What a month!

Wow, I almost can't believe I did it. I posted the same number of blog posts in 1 month as I did in 5 months last year. Although, 19 posts doesn't sound like that many. I remember when my friend Nancy Ray did 100 posts in 100 days. Now that's some intense blogging! But still, making sure I stayed on top of it this month was a challenge. And as you can see, I just eeked by. No extra posts just for good measure. (Now I may just have to post something tomorrow to throw the whole thing off!)

 

I had to consciously think about it every day and say to myself, "Ok, I posted yesterday, so if I don't post anything today, then I have to tomorrow," and so on. Staying on top of a job with crazy hours, trying to have a life and writing about it is a lot to keep up with. I have a lot of respect for people who do it all and do it all of the time.

 

I would like to continue the trend. However, I think 19 posts a month, at least for the time being, is a little ambitious. I'll probably stick to the 10-15 range. I did like having a goal I had to stick to. It made me write even when I really didn't have anything I felt like writing about (i.e. This post is not about anything). But I'm proud of myself and hope to continue to grow over the coming months... even though I know they're going to start getting very busy with the holidays coming! And who knows, maybe I'll be able to get working on the "project" I talked about a couple of months back.

This post is not about anything

I just realized that my last three posts all include the word "fall" in the title. Obsessed, perhaps?

So on a completely un-fall-related note, I have had the hardest time writing this post today. I already wrote most of another post before I realized that I was bored with it and moved on to something else. But now I'm just sitting here, half-watching a new TV show, because I like to check out the new stuff and see if it's any good. But honestly, I'm just tired and having a hard time focusing on anything.

Jarrod won't be home for another half-hour or so and then I have to be getting to bed about a half-hour after that. I feel like I haven't accomplished much today. Work was frustrating and boring and now I'm home... and tired... and doing nothing... and writing about nothing.

Fall craft-time

Fall candy jars!

More craftiness coming soon!

Operation: Fall Decorating

Fall decorating is under way! As part of my usual Saturday morning house cleaning, I went ahead and switched out some of my normal house decor for some more fall inspired pieces.

I added in a couple of orange pillows. My sister and cousin kept telling me that I need to add more color to my house. I tend to stick to blues and greens. See my thing is this, I'm not a designer and I don't have a designer eye, so I tend to stick to what I know and try to keep a color theme constant throughout the house. But then a designer comes in and can see where I can add in accents and those other elements that us normal folk don't always think about. So they were telling me that adding in some coral and orange would be a good compliment. I was a little hesitant, but I took their advice and it really does look nice.

I also set up my fall inspired dining table! I've got my new table runner and my gold chargers and my jars set up that I plan to fill with candy - as soon as I get to the store and buy some!

I love this time of year when I have an excuse to redecorate. Eight months of the year the house is set up one way and then there are four months of fall and Halloween and Christmas to decorate again! I've had fun getting things rolling this year and I can't wait to continue setting things up over the coming weeks.

Here's what I've done so far...

Fall is here!

It's the first day of fall and it's raining, but I've got my boots and my Coach raincoat and a Pumpkin Spice latte to get me through it! I'm so excited this day is finally here. I've been stocking up on fall decorations for the past few weeks and have been dying to set some of them up, but I have this weird thing about putting out fall decorations before it's actually fall... just like I have a weird think with wearing boots or sweaters or jackets before it's actually fall.

But now the day is here and I don't have to worry anymore. Although I am very upset because I have been looking for a candelabra for my Halloween decor and I found the most absolutely fabulous one yesterday! But I get home and  find that it doesn't fit. I could've cried. But both my sister and cousin (who are both designer/decorators, by the way) say there's a way to make it work, so we'll see about that.

I am afraid, however, that fall decorating will likely have to wait until the weekend because I've got a hot date tonight. I don't live off of a credit card, but I do put most of my purchases on there and then pay them off at the end of the week, because that way I don't pay any interest, but I do get reward points. So every few months I get enough points to buy a gift card, so I always get one to a restaurant that Jarrod and I can use for a date night. Tonight, we're going to Bonefish and I am so excited to get to wear my new dress! It may be a little summery, but I ran out of options of wearing it in the summer, so tonight will have to do! I'm hoping the weather will clear up a bit so I can actually get all madeup without looking awful by the time I get to the restaurant.

So here's to a great fall and hopefully some 70-degree weather!

Final Days of Summer

In honor of the last day of summer, I am wearing a skirt and flip flops today. Over the past couple of weeks I've been pulling out all of my sundresses and other summery items so I could wear them one more time before the seasons change.

This past weekend already made me realize how much I will miss the summer and its warmth. It got down to what? 55-degrees? and I was already freezing! Literally, chill bumps, teeth chattering, the whole deal. They also tend to keep it very cold at work and I will definitely miss being able to go outside to warm up. I already pulled out my blanket this morning.

