorable so I can't wear them all the time, but they are cute on and comfortable too.

Audrey Brooke Autumn flat

That covers most of the weekend.  I wish there was more to share but like I said earlier, it was one of those not-so-overwhelming weekends- this is what that looks like for us.

Maaaainnneee

Portland Head Light

As promised, Jake and I went to Maine for five days to celebrate our 2nd wedding anniversary and it was a-w-e-s-o-m-e.  A little known fact is that despite being together forever this trip marked the first time we flew on a plane with each other.  Isn't that strange?  

Anyway, we left for Boston at o'dark thirty and once there, took the "downeaster" to Portland.  Portland is a foodie town right on the water.  There are tons of shopping boutiques, breweries, restaurants, and art galleries... it's definitely my kind of town.  We did a little shopping and a lot of eating and walking around for two days, it was the perfect balance.

Next on the list was Newry which was a couple hours from Portland and is best known for the Sunday River ski resort turned Fall festival when we passed through.  This town made it on our list as a way to break up the trip and gave Jake an opportunity to get some exercise in by signing up for their 12 miles Mountain Epic trail run.  He asked if I wanted to do it (or one of the shorter distances) but I think you all know what my answer was.  He ended up doing well despite spending the first 30 minutes straight running uphill and having to climb 8 summits total.  Are you starting to see how appropriate naming the race, Mountain Epic, was?  (As a side note, Jake is using the word "epic" way too much since we've been home).

After just one day in Newry, we finally made our way to Bar Harbor... and it was worth the wait!  There wasn't a thing about the town of Bar Harbor that I didn't like.  We rented a small cabin close to Acadia and spent most of our time in the park sightseeing.  I have a good story to share about one of our park adventures but that's worthy of its own blog, so stay tuned.

We wrapped up the trip by driving back down the coast, stopping in Freeport, and spending just a few hours in Portland again before catching the bus back to Boston.  I had such a great time and was happy to celebrate our anniversary together in such a fun place!  If Maine isn't already on your radar as a travel destination it should be now.  I could tell you more if you're interested... for now enjoy a handful of photos from our trip!

Bass Harbor Head Light

Barn in Newry

 

Sand Beach in Acadia

Thunder Hole in Acadia

View from the top of Cadillac Mtn in Acadia

oh my word

One of my company's larger events is finally over and I feel like I'm back to an almost normal schedule.  It's been pretty crazy and I haven't been able to be my usual social self.

I started to blog about the past few weeks (mainly regarding work) but then decided since that hectic season is almost over I don't really want to revisit the stress associated with it.  So, let's not.  I got back from Phoenix late Friday and leave for Boston early Tuesday.  It doesn't feel like enough time to be home and I've realized I'm not at all what some call a "road warrior".  Nope, it just isn't for me.  I'd like to think it has something to do with the hours I put in and pace at which I work when traveling, but other things like time with Jake come into play as well.  In the 5 days that I was gone, Jake and I talked once for less than 3 minutes and emailed a quick exchange regarding when I'd be home- that's it.  I have no desire for that to become normal or routine in our lives, nor do I want to work the way I have been leading up to this trip.  I'm hopeful with our new hire starting in another week that things will get much better.  I realize getting her up to speed will be a task in and of itself, but at least one that I'm looking forward to!

Then, in case that won't provide enough relief, Jake and I are actually taking a vacation!!!  Yes, you read correctly, we are going on a trip to Maine... just the two of us!  I can hardly wait.  Our second anniversary is coming up and we will be in Bar Harbor during it and Portland and another town before that!  I'm looking forward to the cool weather and being able to see and do everything Maine has to offer before it starts to shut down for the end of tourist season.   We've both picked specific things we'd like to do while there and I'd say the agenda is the perfect balance of our interests!  There are wineries and breweries we want to check out, easy hikes with beautiful scenery in Acadia National Park, and so far the places we've made reservations to stay are a nice compromise for our likes.  The fact that we have reservations for where to sleep at all, let alone in fun places, is a big step for Jake and I'm thankful.  We're both really looking forward to the time away together and celebrating another year of a blessed marriage!

I have more to say, but am a bit tired and want to try and spread it out so not as much time passes again before you hear from me.  You'll hear from me soon, promise.

