So, apparently it's time for my yearly update... Maybe I'll get around to posting more often since I've been filling my brain with all sorts of information.
What sorts of information you ask? Scientific kinds. Specifically animal science.
Yeah, I probably should have posted a lot earlier, but I got accepted into a Veterinary Technician program here in the Chicago area. It's a quick program, only 18 months (with only 14 months left). Right now, I'm elbow deep in learning about parasites, puppy nutrition and how blood works. I even have a stethoscope. I'm legit.
What's even better is that I've fallen into a group of friends that constantly having me laughing and do well to keep me focused on school work. I'm not the most social person, but being an introvert does have its perks. And one of those perks is being able to find a person (or group of people) that I genuinely enjoy being around, and it's large enough that I can step back and just enjoy the interactions among everyone. It also helps that there's a kennel full of dogs, cats, rabbits, rats and mice that I can escape to when things get overwhelming.
So far, I've survived one round of finals, but the end of term 2 is quickly approaching (as in, I have 4 finals next week) and I don't think I've ever been more thankful for finally giving in and accepting the fact that no matter how hard I try, anxiety medication is a requirement for me to function properly. And coffee. Always coffee.
Pills do well to keep my brain from going into overdrive and jumping to awful conclusions. They quiet the negative little voice, of which I have termed "my shovel." It's difficult to convey in words just how awesome that second part is. Its taken YEARS to finally get to a point where I can finally understand my mental condition, cope, and concisely explain to others what to expect from me.
But this post isn't supposed to be all about my poor brain wiring. No... It's not about how my rabbit fecal test splashed into my face yesterday either. It's about progress. Everyday I learn something new. Everyday I improve myself a little bit. Everyday I'm thankful for the people in my life who've stuck around, the ones who keep me going, the ones who push me to be the best that I can be. People, animals, knowledge.. little reminders that let me know I'm finally on the right course in life. I spent a lot of time growing up feeling lost and out of place. I found comfort in being uncomfortable and in knowing that sooner or later everything will change- the scenery, the people, the emotions, the ambitions, everything. It's still emotional to say, but losing Judy, saying goodbye to my parents, missing my sister.. all these things helped me realize that I have to accept the here and now and be willing to adapt to whatever happens. It's made me stronger. I love a little harder, I let my softness show a little more. I revel in my Laura-ness.
Also- Dunkin needs to sell a 32oz coffee. XX-Large. Is that too much to ask?
Thursday, February 21, 2013
Monday, January 16, 2012
Good Morning, Aurora!
Important stuff first:
-My feet are back on the treadmill
-Family is healthy
-My job is still awesome AND I got a raise.
-Oh, and we moved to Illinois.
True story! About a month after I started my job, Josh found a listing for a position he was interested in the Chicago area. It was going to be a great move for him, but it would mean that I would have to leave my beloved cushy desk job and awesome bosses in Jacksonville. He nailed the interview and that was that, we were destined to become residents of the Chicago metro area (or Chicagoland as they call it here). As luck would have it, my company had two offices in the area. On a whim, I emailed the GM to see if they needed an extra brain in the office. After a few anxious days, I got a response back saying they desperately needed someone as soon as possible. SCORE! My Jacksonville bosses were even nice enough to call and give me a good recommendation to my new GM and district manager. (and if either of you are reading this, by chance, I don't think I could ever thank you guys enough!)
In the in-between time, we were able to make a trip to Chicago to scout out potential apartments. One thing we learned was not to trust apartment rental websites. After having to cross off complexes that were advertised as pet friendly or ones that lacked in-unit washers and dryers, I started to get a little discouraged. You may not keep up with apartment costs in major cities, take a gander- they are certainly not cheap. I worried that we wouldn't be able to afford a place that had everything we needed.
We must have paid some good deeds forward at some point, because our last day and last stop was perfect for us. We both really felt it was the right place, but we needed to crunch some numbers and make sure. Queue the spreadsheet of apartment justice! I broke down all the costs and rated them by commute distance. Lo, the one we liked the best was the best value overall. Even though Geddy owes us $20 a month rent, he makes up for it by doing tricks for treats, wearing bow ties and being cute in general.