What I will miss about the summer: the warmth, the sundresses, the cookouts, the flowering plants
What I won't miss about summer: the rain, the high a/c bills, the sweating

I'm Negative!

That's right, I'm celebrating the negative today. I told you a couple of weeks ago about a test I had done that would determine whether or not I am a candidate for a new Crohn's treatment. (A Big Test) Well, I got the results back today and... it was NEGATIVE! (Which is a good thing because it means I'm negative for having this virus that can cause issues.)

I got so excited this afternoon that I literally started crying. All of the other medications I've ever been on have made my Crohn's "tolerable," but not much more than that. If there's even a chance that this one can make a difference then I'm ready to start right now! I do need to have a colonoscopy first (ick!) just to get a baseline for where things stand, so I'm trying to set that up within the next week or two. I'm hoping I can start this sometime next month, but I don't know if it'll be that quick. But I'll keep you posted on the progress!

Can I get a weekend do-over?

Wow, this has been a rough weekend. It started off well with FashionSPARK with my family. (My cousin was actually in the show! I'll probably post about this later this week.) But it's all been downhill from there.

I won't get into all of the details of the weekend, but it involved cold and rain and long walks in very uncomfortable shoes and a horrible, horrible headache. And now it's 7:00 on Sunday evening and I have to be heading to bed within the hour and I feel that I've lost the whole weekend. I need a do-over, because a week of getting up at 3:30 am requires a weekend off!

On top of it all, since this weekend turned out the way that it did, I never got the chance to run the errands I needed to run so I need to do all of those this week, too. Sigh, it's going to be a long week...

Back to School?

I had coffee with my college roommate Katherine today. (I had to get in at least one last iced green tea latte from Starbucks before it gets cold.) It was so nice to see her. She's so easy to just hang out with and talk about everything going on. We definitely don't spend enough time together, so it's always refreshing to hear about what's new in her life.

We ended up talking about our futures and where we see ourselves in the coming years. The option of going back to school came up and I said how much I'd love to be able to do that, but between losing my salary and adding in tuition and other school fees, I just didn't see how it would be possible. She asked if I would be able to get a part-time job during that time... and it really got me thinking. Of course it wouldn't be easy taking on 18 hours a year of graduate level work plus a part-time job, but I think it would be doable.

I started looking into it more when I got home. I was looking up financial aid options and, of course, teacher assistantships are the main option. I'm not sure what sort of a teacher that I'd make, but at the same time, that would be some valuable experience and give me options for the future. Of course, being a TA wouldn't include much pay ($9000/year plus tuition costs), but I did that math and that's the same as making $15/hour at a part-time job (and let's be honest, it'd be difficult to find something part-time where I'd be making more than that, especially in this economy).

I think it's a little too late to look at next year. I'd have to take the GRE next month (yah, right!) and apply by January, which would include a whole heck of a lot of writing samples, etc. But I'm seriously considering looking at the year after that. That gives me a year and a half to get everything together and study and write! That's still pretty daunting, and would take a lot of discipline, but this may be the last time in my life where I have the option of doing this.

Don't hold me to this. I haven't even talked with Jarrod about it yet. But it's on my mind and I felt like writing about it. So it's definitely something I'm considering. But it would affect a lot of things over the coming year. I wouldn't graduate until 2015. I mean, that's a long way off. Hmm... lots to think about...

A day at the outlets

I had so much fun outlet shopping with my sister yesterday! I had the day off so I figured, why not hit up the outlets when they're not so crazy like they are on the weekends?? I knew I needed a new pair of black heels, but otherwise had a little money to spend how I wanted.

As I look ahead to the weather coming this weekend (and the 60-degrees!!), I'm trying to really enjoy these final days of Summer and being able to wear sundresses and flip-flops. It was the perfect day to be outside at the outlet mall. I would've been fine just walking around, sipping smoothies and window shopping. But of course, you can't leave the outlets without picking up a few things.

I got some cute winter/work dresses from Banana Republic, but my favorite find were these Betsey Johnson shoes from Off 5th Avenue. $36, thank you very much!

A quiet morning

I really enjoy a quiet morning like this. I'm sitting out on my back deck with my coffee, muffins and MacBook. The only interruption has been Rylie trying to burrow herself out of the backyard in search of rabbits.

I've spent the past little while going through Beka's wedding pictures for the first real time. Before I went through them all but didn't actually look at them individually. But I think I'm going to have to take a break, because I've been going through them for nearly 45 minutes and I'm not even half-way through, so I think I should probably start getting some stuff done around here.