Today Jake turns 26 and I think I’m more excited than he is! 

photo by Howard Chen [HOWE CAPTIVATE]

A lot of people say that on their birthday they feel exactly the same as they did the day before, and I agree- but if you take that a step further and compare how you felt on your birthday the year before compared to now, hopefully its different... and hopefully it's because something has improved.   I was thinking about all the things that have happened with Jake since March 22nd, 2010 and I think it's a lot!

-He got his Cannondale cycle in April (aka Carmen, his baby)
-Graduated with his Doctorate of Physical Therapy in May
-Started his first job with Sentara in June
-We got our dog, Tank, in July
-He started a small business with another therapist in September
-We celebrated our 1 year anniversary in October
-Picked out our fresh Christmas tree together in December (this was a first for both of us; I'd always gotten a tree from NC and never with him and I don't think he'd ever picked out a real tree period)
-He “Retired” the terminator for a new Tacoma & spent two and half weeks in Haiti working on amputees through Physicians for Peace in February

Of course this isn’t nearly everything, but I’m sure when Jake really thinks about everything from the past year he will feel different (and hopefully in a good way).

Now as far as his birthday celebration goes, it’s sort of tricky because we are both part of a bible study on Tuesday nights and the guys' study is actually at our house!  With that in mind, we preemptively celebrated on Sunday with Alison and Will at Zushi in Town Center and splurged with dessert at Confetti!  Tonight my plan is to get off work early and cook dinner for him.  And trust me when I tell you that the act of cooking in and of itself is a great gift.  Not to mention the recipe has both multiple ingredients and steps, which will hopefully impress him as well!

Tonight’s menu is (don’t worry he won’t read this before then):

Cayenne-Rubbed Chicken with Avocado Salsa 

and Tomatoes Stuffed with Grilled-Corn Salad from Martha Stewart’s Food Everyday

I’ve actually told Jake that I made plans for us right after work and will text him the address right before he gets off to keep the surprise.  Of course, he assumed this meant eating out and started to complain that we’d already done the whole celebration charade on Sunday and he isn’t sure that we’ll have time to go out.  I reminded him that I’m a planner and I’d already taken all of those things into consideration before making the plans, so for him to trust me.  I promised he’d be home in plenty of time for the his bible study.. and I plan on keeping that promise.

He should be getting said text with our address any minute and I'm sure he'll call right away to see what I'm up to.  Hopefully, dinner will be timed perfectly for his arrival and the house may even be cleaned too (fingers crossed)!

Oh, and if dinner ends up looking like the above I may share some pictures with you, but based on my past experiences it probably won't so don't hold your breath!

Update:
Dinner was a hit and he of course appreciated the gesture!  Below is how it turned out... not to shabby if I say so myself.

there's a first time for everything

I have been with Jake just a few months shy of a decade (crazy, I know!) and I can honestly say that last week was the first time he knowingly watched an entire romantic comedy with me.  Notice, I put emphasis on knowingly and entire because in the past 10 years Jake could say that he has watched one with me before, but you and I both know that either he didn’t realize it was that type of movie OR he didn’t watch it all the way through… story of my life.

Well, for whatever reason this most recent attempt was successful.  After looking unsuccessfully for a few movies at the Redbox, I noticed Life As We Know It was in stock.  I’d wanted to see the movie for awhile so I asked Jake to rent it for me.   He gave me a look like, “Do you know what kind of movie this is?” to which I responded aloud, “I know it’s a romantic comedy but I’m not asking you to watch it, I’m just asking you to rent it for me to watch” and he did.

Once home, I waited a little while before making my next move.  You see I really didn’t want to have to wait to watch this until after he went to bed and I definitely didn’t want to have to watch it on the laptop, but it’s all in the art of execution.  So, I waited for him to watch that day’s DVR of the Paris-Nice Tour (it’s a cycling thing) and then start fumbling through the channels before asking if I could use his laptop.  He of course wondered why I had to ask and I explained that I would have it awhile so I could watch the entire movie and didn’t want to hog it if he needed it.  And then he said the magic words, “you can watch it in here if you want”.  BINGO.  I was so happy it probably took me 20 seconds to get everything set up and hit play. 