During my time off, I jumped in the car and drove home to visit with family. About three days in, Josh got a call from the moving company saying they could be there to pick up our stuff that week. (Did I neglect to mention that Josh's company paid for the relocation and we only had to pack one suitcase each? Cause, yeah, that was awesome.) He finished out his work week and they came to get our stuff that Thursday, Josh hopped a plane Friday night and made it up to WV for a few days and we drove from there to Chicago.
When we're not scouting out Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar (we live in Aurora), we've spent the past couple weeks unpacking and getting our apartment cozied up. Did I also neglect to mention that we live 20 minutes from IKEA? Because that is also tremendously awesome. I persuaded Josh to get rid of some old furniture to make room for a new desk and TV stand. Our spare bedroom/hangout zen den is coming together nicely. It really feels like my old apartment and I think it's quickly becoming one of my favorite spots in our place, aside from the kitchen.
I've also got the ball rolling with a few bigwigs to maybe possibly move up a rank (aka salary), since I'm all ready covering those responsibilities at present, but I don't want to jinx anything. I've also set a lofty goal for myself that I intend to reach by the end of the year (if not sooner). I find my inner zen by reading a saying: "The water a cow drinks becomes milk. The water a snake drinks becomes poison. What do the things you touch become?" Goals are always attainable if you keep your focus. Keep your fingers crossed for me!
-My feet are back on the treadmill
-Family is healthy
-My job is still awesome AND I got a raise.
-Oh, and we moved to Illinois.
True story! About a month after I started my job, Josh found a listing for a position he was interested in the Chicago area. It was going to be a great move for him, but it would mean that I would have to leave my beloved cushy desk job and awesome bosses in Jacksonville. He nailed the interview and that was that, we were destined to become residents of the Chicago metro area (or Chicagoland as they call it here). As luck would have it, my company had two offices in the area. On a whim, I emailed the GM to see if they needed an extra brain in the office. After a few anxious days, I got a response back saying they desperately needed someone as soon as possible. SCORE! My Jacksonville bosses were even nice enough to call and give me a good recommendation to my new GM and district manager. (and if either of you are reading this, by chance, I don't think I could ever thank you guys enough!)
In the in-between time, we were able to make a trip to Chicago to scout out potential apartments. One thing we learned was not to trust apartment rental websites. After having to cross off complexes that were advertised as pet friendly or ones that lacked in-unit washers and dryers, I started to get a little discouraged. You may not keep up with apartment costs in major cities, take a gander- they are certainly not cheap. I worried that we wouldn't be able to afford a place that had everything we needed.
We must have paid some good deeds forward at some point, because our last day and last stop was perfect for us. We both really felt it was the right place, but we needed to crunch some numbers and make sure. Queue the spreadsheet of apartment justice! I broke down all the costs and rated them by commute distance. Lo, the one we liked the best was the best value overall. Even though Geddy owes us $20 a month rent, he makes up for it by doing tricks for treats, wearing bow ties and being cute in general.
During my time off, I jumped in the car and drove home to visit with family. About three days in, Josh got a call from the moving company saying they could be there to pick up our stuff that week. (Did I neglect to mention that Josh's company paid for the relocation and we only had to pack one suitcase each? Cause, yeah, that was awesome.) He finished out his work week and they came to get our stuff that Thursday, Josh hopped a plane Friday night and made it up to WV for a few days and we drove from there to Chicago.
When we're not scouting out Wayne Campbell and Garth Algar (we live in Aurora), we've spent the past couple weeks unpacking and getting our apartment cozied up. Did I also neglect to mention that we live 20 minutes from IKEA? Because that is also tremendously awesome. I persuaded Josh to get rid of some old furniture to make room for a new desk and TV stand. Our spare bedroom/hangout zen den is coming together nicely. It really feels like my old apartment and I think it's quickly becoming one of my favorite spots in our place, aside from the kitchen.
I've also got the ball rolling with a few bigwigs to maybe possibly move up a rank (aka salary), since I'm all ready covering those responsibilities at present, but I don't want to jinx anything. I've also set a lofty goal for myself that I intend to reach by the end of the year (if not sooner). I find my inner zen by reading a saying: "The water a cow drinks becomes milk. The water a snake drinks becomes poison. What do the things you touch become?" Goals are always attainable if you keep your focus. Keep your fingers crossed for me!
