The Ghosts of Halloween Past

So, I wore a costume to work yesterday. I am not usually a costume person. I feel like I might not be confident enough to wear a costume. I am too self conscious and unwilling to draw attention to myself to wear loud and obnoxious costumes. However, all of my co-workers dressed up yesterday because we had Trick-or-Treat in our town. I stressed out about costumes for a long time, until I found a costume that would cost little money and would allow me to wear real clothes underneath.

This is my asleep face. Isn’t it puffy and fun?

While wearing this costume yesterday, I heard many interesting comments. One older man stared at me for a while and then said, “So, does that mean you aren’t playing with a full deck?”

That hurt my feelings.

In honor of Halloween and to celebrate my bravery to wear a costume yesterday, I will share some other greatest hits from my past.

When I was little, I had awesome costumes. I was a crayon, a princess, and most interestingly, Pebbles from The Flintstones.

And, to announce our dating relationship, Danny and I dressed up like Jim and Pam from The Office.

We were so cute back then.

I don’t know what are plans are tonight, but I’m sure that costumes will not be involved. Unless you count fleece pajamas and robe as a costume. Because I am all over that.

I Ran Out of Words

It’s been a little while since I have been in this space. I wish I had some exciting reason why I was absent, but, simply, I ran out of words.

Life has a way of just taking the breath of a person. Daily life can be filled with little joys and triumphs, and sometimes, I feel so excited an happy that I feel like I can’t even breathe. But, hanging over all of those little joys are the big, hard, obstacles that feel so overwhelming. Sometimes, I feel like Wyle E. Coyote, waiting for that Acme anvil to come crashing down on my head.

But, aside from all of that, things are moving right along in our day to day lives. Last night, I registered for my first semester at Kent State, working on my Master’s of Library Science. That seems a little surreal, and I’m excited to move past these first few boring classes and get to the electives. I am so excited for those electives.

We’ve had some fall adventures, including a trip to a co-worker’s orchard to help stir apple butter, and we  fell into some piles of leaves.

We also started watching “The Office” again, and every single time we watch, I feel like I am in college again. It’s been good.

Thanks for letting me use a couple of my words. I hope to be back here again soon.

Feeling nostalgic

The other day, Danny and I headed out for a walk. It was chilly, so we both wore sweatshirts, and I know for sure that I was wearing sweatpants. As we headed out the door, I snapped a picture of us holding hands. It looked like this.

Immediately, it reminded me of a picture we took on our first anniversary of dating, back in October of 2008. That one looked like this.

It’s funny how different things were in each of these pictures, even though they are pretty similar to look at. In the picture taken in 2008, Danny and I still had a year left of college, and we didn’t know what the future would hold. We wore nice clothes to go hiking because we still wanted to look cute for one another. I was just an English major, not sure what I wanted to do for a career, and Danny was finishing up his student teaching and wondering if teaching was really what he wanted to do. I was super rich because I had a well-paying part time job and no bills, so I felt like the world was at my disposal.

In the picture I took last week, Danny and I are still unsure of what the future holds. We don’t (well, I don’t) wear nice clothes on walks because I will probably sweat, and what’s the point in dirtying some nice clothes for that business? I am working at a library and making plans for grad school, and Danny is working as an assistant principal and trying to figure out all the ins and outs of that. We still worry about money and wish that there could be more, but I suspect that everyone thinks those thoughts.

And, our relationship is the thing that has changed the most. Back then, we wanted to spend every waking moment together, but I don’t really remember what we used to talk about. I remember feeling like I couldn’t talk about all of my stuff because I didn’t want to scare Danny away. Now, we still want to be around each other all the time, but we share everything–for better or for worse. We’ve seen each other cry, and we’ve seen each other be mad and irrational. But, we still want to spend the rest of our days with each other.

In six years, I hope to snap another picture, just like this. I wonder how things will be different by then?

A Unexpected Date

Tonight was set to be a bad night. Danny had a late meeting, and it seemed like we wouldn’t get to see each other. I had a bad attitude, and I felt mad that he is responsible to go to late meetings, even though we live far away from his work. He planned to drive home to eat dinner and then drive all the way back to school, just to make me feel better.