The next thing I noticed was completely new- he didn’t move.  This entire time my focus was on watching this movie on the plasma before 9:30 but this… this was a pleasant surprise.  Even after the movie was a few minutes in he still didn’t move.  Can you say best thing ever?  At one point he did turn around to see my expression during a sadder scene and gave me a look like I was being ridiculous.  I responded with a don’t bother me look and we both went back to watching.  He sat through the whole thing and then went to bed. If you know Jake, you are probably having trouble believing this, but there’s a first time for everything.

As far as the movie goes, and I'm aware I'm behind the game on this one (which is a price you pay when you prefer the price of a rental to the theater) it was adorable.  The crazy part is, apart from the whole raising a baby with someone you don't care for in light of your best friend's death thing, it seemed to be an accurate depiction of that first year.  Of course, I don't know for sure, but they certainly didn't make it look easy... and I hear it's not, so that in and of itself offered some validity in my eyes.

time for an upgrade

It’s been decided.  We are going to have to get a king size bed.  I absolutely, without a doubt, can’t take it anymore. 

This isn’t the first time you’ve read about this trouble in my life, but I’m hoping it’ll be the last.  Actually, let’s save the last official topic-related post for when we announce that we’ve officially ordered a new bed or had a successful night’s sleep in it.  Yes, that sounds more realistic.

The main thing you need to know is that neither Jake nor I are sleeping well.  Jake swears that Tank is the problem but since I mentioned this trouble once well before we got Tank, I’m not convinced.  I will say that Tank certainly contributes to the problem, but he can’t be the sole cause.   Not to mention that at this point I don’t know that I can break him of sleeping in the bed.  Not only would it break my heart, but when he cries and scratches at the door it’s unbearable- thus why he currently comes in and out of the room as often as he pleases (don’t judge me, you’ve never had to listen to him).  His current routine has him getting out of bed at 5:45am with Jake, going potty, eating breakfast, then coming back and crying at our bedroom door until either Jake or I lets him back in.   It’s awful.  But that’s enough about Tank; let’s talk about the other 4 letter word that contributes to our sleeping troubles, J-A-K-E.

Jake goes to bed super early (usually around 9:30 folks) so of course I don’t go to bed at the same time.  When I do finally decide it’s time to sleep, I go into to find him sleeping diagonally across the bed or he’s somehow taken over all 5 of the pillows on our bed.  Talk about terrible.  Every night I have to nicely ask him to scoot over and some nights when he is sleeping more soundly I have to yank a pillow right from under him.  I mean it is a battle to get a spot on the bed.

I can’t think of a better solution than a bigger bed and since we have a queen now, the next step is a king.  The best part is Jake is in totally on board.  He has trouble sleeping too and desperately wants more room… and I think more pillows.  The biggest challenge will be me having patience to slowly get a new bedroom set; we can’t buy everything all at once and I’m sort of weird about bedroom sets matching.  However, at this point sleep deprivation has taken over and I’m fairly sure I’ll get over that quirk fast.

I really like these beds (and overall room styles)...

 

back in the states

I won’t even both apologizing for the lapse since my last post, because I’m sure by now you’re tired of reading my excuses.  That said, I’m going to dive right into the subject of this post and will keep my fingers crossed that you haven’t given up on me yet.

I mentioned before that Jake was in Haiti and I’m happy to report that he has arrived back home safe and sound.  He got back Saturday evening and it’s been a whirlwind since.  I would have been happy just to sit in a room with him and hear him talk about his trip for hours… but that isn’t realistic.  There is so much to do now that he is home and so many people who want to talk to him about his experience.

Last night his trip finally caught up with him and he was exhausted.  I used this as an opportunity to seize my one on one time with him and just hang out, plain and simple.  We walked over to redbox, rented a horror movie (crazy, right?), and relaxed- it was A W E S O M E.  But enough about that, I want to share with you guys about Haiti!

For starters, Jake said it was a great trip.  It took some adjusting in the beginning, but once he had patients, he found a groove.  He talked about how quickly they responded to treatment and how they made certain accomplishments look like nothing.  One of his videos has a woman not only walking with her new leg, but balancing a bucket on her head at the same time!  Nuts.  But that’s how it is there.   Not only do they need to regain function in their legs, but they need to be able to move without any hindrances because their families depend on them to contribute.  It’s really amazing and humbling at the same time.  He made some great relationships with locals at the clinic he worked at and I wouldn’t be surprised if he went back next year.