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
What happens when you give two stoners a 10 year old:
I've had a few memories popping up over the last few days. Moments that didn't make sense at the time, and looking back, they still don't really make sense.
My parents, crazy they may be, tried the best they could when they got custody of me when I was 10 years old. Neither of them had any idea what to do with a kid my age. They probably would have been ok with a baby.. maybe, but that wouldn't happen for another 4 years or so.
One major memory of my childhood was that I was in trouble. All the time. If you were to ask me why, I wouldn't even know where to start. Josh and I were sitting on the couch the other night and I remembered one of my "punishments": I had to write sentences in a composition book, and once I was done with that, dad made me stand with my back against the wall, knees bent, arms out in front for 5 minutes because "that's what they made him do in the navy."
Another instance that mom and dad thought was SO funny: I got a post card in the mail from the student ambassador program (I'm 12, maybe 13 at this point) and I was ECSTATIC! Someone at the church I went to hosted a foreign exchange student and it was the coolest thing ever. I thought it was my ticket to a vacation away from my parents. I remember bringing it to them and practically begging them to check into it for me. They laughed, of course, and told me that everyone gets those and it wasn't anything to be excited over. Queue bummed out me, retreating to my room to sulk and listen to music. Which is what I did most of the time anyway. A few days later, another postcard shows up from the same address, only this time the recipient was "Kaetoovius Romjin Maxiumus." My cat. Dad went to their website and requested information to be sent to the cat to prove to me that they do, in fact, send that stuff to everyone.
Another gem of a memory was my mom, drunk at 1 or 2 AM, screaming at the TV during the World's Strongest Man competition. I hate you, Magus VonMagnussen, and it's totally not your fault.
One summer I was grounded from everything except for books and my discman. While it was boring at the time, it sparked my love of reading and I got to listen to a lot of CDs. I think that's the summer I started keeping a journal, too. Friends weren't allowed to call, I wasn't allowed to use the phone or go anywhere. I remember the insomnia of that summer and staring out my window watching people walk down my street and wishing I was out there, wishing I had someone to talk to. That was the summer I bought my first Henry Rollins book.
The kid me had no idea why my parents were so weird. The adult me finally figured out that half my parents "parenting" decisions were made to the best of their ability and the other half were result of them being condescending assholes.
I hope, for my sister's sake, that their parenting has improved. They're still really good at being condescending assholes.
My parents, crazy they may be, tried the best they could when they got custody of me when I was 10 years old. Neither of them had any idea what to do with a kid my age. They probably would have been ok with a baby.. maybe, but that wouldn't happen for another 4 years or so.
One major memory of my childhood was that I was in trouble. All the time. If you were to ask me why, I wouldn't even know where to start. Josh and I were sitting on the couch the other night and I remembered one of my "punishments": I had to write sentences in a composition book, and once I was done with that, dad made me stand with my back against the wall, knees bent, arms out in front for 5 minutes because "that's what they made him do in the navy."
Another instance that mom and dad thought was SO funny: I got a post card in the mail from the student ambassador program (I'm 12, maybe 13 at this point) and I was ECSTATIC! Someone at the church I went to hosted a foreign exchange student and it was the coolest thing ever. I thought it was my ticket to a vacation away from my parents. I remember bringing it to them and practically begging them to check into it for me. They laughed, of course, and told me that everyone gets those and it wasn't anything to be excited over. Queue bummed out me, retreating to my room to sulk and listen to music. Which is what I did most of the time anyway. A few days later, another postcard shows up from the same address, only this time the recipient was "Kaetoovius Romjin Maxiumus." My cat. Dad went to their website and requested information to be sent to the cat to prove to me that they do, in fact, send that stuff to everyone.
Another gem of a memory was my mom, drunk at 1 or 2 AM, screaming at the TV during the World's Strongest Man competition. I hate you, Magus VonMagnussen, and it's totally not your fault.
One summer I was grounded from everything except for books and my discman. While it was boring at the time, it sparked my love of reading and I got to listen to a lot of CDs. I think that's the summer I started keeping a journal, too. Friends weren't allowed to call, I wasn't allowed to use the phone or go anywhere. I remember the insomnia of that summer and staring out my window watching people walk down my street and wishing I was out there, wishing I had someone to talk to. That was the summer I bought my first Henry Rollins book.