But, at work today, I had an epiphany. We could meet half way, at this one park we like, and I could bring dinner. It would be a surprise picnic. So, that’s what we did. At the park, there was this playground with colorful panels, so, of course, we had to do some poses.

First, we did a few senior picture poses. Looking at the pictures now, I don’t know why the light is so weird–it was a little cloudy, but I’m not sure why the pictures look like they were taken inside a cloud. Anyway, here are our senior pics.

Wow, this are good shots. We look majestic.

Then, we took some candids.

I wore my coy face, and Danny wore his laughing face. He was doing another pose, but started laughing, so I snapped this picture instead.

Finally, here is our love picture. We are too cute.

So, moral of the story–sometimes, when you stop having a bad attitude, you can have an unexpectedly good time. And, sometimes, you’ll find weird parks that will provide inspiring backdrops for your photo shooting needs.

 

The New Normal

I am a creature of habit. I love having a routine, and it’s hard for me to stray once I find something that works. I have slowly settled into a routine at the library, but in the past week, I have decided to throw a couple of wrenches in the works.

I applied to grad school this week. I am excited, but I am also freaking out. I hate change, and since I haven’t been in grad school before, I can’t envision how my schedule will change. I am excited to be studying the things I will be studying, but I am nervous to have school work hanging over my head.

I think the thing that is freaking me out the most is the fact that recently, I have had glimmers of the fact that my job at the library could turn into a career. Since college, I have had jobs, but I haven’t had a career. I have craved a job that is fulfilling, but now that I am on the cusp of diving into a career, I am feeling a little commitment-phobic.

In the past few months, I have made a couple of routines that I want to hold on to, even when I start my new responsibilities. First, I have been packing Danny’s lunch every night, and it makes me feel like I am taking care of him. And, when I slip a note in, I feel like I am able to give a little joy to his day, even though we aren’t together.  Danny and I have also really gotten into these PBS documentaries called Secrets of… They are so good. We watch them on Netflix and from the library since PBS doesn’t come on our television anymore. And, we’ve been able to relax on school nights, and sometimes, we even leave the house. It’s been pretty revolutionary.

I am trying to take each day as it comes, but as you guys probably guess, it’s pretty hard. But, I will continue on and update as I have more information about my grad program!

Addicted and Unashamed

I am addicted to an i-pad game, and I am unashamed. It’s not your typical Candy Crush (which I finally conquered my addiction of) or Flappy Bird, but I am addicted nonetheless.

I love the game, Secret Society. Let me explain…

Basically, you have all of these levels, and you have to investigate each picture to find different objects. Each picture has hidden objects in it, and you have to find the required objects to advance in the game. Here’s a picture of one of the pictures.

This picture is called the Mayan Temple. At the bottom of the screen, you see the things I am supposed to find in the picture. In this particular level, the words are scrambled, but in others, they are regular. And, you can see in the picture that there are hidden (and not so hidden) objects to find.

Basically, this game is a virtual issue of Highlights magazine. And, I love it.

So, what’s the verdict? Am I too dorky to be your friend now? I hope not because this game is too good. Go play it!

Desperately Seeking Organization

Our house, technically, has three bedrooms. Our bedroom is a good size, and then, the other two are a little smaller. In the time that we have lived here, we have worked hard to make our main spaces feel comfortable, but the two spare bedrooms have just become catchalls for everything we don’t have a place for. I’m not joking–they are both covered in clutter. It’s so bad that when people come over, I always close the doors, so as not to alarm people with my filth.

But, now that we have no plans to leave this house for years, we can’t keep living like this. So, I am tackling the clutter, once and for all. A couple of posts ago, I shared that I bought a bookshelf at Goodwill–this is the jumping off point for our “office make-over.” Right now, the room is beige and dark, so I want to lighten everything up. Of course, I want it to be an inspiring space, but I don’t really want to spend much money. So, I’ll have to be creative with art and such. Do I just want  to go on Etsy and buy all of the things? Yes, but that’s not feasible. Unless you want to send me copious amounts of Etsy gift cards. That would really help things along!