We'll Never Forget

I'm not sure where to even begin for this post. It has been a difficult morning. Jarrod and I woke up to watch the ceremonies remembering those lost on September 11, 2001. I remember that day so vividly, as I know everyone in my generation and those before do as well. As I watch these people remembering their loved ones and see young children who were only babies when they lost a parent that day, I can't help but cry. It's so heartbreaking to remember the feelings of fear and pain and outrage of that day. I think about how much that day has affected me, and I wasn't even personally involved in it. It's the collective feeling of being an American and America was attacked. It feels personal to me.

On that day in 2001, I was in my sophomore year of high school and would have been in first period Yearbook when the first plane hit, but at that time, so word had gotten to us, of course. I then went to second period Spanish and it was after that class that I first found out about it. I walked out of my class and a friend of mine caught up with me. He was an office assistant for second period, so he'd heard what was going on from the office staff. He asked me if I'd heard the news, that the World Trade towers had been bombed and there was a fire at the Pentagon, because that was what was being reported at the time. It had to be around 9:45am that I found out.

I continued on to third period History, and being only 15, did not understand the weight of what was happening. I remember walking into class and making some joke like, "We're all going to die!" and the classroom was buzzing as everyone had just found out. My teacher walked in a minute or so later and told us, "You guys don't understand the severity what's going on right now." I remember the classroom going silent. We all went into the classroom next door because it has TVs in it and started watching what was happening. The rest of the day is somewhat a blur. I remember standing there watching live as the towers fell. We were all in disbelief and tried to comprehend what was happening. I think we stayed in there for the duration of that period and then the school called an assembly in the auditorium.

I stopped by my mom's room, because she had just started teaching there and her classroom was nearby. I don't remember what we talked about, but I remember feeling better having spoken to her. At the assembly, I remember coming together and watching more on a projected screen and our teachers trying their best to help us understand and praying for those involved.

I can't believe it has been 10 years since that day. Seeing video of that day still hurts. Remembering those feelings at the age of 15 is still haunting. It's still difficult to understand that there are people out there in the world who would want to hurt you for no reason, at least any reason that would make sense to you. I wonder how the world would be different today if this had never happened. Are we a stronger country today? We are at least are more prepared for whatever threats may come against us. Are we more unified as a people? Probably not. But on this day we are. Today, as a collective people, we remember those whose lives were needlessly taken. We remember those who gave up those lives in order to save those they could. We think of those who lost those they loved the most.

And today is a day when these thoughts are in the front of our mind, but even as we continue from here, we'll never forget.

Adventures in Grilling...Part 2

I was wrong to worry. They were delicious! My husband is the grilling master. I'll never doubt him again... maybe. But they weren't too spicy and tasted fantastic. I guess I'm gonna have to send Jarrod out in the cold to fire up the grill some in the coming months because I don't think I'll last until Spring without some grilled goodness.

Adventures in Grilling...Part 1

I am so excited about the Fall! In the coming weeks you'll see lots of posts about all of my big plans for the season! But one thing that upsets me about moving into the chillier part of the year is the end of grilling season.

As a wedding present, Jarrod's aunts and uncles all pitched in to buy us a Weber grill and, let me tell you, it's one of the best presents we got! We use it all of the time and Jarrod has become a grilling master. There is nothing this man can't cook on that grill. Filet, kabobs, sashimi tuna... it all comes out amazing.

However, tonight we're making ribs, which we've never done before. And I'm a little nervous. Really it's because I wasn't sure what kind of sauce to get. Neither Jarrod nor I are big BBQ sauce people, so I was on the phone with him while at the store today trying to figure out the best kind. Jarrod told me to get the John Boy and Billy Grilling Sauce and I'm not so sure it was the best choice. First of all, it's not BBQ-y at all... and I feel that ribs need to be BBQ-y. Also, I think it's gonna be too spicy for me. Oh well, we'll see in a couple of hours. Post 2 COMING SOON!

Wedding Picture Fun!

I got to relive my sister's wedding a little today. Beka's pictures were posted yesterday by the lovely Nancy Ray. I had so much fun going through them. I remember all the fun of getting ready with everyone (even though I had a bit of a rough time because I forgot my shoes!) and taking lots of pictures and feeling goofy when Nancy tells you to "look at each other and laugh." We had a great time dancing the night away and watching Nate teach us all how to Dougie.

I love the emotion in my dad's face as he danced with my sister and seeing how proud my mom looked. I love the pictures that capture my sister and Nathan looking at each other with so much love. I love the pictures where the person obviously didn't know their pictures were being taken. I love the ones of baby Jordan! And I love the crazy ones of us dancing and well, just being crazy.

I know I've missed some gems in there, too, and I'll come across them later and get to reminiscing all over again. I picked out a few of my favorites. I tried to narrow it down, I really did, but it's the best I could do! So enjoy! You can take part in the fun, too!