The kid me had no idea why my parents were so weird. The adult me finally figured out that half my parents "parenting" decisions were made to the best of their ability and the other half were result of them being condescending assholes.
I hope, for my sister's sake, that their parenting has improved. They're still really good at being condescending assholes.
Huge recap...
To say a lot has happened since the last update would be a vast understatement.
I lost my Grandma Judy at the beginning of April. Externally, I'm processing it. Internally, I'm still reeling. She was a major part of my life, especially recently during my mom's major freak outs. She was a calming voice of reason, logic, humor and utmost understanding when I needed it most. When I was young, she rescued me from mom's wrath more times than I can remember. She helped me plan my wedding. She taught me how to cook. She taught me how to read out loud (while my mom was trying to convince my dad that I was probably dyslexic). She taught me how to be creative and appreciate my talents. She taught me that people see things differently and that doesn't make one person right or wrong (while my mom was trying to convince me that I was colorblind). In essence, she raised me up and gave me confidence while my mom was too caught up in being right and making sure everyone else was wrong. In summary, she was a pretty big deal to me.
I know how losing her made me feel- like the guiding light I had pulling me through my mom's storm had just been blown out. She had a way of pushing all the unnecessary bullshit out of the way and really focusing on the true problem. I can't fathom how it made my grandfather feel. He took care of her, day in and day out. He loved her with all his heart. They made each other better people. I can't think of that and not feel the immense need to run home to him and just hug him. My grandfather is a great person. One of my top 5 favorite people of all time. For all intents and purposes, he's my dad and I've always felt that way toward him. We were all present when Judy took her last breath, we all cried, we all told stories, and we all felt the heaviness as they took her out of the house and we all said goodbye for the last time.
I won't be eloquent: It was fucking hard. My brain told me to be strong, my heart told me to do it for more than just myself. We spent that night drinking, awake until we couldn't hold our eyes open anymore. When we woke up the next morning, we cleaned ourselves up and took to the yard. Me, Dad, Josh, Mia & Tim. All we had was familial solidarity. All we had was what we needed to do. All we wanted to do was escape. And it wasn't until the words left my mouth that I realized we were all thinking the same thing: Let's go to the camp. The piece of property out in the middle of nowhere, on top of a mountain, away from the phone calls, the neighbors, and into the quiet. Just us, a jug of moonshine, cigarettes and endless stories. It was then- my grandpa turned to me and said: "After the divorce, I wish I could have kept you. It would have been me and you and we would have been all right." I've been crying over those words ever since. My life would have been so different.
The next afternoon, we were in Cancun, Mexico for a whole week! Our schedule went something like this: Wake up, coffee, booze, books, booze, beach, booze, pool, booze, lunch, booze, nap, booze, dinner, booze, booze, booze, sleep. The booze was great but the food was AMAZING. It really is true that American's value quantity over quality. Everything that we ate or drank had one of us saying "this is the best (insert item here) that I've ever had!" After a week, I was afraid that the jeans I had packed to travel back in weren't going to fit! We really did gorge ourselves. Duck pate? Yeah, we ate that and likely drank about $1000 worth of Don Julio tequila.
Well it turns out my "reasonable raise" was completely unreasonable and their counter offer was insulting to say the least. I immediately told my boss if they couldn't approve something more in my favor, that I would be leaving for another job as soon as possible. He hemmed and hawed and I ended the conversation and went on a mission to find my other boss to royally chew her out for the shit that she strung me through. Her reply was something to the tune of "I see you more as a friend, which is why I told you so early on that we wanted to move you up." You're my boss, not my friend. Thanks for making me jump through hoops for your own entertainment. Within days, I find out she's put in to move to another store. Within days, I'm sending out resumes like candy on Halloween.
About a week into it, I get a call back and an interview. When asked what pay rate I'm looking for, I say what I'm making now and I got laughed at. She tells me that she can definitely offer me more than that. A few days later, I get a call back with a job offer with $11 an hour pay. (More than I had asked for and as many hours as I want to work.) So now I have a nice cushy desk job, my bosses love me, and Josh and I get to carpool to work. AND I'll make enough money to pay off my credit cards!