If I had to guess what his biggest struggles have been since coming home, I'd say two things.  First, the excess in our culture; just all the stuff we have and "need" as Americans.  I imagine its really hard to see, let alone rationalize, after being surrounded by poverty and in a country so behind America in so many ways.  Second, I'd say the difference in patients.  He went from having patients travel from who knows how far and then wait hours just to be seen, to being one of hundreds of therapists in VB that a patient could choose from and then decide at any time whether the appointment was worth keeping.  His first two days back were filled with last minute cancellations and I could tell he was struggling to believe being in that clinic was a good use of his time.  I think he is slowly getting settled and adjusting to his old routine.  I find his response to the transition encouraging- I would hope that an experience like that would have a long lasting impact.

Here are some pictures from the trip, the whole album can be seen here.

Haiti

Hopefully most of you know that Jake is currently in Haiti with a group called Physicians for Peace and has been since the beginning of February.  He went there to work with recent amputees as a result of the earthquake.  I saw myself posting more about his trip, but since our communication is limited I don't have much to share.

What I can tell you is that he arrived there safely and said its worse than he had imagined.  As in, the pain and devastation there is really bad, but he doesn't feel like he is in grave danger.  From his emails, I've come to the conclusion that there are just a ton of people there hoping to be seen by these physicians and they most likely won't be.  In the beginning I could tell Jake was frustrated by this.  He of course is helping as many people as he can with the time and resources hes been given, but its hard not to notice the people waiting in line for hours.  I know Jake, and if he could he would work all day and all night just to make a dent in the line, but that isn't realistic.  I've encouraged him to make most the most of the time he has with the patients he sees and to stay focused on them.  I'm not a physician, but you don't have to be to understand how difficult working in that could be day in and day out.  What hes got to keep in mind is that he is helping some, and that matters, it makes a difference.

I'm really proud of him for going on this trip.  He took the initiative to go and I know its going to have an impact on him long after he returns.  I'll be sure to report back once I hear more.

previous Physician for Peace volunteer in Haiti, hope to update with pics of Jake soon

I've also been lying

So, we just recently told our apartment community that we have Tank... and by "told" I mean admitted it, after being confronted with a notice on our door.  Don't judge me.

I don't know why I let this tiny lie omission of the truth perpetuate to this point, but I did, and I'm embarrassed.  In case you haven't already figured it out, Jake is what some might call, frugal.   And I use that term lightly, because Jake doesn't mind spending money on things he understands or values, its anything that doesn't fall into those categories that he has huge issues with.  So as you can imagine, Jake was not excited about the non-refundable pet deposit and monthly fee; thus why we waited to say something.  But that is neither here nor there, because its out in the open now and the fee is non-negotiable.  Period.

Jake’s way of coping with this fact is to send me the following text message:

"Merry xmas.  I’m returning your presents and putting tank in a box"

Please excuse any errors in the above, I wanted to keep it authentic.

This is life though; you win some, you lose some, and you spend too much money on unavoidable things.  And I don't want to hear this could have been avoided if we didn't get a puppy in the first place.  Number one, that is just a ridiculous thing to say and number two, owning a puppy was on my 30 Before 30... which you know isn't optional.

Could you walk away from this face?  If you say yes, you're a liar and no friend of mine... or Tank's.

 

I've been cheating

Don’t worry it’s a loveless affair, but I have to admit… I’ve been spending time writing on another blog.  I’m awful.  I meant what I said in my last post about trying to get back into the groove, but with having to write for my company’s blog a lot lately, I’m drained.  By the time I get home, the creativity is gone and I definitely don’t want to sit in front of a computer.

Do you forgive me?  I hope so.

A few things have happened since Thanksgiving.  There was of course the whole Black Friday experience, Tech won the ACC Championship, I made cookies and an apple crisp from scratch, we decorated our apartment for Christmas, and Jake started wearing his “Believe” t-shirt every day since December 1st.

In other news, I’m almost finished Christmas shopping & bought the most recent Twilight movie, Eclipse, but haven’t found time to watch it.  Life’s tough.