While browsing Pinterest today, I decided that I want to incorporate some vintage images into the new space. I perused some copyright free images, hoping to find some that I can print off in a large size. Here are the final two that I think I am going to use! Having these in place makes me excited to get the rest of the room started!

Isn’t this picture the coolest? I wish I was this couple! They are adventurous, and they both look so stylish! Where can I get a ride on one of these deals?

This one is pretty awesome as well! Wouldn’t this one look pretty cool as a large print?

I also love vintage moon pictures, so these ones might make an appearance as well!

What do you all think? Which one of these images catches your eye?

I’ll keep you posted if I actually get any other organization done in here! I hope we get some paint on the walls soon.

D and E: Part 1

So, a few posts ago, I wrote about how Danny and I have some differences. I read comic books on the beach, and he drinks exotic coffee and eats pie on the beach. I thought that was an interesting blog post, so I’ve decided to highlight more differences between us, every once in a while.

Danny and I have different tastes in beverages. Basically, Danny is never without a cup of coffee in his hands. And, I have never had a cup of coffee in my entire life. On a daily basis, if you were to see us in our daily lives, we would probably be holding these in our hands.

This is Danny’s thermos.

Danny puts cool stickers and stuff on his thermos. He represents his love for NPR, books, and music that he likes. I think this is the epitome of a hipster teacher thermos.

This is my Tervis cup.

I usually don’t drink anything other than water, and thanks to my parents, I have a fun cup from which to drink it. Because this cup is colorful and has polka dots, I think it shows my whimsical side. And, it showcases my love for the Cincinnati Reds (home of my future next husband, Joey Votto).

Isn’t it funny how two drink vessels showcase our personalities so well?

Look for the next installment of this series soon!

Progress

Things are really hard around here. For the past three years, Danny and I have worked together. Those years were hard at times, but I, especially, got used to having a lot of time with Danny. Because we spent so much time together on a day to day basis, our time together didn’t have as much pressure. We could spend time on the couch at night, not talking, because we had already talked all day long. But, now that we aren’t spending tons of time together, I am feeling that pressure feeling again. I feel like the time we do spend together needs to be fantastic because we don’t get as much time together. And, the start of the school year is really hard right now–well, actually, all of Danny’s job has been hard. So, we are both tired, and we didn’t get as much done around the house as we wanted to this summer.

This weekend, we did cross one thing off our list: power washing.

We have lots more to do (weird shrubs, I’m looking at you), but it was nice to power wash this weekend.

What are some things you guys are doing to find joy these days? I am in the market for some joyful things these days.

Unfinished projects

We are knee deep in unfinished projects over here. I am full in project mode, and I can barely sit still because I have project energy coursing through my veins. However, Danny is in beginning of school mode, so he has no energy at all running through his veins. So, we have lots of projects just sitting around our house. They will be great when they are finished, but for now, they are a bummer. But, let’s dream together about what could be, shall we?

Exhibit 1:

This is a grown-up, huge print that I bought when we were in Michigan. It will eventually hang over the fireplace, but for now, it just sits on the floor next to it. Frames are expensive, you know? I just got a Michael’s coupon, so this might be finished up this weekend.

2. Exhibit 2:

Once upon a time, we had some track shelving in our back room. However, this week, it all decided to collapse. So, we are hanging more sturdy shelves. These are the brackets that will hold our shelf in place. Right now, they are lying on the floor, right next to all of the frames and such that were on the shelves. But soon, they will be on the wall. We can only hope.

Exhibit 3:

Finally, I bought this huge bookshelf at the Goodwill, and it is currently waiting a paint job. It’s also waiting to hold all of my chapter books, lovingly handed down by my father. Currently, it’s in the doorway of the office–partially because I want to paint it soon, and partially because I couldn’t get it farther in the door. The floor is currently blocked by all of those aforementioned chapter books.

The mess and chaos is currently closing in on me, but I will bravely continue on. I have dubbed tomorrow “project day,” even though I am working at the library, so, hopefully, some of these will be finished soon! I’ll report back with the details as soon as they occur!