Birthday boy.

Yesterday was Chad's birthday and we sadly, did nothing exciting. I know, epic wife fail. I didn't even buy him a present. Yep. It was that lame. In fact, he spent about 6 hours yesterday working on a leaking sink and toilet - replacing parts, 3 trips to Ace, and lots of banging and bumping and tools dropping that sent Gwendolen to hide in the other bathroom. Not the most exciting birthday ever. After a later lunch, we also didn't eat dinner till almost 9pm and thought that Cracker Barrel wouldn't be crowded on a Friday night (apprently it is fish fry night. Who knew?).

So, I'm committing to today being better. The sink and the toilet are dripless (hugh success!) and we have plans to just hang out today. Weather dependant, we might go on a hike or for a walk on the river or something that Gwen can do with us. Tonight we are grilling out at the townhouse with family and friends to celebrate my guy (brownies and ice cream included - my special request). Crossing my fingers that today is a much bigger success than yesterday!

Just keepin' it real.

Even on the rare nights when I am not working - going to meetings, attending events, etc. - I still have to drag myself away from my office at 4:50...trying to beat the traffic out and home before everyone else leaves work. I am supposed to leave at 4:30 (I want to thank whatever genius made our work day 8:30 to 4:30 - it rocks for traffic avoidance!!) but I always seem to have way to much to do! I am dragging myself away from the computer and the rainbow of post-it notes that plan out my day telling myself "GO HOME!". I tell myself that I should go home and get stuff done...the 1,000 things that are on my personal "TO DO" list. I truly love my job - love the people I work with, love the mission and organization, and love the impact that it has on the girls in our community. And I use it as my excuse for why my dining room table looks like this.

I am totally embarrassed to show you that but...
Just keepin' it real.

quiet.

It has been a little quiet around here lately. Things are so busy with work and keeping life together that I don't often have much time for written words.

I'm not working this weekend which is a serious blessing so I am doing some stuff around the house. The amount of Gwendolen fur on the floor is embarrassing, I think I spend my life unloading and reloading the dishwasher, and dealing with the constant pile of clean clothes on the bed. And yet, somehow today I am unbothered by it. It is an overcast, cool fall day and I am going to get stuff done then hang out with my sweetie - who is out running a 16 miler this morning. Sound like fun?

So happy that fall is slowly arriving...

visiting!

I am sorry that I am such a bad blogger...this time of year is just not good for extracurricular activities in our family!

I am pretty excited that my sister is coming to visit me tomorrow. I am taking the entire day off just to hang out with her, get some pedicures, maybe eat some sushi (cause that cutie I live with won't eat it!), and just chat. I am thankful that she lives close enough to just come for the day when she chooses - I just really wish that our lives and schedules matched up a bit better than they do. Like I said, this time of year is nuts for our house. Chad has been out on a fire since Sunday - coming home to sleep around 5 or 6 hours a night - and then getting up and pushing the "repeat" button the next day. I am sure it is wearing on him...I know he is tired because we don't really talk when he comes home...He just crashes into bed and then is up again before the sun the next day. I worked 12 hours today in my office and I am exhausted. I can only imagine how he feels right about now with all the physical labor and heat he is dealing with these past few days.

I love my job. I know it pays the bills and I am oh-so-very thankful for employment in our current economy and even a job that I actually enjoy going to every day! However, I wish I was home more. And I REALLY wish I was home more when Chad and I could be here together. My house is a wreck right now and I feel like I never really "have it all together". I managed to sneak home and fold the giant pile of clothes last week but they are sitting there on the guest bed waiting to be put away. And now I am two loads behind again! My kitchen smells funny - which I can't seem to find the source of - took out the trash, no dirty dishes, scent checked the fridge - no luck. My dining room table is covered in...stuff. Mostly from where I cleaned off the kitchen counters. Depressing. And there are Gwendolen tumbleweeds blowing near the baseboards...from just 4 days of no vacuuming. Two lessons: you can't always have it all put together (meaning: not that I ever had it put together but for example...if I am succeeding at work, putting in lots of hours and getting my job done well, other areas of my life will fall behind). And two: I would rather spend time with the people I care about than clean my house. We went to Columbus this past weekend and saw people we loved. I went out last night to celebrate the birthday of a sweet friend with a bunch of other gals. And tomorrow - my only day off - I am choosing to spend it with my sister, ignoring the odd smell in the kitchen (ooo...maybe the chef can figure it out!). Hopefully the house cleaning will come in there somewhere but frankly, life is too short...

In other news, please pray for rain. It hasn't rained in over a month here, at least not enough to be considered the real thing. I realize there are places that are experiencing serious drought and the livelihood of entire communties are depending on that rain and I don't mean to minimize that. But we need it too. We need it to soak our land and keep the fires away. Sending people we love out to fire a forest fire is dangerous and rain is really the only thing that will stop it and keep the fires at bay.

small victories.

I have spent the morning cleaning up in our spare room. Since Chad finished the attic stairs and storage area, I have been going through things to put up there and store away. Mostly things from my childhood that I am not ready to part with quite yet but it is just so much stuff! I have cleared out, thrown away, and made another Goodwill box even after taking a huge load of stuff not too long ago.

And lo-and behold- I found my passport. It has been lost since we moved a year ago - just boxed up with a bunch of other junk.  It is still no good since my name has been changed edging in on 3 years now *whoa* but it saves me a bit of paperwork to declare it "lost or stolen" and to use it as my proof that I say I am who I say I am. I was also a bit attached to it because it has all my stamps and visa from my last trip to India and my trip to Europe with my bff Jess. Thankfully they send it back, since they know we are all pretty emotional about saving this type of thing, right??

Chad is teaching a lifeguarding class through tomorrow night so I have the rest of the day today to clean and organize and all afternoon tomorrow as well. I am actually enjoying make some space and organizing things that have just been sitting around since we bought this house a year ago. Time sure does fly...

beautiful Sunday.

I am loving, loving, loving this beautiful Sunday. All the windows in the house are open, church this morning was great (along the lines of..."if you think you are really saved, are you living like it?"), and now I am cleaning the house like a mad-woman getting ready for a friend to come over. I don't even mind cleaning the house when all the windows are open and the breeze is blowing and it is so beautiful.
Lots to do.
Enjoy the rest of your weekend. Go outside.

yep, it's that cold.

Well folks, it looks like we might have skipped over fall around here. Went straight from balmy, warm, and flip-flops to oh-my-gosh-cold rather quickly. And because of lack of rain around here, we didn't get much of a fall color show either (maybe it's not too late - some of the trees still have leaves!!). Want proof of the chilly? I volunteered Chad to teach a CPR/First Aid class at my office today. He asked me to come out and move my car so he could drive his this morning - his car that usually sits in the driveway with a billowy car cover on it because he drives a state-owned truck to and from work every day. Except - low and behold - his billowy car cover was FROZEN to his car this morning. Not so billowy today. Yep - yesterday's brief rain + last nights frozen-er-ish temperatures = frozen car cover. So, he has my car this morning - with her frozen water droplets all over and I am at home doing dishes and laundry (it's about time!).

here and now.

At my house right now:
-Watching the Super Bowl simply for the commercials (and something about Manning having played at UT but frankly, that is just Chad. I am just watching for the commercials!)
-burning my red currant candle from Umbra Essence down in St. Elmo (heaven on my living room table)
-ordered pizza from a local shop and headed to pick it up in 5 minutes

A great Sunday night!

I will be showering and going to bed early and sleeping like a log.