Jake declared that he officially finished all of his shopping today, which has me intrigued.  I sent him some ideas for gifts, but they were all niceties and not necessities, and if you know Jake then you know that if it isn’t practical he isn’t buying it.  So I’m not sure what Santa is bringing this year.  Here are some things from my wish list (of course, I don’t expect to get a single thing, let alone multiple things from it):

1.    a new raincoat
2.    the first Harry Potter book (I’m behind)
3.    a scarf- I can’t get enough of them
4.    one of those tervis tumblers with a lid for my sweet tea
5.    bananagrams (fingers crossed Alison and Will pull through)
6.    a framed picture of Tank for my desk (Jake has 3 pictures of Tank up at his work)
7.    a shelf with hooks and baskets for our entryway, although I hate asking for house things for xmas
8.    a few seasons of my newest obsession, Bones, on DVD (that actually wasn’t on a list before this one)
9.    the Twilight ornament (of course!)
10.    a Starbucks gift card to feed my chai tea addiction, with 2 pumps of Pumpkin Spice (I’m sort of hoping my mom gets a bunch of these from her students though, because she doesn’t go there and probably would share them with me instead)

Is it weird that I just shared things from my list?  I thought it could make for a nice post Christmas blog.  This way if I posted a picture from Christmas day holding my new Twilight ornament and tumbler up close with a huge smile you’d really appreciate it.  Can you picture it?  I can.

Anniversary Weekend in Manteo

 Manteo carries a lot of significance for me and Jake.  Its where we got engaged, 11 months later honeymooned, and then 12 months after that celebrated our one year anniversary!  As a matter of fact, I don't know that another town has more meaning to me right now at this stage in my life.

Since it holds sentimental value and is just over 2 hours away, it was easy enough to go there for the weekend to get away, relax, and celebrate.  We stayed at the same Inn that we did last October and made sure to hit our favorite restaurant, the Outer Banks Brewing Station.  We had plans to do dinner at Adrianna's, the site of one our all-time favorite dinners, but a wedding was going on there so we hit another local place instead.  It was a pretty chill weekend, which is exactly what we wanted!

Oh, and on Sunday we picked out a pumpkin from a Farmer's Market on the way home... something we put off last year and never got around to doing.  I'm pretty excited about it actually!  I can't wait to show you pictures after we carve it, but for now I'm keeping secret what its going to look like.

One Year!!! Can I Get a Woop Woop?

One year ago today Jake and I tied the knot!  Can you believe it?  We hardly can.  

I know a lot of people say this, but it really does feel like our wedding just happened.  I can still remember the day perfectly and its hard to tell where the past twelve months went.  A lot has changed and some things have stayed the same, but I can tell you the transition to living together after our wedding taught us a TON about one another!  Here are some things I've learned about Jake over the past year, that the 8 years of dating beforehand didn't reveal:

1. Jake loves to wear just his boxers, no matter what time of day it is.  Personally, I don't see the appeal say at 1pm on Saturday, but it's who he is.

2. Jake is isn't a morning person, despite what he might say.  Sure, he'll get up early to get a good workout in, but unless he has had breakfast its not a good time to talk to him.

3. Speaking of food, he can eat the same thing day after day after DAY and he loves to combine the strangest ingredients for these meal experiments.  A perfect example is his daily breakfast (aka his "Happy Time"): yogurt, bananas, milk, granola, and melted peanut butter... all mixed together in one bowl.  Gross.

4. Still on the subject of food, the grocery store is one of his favorite places.  Jake averages about 3 trips to the grocery store a week.  Nothing big, some bananas from Trader Joes, spinach from Kroger, and whatever else we may need come Sunday.

5. Jake isn't above reading my women's beauty and home decorating magazines.

6. He doesn't clean and he doesn't want to.  This is something I'm still working on with Jake, but so far the most I've gotten out of him is a few loads of laundry, trash taken out, and the stairs vacuumed (which actually happened for the first time today).

7. Jake has a way of showing that he does listen at the most random times.  I've found he'll do something for me based off an off hand comment or suggestion I made and forgot about myself! 

8. He is quick to forgive and forget.  So often I find myself trying to offer an explanation with my apology and every time he stops me and says he's already forgotten about it.  It's something I am trying my best to offer him as my first response as well.