I lost my Grandma Judy at the beginning of April. Externally, I'm processing it. Internally, I'm still reeling. She was a major part of my life, especially recently during my mom's major freak outs. She was a calming voice of reason, logic, humor and utmost understanding when I needed it most. When I was young, she rescued me from mom's wrath more times than I can remember. She helped me plan my wedding. She taught me how to cook. She taught me how to read out loud (while my mom was trying to convince my dad that I was probably dyslexic). She taught me how to be creative and appreciate my talents. She taught me that people see things differently and that doesn't make one person right or wrong (while my mom was trying to convince me that I was colorblind). In essence, she raised me up and gave me confidence while my mom was too caught up in being right and making sure everyone else was wrong. In summary, she was a pretty big deal to me.
I know how losing her made me feel- like the guiding light I had pulling me through my mom's storm had just been blown out. She had a way of pushing all the unnecessary bullshit out of the way and really focusing on the true problem. I can't fathom how it made my grandfather feel. He took care of her, day in and day out. He loved her with all his heart. They made each other better people. I can't think of that and not feel the immense need to run home to him and just hug him. My grandfather is a great person. One of my top 5 favorite people of all time. For all intents and purposes, he's my dad and I've always felt that way toward him. We were all present when Judy took her last breath, we all cried, we all told stories, and we all felt the heaviness as they took her out of the house and we all said goodbye for the last time.
I won't be eloquent: It was fucking hard. My brain told me to be strong, my heart told me to do it for more than just myself. We spent that night drinking, awake until we couldn't hold our eyes open anymore. When we woke up the next morning, we cleaned ourselves up and took to the yard. Me, Dad, Josh, Mia & Tim. All we had was familial solidarity. All we had was what we needed to do. All we wanted to do was escape. And it wasn't until the words left my mouth that I realized we were all thinking the same thing: Let's go to the camp. The piece of property out in the middle of nowhere, on top of a mountain, away from the phone calls, the neighbors, and into the quiet. Just us, a jug of moonshine, cigarettes and endless stories. It was then- my grandpa turned to me and said: "After the divorce, I wish I could have kept you. It would have been me and you and we would have been all right." I've been crying over those words ever since. My life would have been so different.
~~~~~~~
That was the beginning of April, our wedding was in July. I'll put this very plainly, for anyone that's reading and feeling the need to put their nose in someone's personal business: My parents were invited to the wedding. They did not respond by the RSVP due date and Josh called them to ask if they were coming and my mom said no. That's it, the end, there is nothing more to say. Please don't email me with any questions or comments or asking me to explain "my side of the story."
We finished planning and pulled everything together fabulously. My grandpa did the ceremony and everything was perfectly imperfect. The whole thing kicked off around 5:45 and Josh and I threw back a shot of moonshine to take the edge off before we walked down the aisle together. I consider it a personal victory that we didn't cry all the way through the ceremony. We had so much fun being with everyone and having our two lives come together as one. His family loves my family and my family loves his. The turnout was wonderful. It was so overwhelming to see everyone's smiling faces and know that we are loved.It felt like Judy was there with me all day long. She gave me the extra burst of energy to dye the icing the way I wanted and it reminded me that if I want something bad enough, I have the strength to make it happen for myself. (And to laugh if it doesn't turn out as expected: the purple cupcakes turned blue, my wedding band was lost in the yard and we almost didn't get to say our vows!!) If you keep up with me on Facebook, you can find the link to the photo album. The pictures turned out amazing. Josh and I were so glad once it was all over because it meant that the stress was done and we were FINALLY married.
The next afternoon, we were in Cancun, Mexico for a whole week! Our schedule went something like this: Wake up, coffee, booze, books, booze, beach, booze, pool, booze, lunch, booze, nap, booze, dinner, booze, booze, booze, sleep. The booze was great but the food was AMAZING. It really is true that American's value quantity over quality. Everything that we ate or drank had one of us saying "this is the best (insert item here) that I've ever had!" After a week, I was afraid that the jeans I had packed to travel back in weren't going to fit! We really did gorge ourselves. Duck pate? Yeah, we ate that and likely drank about $1000 worth of Don Julio tequila.
