Sing it with me...

Daniel is traveling tonight on a plane,
I can see the red tail lights heading for Spain...

Ok, so he left last Saturday - not tonight - but I never knew that song said "heading for Spain." That's where he is. Funny, funny. Funny, too, that our grass is growing up like the everglades in such a short time. I've looked around to find other yards that are as high as ours, that way I know I'm not the only one pushing my luck. There aren't any. Or maybe the utter unruliness is just in my head. Either way, I got the guts to get out of the house yesterday and mow the lawn for Dan. I've never mowed a lawn. I'll admit it, but I was willing to try. That was until I couldn't even pull on the dang rope hard enough to get the mower started. Oh, and then I found out today that I was supposed to push some "cold start" button. Well...WHO KNEW THAT? Sorry Dan, the yard is still turning into a jungle for your arrival, unless something can save me.

Question: What do you get when you mix the ups and downs of moving into a new house, transitioning to a totally different job, the natural ebbs and flows of living and being, a to-do list that's overflowing, a clock that never slows, and two head colds within a month?

Answer: A no-good, unproductive, down in the dumps, just plain stuck, me.

Something's gotta go. The past couple weeks months have been a challenge - I've especially felt it in the last week or so. Definitely, exciting and fun things have come my way and I'm very blessed, but I have so much going on that I am absolutely stuck. Too much to do = too many choices = not sure what I can fit into available time = indecisive and uninspired = me flushing hours down the toilet.

Time for a change. I don't want to spend my days cleaning or watching television not knowing what else to do. This week lazing around with no obligations has been pretty refreshing for me and my stuffy head, yet frustrating at the same time. I DON'T LAZE AROUND - I KICK LAZINESS IN THE BEHIND. Yet here I sit with nothing to show for the week but piled dishes, take-out food, many hours of watched television, a trip to Walgreen's, and a haircut.

So I'm sharing my frumpiness in hopes that I can spill it and GET RID of it...process my thoughts and figure out what to do.

Spilled and moving on: Dan's coming back on Saturday, it's an extended holiday weekend, and a little celebration of us. In our story, May 27th reigns supreme. This year will total one year dating + one year engaged + one year married. Three years together, going at this crazy life as one.

Today: I was told that I should be a hand model. I had some great conversations getting to know people at work. I got a new 'do at a new salon closer to home - picture to come after Dan sees it first. I caught up on my DVR'd American Idol finale - the Guitar Hero commercials were hilarious. It's been a pretty good day - just what I needed. And tomorrow's Friday.

Irie mon.

Throwing it random-like...

A bunch of things lately...

I've watched more TV in the last week than I have in a while. I am not motivated to start a certain design project, and I have a hunch that these two things are related.

We were going to clean a little last Saturday and visit moms on Sunday. That turned into a major cleaning Saturday and families visiting us on Sunday. Everyone brought chicken to prevent cooking. There was a whole bunch of chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, and cole slaw. And a whole bunch of disinfectant spray after germy, sick people left. Don't get me started on people visiting other people while sick. My parents had to leave early, but hopefully my mom had a good Mother's Day.

The house is really, really clean now - yippee.

Dan and I are thinking of a house-warming in June. There are house projects and photo decor to think about, especially the painting we need to finish. I need to set up weekly goals to complete this stuff.

The work days are flying by with all the tasks and conference calls. So far, so good in the new job. It was a bit challenging to figure out my work flow, emails, and daily structure, but I'm getting there.

Dan's leaving on a jet plane this weekend for business. He'll be gone for a week. Then, I'm taking off the 27th for our anniversary. It's hard to believe that we've been married a year already. Wow. A friend recommended a bed + breakfast nearby, so we're going to get away from the house, the computers, the people, and just enjoy us - and the breakfast. We'll have to see how the top layer of our wedding cake tastes after a year in the freezer, too.

It's only Monday, but Friday will be here before I know it. This week's a full one!

Cinco de cupcakes...

This past week has included a whole lot of cooking - trying new recipes that turned out delicious - and enjoying some wine with our new foods. My first week in the new job called for some wine to celebrate, but also to relax my over-walked and hard-worked body. There was a LOT of walking in the first week...a lot of standing...a sick day thrown in for good measure... and watching a video and photo shoot to round out the busy week.

Dan and I also had a Panera night to meet with his cousin and her fiance. We'll be doing their engagement and wedding photos this year (oh, did I forget to mention that we're wedding photographers? Because we're NOT.) We're looking forward to it, though, and will do-what-we-do to the best degree. We already have great ideas in mind for their engagement shoot.


This past week also included relaxation, chalked messages of love and necessities, watching Dan in Real Life, and treats of all sorts. One such treat was brought from my parents' house yesterday - my piano. It marks off #44 on my 101 list to bring my piano to our new house, and also gives me a push on #45 (learning a new piano song). Dan even wants to learn to play now that it's in the house. Through the years, multiple moves, and careless teenagers, it definitely has some character. Eventually, we'll refinish it to match other wood in our house.

Tonight - is cupcake baking night. Tomorrow is hubby's birthday! I'm making him some special carrot cake cupcakes to take to work. They're just about done and I need to catch up on icing (and eating) them.

"What are we going to do this week, Brain?"
"The same thing we do every week, Pinky..."