9. Jake leads by example.  He is a man of God and shows me on a daily basis that our faith must be our top priority if we want everything else to fall into place according to God's plan.

10. He knows exactly who I am and happily married me anyway.  No one is perfect and being married sometimes bring those imperfections to light.  The key is to learn from them so we can love each other better.

That's just a few of the things I've learned and I'm sure his list about me would be just as awesome.  If I had to guess a few of the things he would say they'd probably be:

1. I'm a she-devil if disturbed before my alarm goes off.

2. I have really bad morning breath (I'd have to agree with him on this one, but I can't help it!  I have excellent oral hygiene).

3. I'm a good sport when it comes to what to watch on tv or rent at Redbox, unless it's multiple recordings of Colbert Report.  Don't get me wrong, I like him, but 30 minutes a day is sufficient... or else he'd record a longer show.

4. I am a treat monster... and always have been.

5. My showers last too long and I use too much toilet paper (He actually just commented, "You use a roll of toilet paper a day!" which is totally an exaggeration).

6. I spend too much time at Target.

7. I'm sensitive and speak my mind, which isn't always a bad thing.

8. At times I can be funny, but probably not as funny as I think I am (I made him laugh out loud this past weekend and was SO proud of myself).

9. I'm generous and have big heart when it comes to others, which rubs off on him.

10. I challenge him to be a better version of himself... I think this goes both ways.

There will be so much more to learn about each other over the years and I'm looking forward to it.  Nothing beats coming home every day to your best friend and being able to share life's big and small milestones with them.  It's simple, Jake is my person.

Here are just a few shots from our wedding!

where has the time gone?

It has been far too long since my last post and that one slipped in after too much time as well! 

Its quite busy here but we knew walking into the Fall that we had plans every weekend.  However, having that understanding and handling it are two different things!  The worst part is that in the midst of the chaos, there haven't been too many noteworthy moments!!!  At least now you know why my blog has been slacking.

This weekend Jake has a triathlon at Smith Mt. Lake, so we're traveling that way and will be staying with friends in Roanoke.  I'm not sure when we'll get in or when we'll head back, but I am sure that the weekend will feel way too short.  A perk is that we will bringing Tank along!

I don't remember if I blogged about this or not, but at the end of August Tank took his first trip with us to Charlottesville.  After hearing our friends Jeff and Elizabeth were bringing their dog I convinced Jake that Tank should be able to come too.  With hesitation, he agreed but made it perfectly clear this would be a test and would determine his inclusion on future trips.  

Well, I'm proud to say Tanky Tank passed with flying colors.  He slept with me both nights in my sleeping bag and was very well behaved at the wineries.  Jake couldn't deny this so Tank has officially earned the right to travel with us... as long as the people we're visiting don't mind!

Trust me, we're not going to be those people who can't be separated from their dog, BUT when you're traveling pretty much every weekend you sort of feel bad pawning them off!  Right???

Do I have to?

Our one year anniversary is coming up in exactly two months and we haven't the slightest idea about where we're going to celebrate. Tough life, I know.

The reason we want to plan a trip is because we took a short and sweet honeymoon in Manteo right after our wedding with the hope that on our anniversary we could do something more. Manteo was great but we want to travel together somewhere further. In the nine years of our relationship, we've never flown on a plane together or taken a vacation beyond the outer banks- we think our one year anniversary marks the perfect time to change that!

Some ideas we tossed around were backpacking through Scotland and Ireland or traveling through New Zealand; neither of which are now feasible considering when we want to travel and our decided budget. To be honest, I'm sort of tired of researching options. The easiest thing to do would be to go on a cruise (which I'm not too keen on for this particular occasion) or visit an all-inclusive resort in Mexico or the Caribbean (which isn't Jake's first choice). The trouble is that Jake really isn't good at or willing to make suggestions and I'm all planned out. I plan for a living and when it comes to my personal life lately I just don't want to do it. That is so not like me but its how I've been feeling.

Do you have any suggestions for fairly easy-to-plan trips? We're ok with staying in the United States. As a matter of fact, yesterday we mentioned going through Napa Valley. I'm just at a loss and this is suppose to be something I enjoy and look forward to.