A Big Test

I took a pretty important test today (and no, it was not a pregnancy test, because I know that's where all of your minds just went.) It was a JC Virus Antibody test. If you remember my post from a couple of months ago where I talked about some changes I was making because of my Crohn's Disease, I mentioned there was this new medication that my doctor wanted me to consider, but it's got some pretty bad side effects. Well, essentially, this test will tell me whether or not I have to worry about those side effects. My doctor told me before that you've got about a 50/50 chance of having it.

If it comes back negative, the odds of these side effects drop to almost zero. But if it comes back positive, the odds go way high and basically takes this new medication off the table. I've been on my current medication for about 2 1/2 years now, and it has never really made that big of an improvement in my life. I mean I'm stable and it's kept things at a tolerable state, but I'm looking for some options that can make a big difference. This new medication may be one of those options.

My doctor told me this test just got approved by the FDA in the U.S. and just got the approval needed from the UNC Hospital system like today. So I'm the first one there to have this test done. Don't worry, it was nothing fancy. All they did was take some blood, so it wasn't some weird test I actually had to do anything for.

But now I have to wait. Of course they weren't sure exactly how long since I'm the first one to have it done, but he thought about a week or so. I've been praying all day that this will open up some doors for me. I'll be sure to post an update when I know more. But for now... we'll just keep praying.

Laboring on Labor Day

Not that I'm complaining. I did just have a 4-day weekend. Plus, I got to enjoy my first Pumpkin Spice latte of the year.

Friends of the Forever Kind

I had lunch today with my oldest friend. I have known Anna literally my entire life. I was actually in the hospital with her the day she was born when I was only 3 months old. We grew up together, played Barbies and Power Rangers and dressed up like princesses.

We had our ups and downs over the years. One of my favorite stories to tell about us came from our Kindergarten class. We had gotten into a fight about something, I can't remember what, and Anna stormed off with an emphatic, "You're not my best friend anymore!" and I yelled back, "Fine!" A few minutes later I was called over by the teacher who asked me if I'd told Anna we weren't best friends anymore. I told her, "No, Anna said, 'You're not my best friend,' and I said, 'Fine.'" And then Anna, serious as hell, through her tears said, "But you're supposed to argue."

I am happy to say that 25 years later, she's still one of my very best friends. We don't always keep up as much as we'd like and having lunch together happens too rarely, but we always pick up right where we left off.

I love meeting up with her because I'm always interested to see where her life is heading. She just spent several weeks in Sri Lanka bathing elephants (seriously!). Now, she's planning a trip to New Zealand where she'll spend at least 3 more months there. But she doesn't even know if she's leaving in November or sometime next year. Anna lives in the excitement of the unknown, which makes me a little jealous sometimes. Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy with where my life has taken me, but at this point, I feel that things are sort of planned out. I miss that feeling of not knowing what's coming next. I hate that I don't have an option of moving to some distant land for any number of months. I'd love that opportunity to travel and try new things.

I feel that someday Anna is going to put together a memoir of her life and it would be really exciting to read. I wish that if I put together the story of my life that others would want to read it, but the cold, honest truth is that I don't think it would be that interesting. Like I said, I'm not disappointed with my life in any way, but I would like some sort of legacy to be able to pass along. It makes me want to be more spontaneous and exciting, but then I realize that I have a mortgage and other expenses to think about and being spontaneous usually means expensive. I also know I have my whole life ahead of me and there's no time like the present to start writing whatever story you want.

Dancing in September

"Say do you remember... Dancing in September... Never was a cloudy day..." 

-Earth, Wind & Fire

Fall is ALMOST in the air! The beginning of September always makes me want to get into the Autumn season and pull out the boots and scarves and earth tones, but then I realize I still have another 22 days to go. I try not to wish the summer away because I know as soon as fall gets here that winter is coming right after it, bringing four month of freezing... because I am always cold (just ask Jarrod).

But I am excited about September. I feel that August was spent "catching up." July was a difficult month health-wise which bled over to August and left me pretty exhausted. Plus, my work schedule has been so crazy that I've had little time to myself and has taken a bit more energy that usual. I'm glad to be starting off a month feeling better and ready to take on more.

So for this month...
-As I said in my last post, I want to write more. Here's to 18 more posts!
-Take Rylie for some more walks, now that it's not 100-degrees every day.
-Start planning an amazing engagement party for my brother-in-law and future sister-in-law.
-Finish a couple of my crafty projects that I've started.
-Read a good book. I think I already finished my 12 books for the year, but haven't read a good book in a couple months now.
-Decorate the house for fall on a budget.


-Set up the office. It looks great!
-Start meal-planning again. Did a pretty good job of this.
-Relax. I'm not the best at relaxing, but did alright for me!