~~~~~
Once we finally got back and settled into our old schedules, I put my nose to the ground job hunting. I don't think I mentioned it on here before: My boss had been telling me since January that I was being considered for management and they wanted to move me up as soon as possible. May-ish rolls around and a position was finally posted that I was told I was getting. Turns out, I still had to apply and interview for it. Also turns out, other people were being considered for the job. After a month or so with no response, I started getting pushy and they finally offered me the position. When I asked what the pay raise would be, my boss asked what I wanted and I replied with what I thought a reasonable raise would be. Que the deer in headlights stare from my boss and the canned response of "I will see if I can get that approved." Well it turns out my "reasonable raise" was completely unreasonable and their counter offer was insulting to say the least. I immediately told my boss if they couldn't approve something more in my favor, that I would be leaving for another job as soon as possible. He hemmed and hawed and I ended the conversation and went on a mission to find my other boss to royally chew her out for the shit that she strung me through. Her reply was something to the tune of "I see you more as a friend, which is why I told you so early on that we wanted to move you up." You're my boss, not my friend. Thanks for making me jump through hoops for your own entertainment. Within days, I find out she's put in to move to another store. Within days, I'm sending out resumes like candy on Halloween.
About a week into it, I get a call back and an interview. When asked what pay rate I'm looking for, I say what I'm making now and I got laughed at. She tells me that she can definitely offer me more than that. A few days later, I get a call back with a job offer with $11 an hour pay. (More than I had asked for and as many hours as I want to work.) So now I have a nice cushy desk job, my bosses love me, and Josh and I get to carpool to work. AND I'll make enough money to pay off my credit cards!
~~~~~
Josh's birthday was August 18th. It's officially his last year of his 20's! I cooked him a pot roast and we went to see Alison Krauss & Union Station live at the St. Augustine Amphitheater. It was a fantastic show and we somehow managed to finagle free parking! We also added a new head to our household! Thanks to the Jacksonville Humane Society, we have a new doggy buddy named Geddy. (Affectionately Gedward Puppercorn)
Friday, March 18, 2011
holy cow I need to update.
So it's been something like a month since I posted last, some super cool stuff has happened!
My birthday was awesome. I spent it exactly how I wanted- with good company and good beer. It was a great way to break in 25... along with a sinus infection. But YAY for free antibiotics at Publix!
We stayed at Pub Life for a night in St. Augustine. It's an awesome little place situated on the second floor of Ann O'Malley's. Free drinks and free food.. and we got invited onto the Double Decker Pub Crawl bus, and hopped to a few different bars before Josh met a guy that he got to talk Rush to. We were pretty lit by that point, and the bus had left the bar we landed at. After a long.. long walk back to the pub, we filled up the clawfoot tub, relaxed, and finally crawled into bed.
On an embarrassing note, I remember waking up in the middle of the night having to pee so bad.. I couldn't find the doorknob in the dark, and I started crying because I didn't want to pee on myself. Did I mention that we had A LOT to drink? Josh claims to not recall any of this. A true gentleman, he is.
We roamed around the town for a bit the next day, both of us terribly hungover. Drank a lot of water, made it halfway up the lighthouse, and then retreated back home and slept for hours. Apparently, staying out late, drinking in smokey bars isn't the best thing to do when you're fighting off an infection. My voice was gone for about two weeks, which made work tons of fun.
I finally got my passport, so the honeymoon is 100% go now. Josh was super worried that I'd put it off for too long and I wouldn't get it back in time, but luckily for an extra $40, it showed up two weeks after I submitted the paperwork. Laura Phalen can now legally travel abroad!
I started watching Mad Men from season one.. and can I say ADDICTED and thoroughly infatuated with Jon Hamm.
That's just a small side note from one of the more AWESOME things that have happened since my last post. Josh told me that his best friend and ladyfriend were coming to town and that I would have to pick them up from the airport. Only when I pulled up the curb at JAX, my aunt and grandma were waving at me! What a fantastic surprise! We got to take them around to our favorite restaurants and spent an afternoon at the beach. It was so great to have two of my favorite people under my roof for a few days. We also got to nail down some wedding details, which made Josh and I even more excited for the coming months.
In other news of plans coming together: Josh and his boys booked their flights! Talk about an awesome bachelor party.. a week in Japan! I wish this was one of those trips that I could beg enough to go along. He's so excited- said they've been planning a trip like this since they were in grade school. I demand souvenirs!
A comic book that I had a hand in creating should be finished by this summer. That's an awesome thing to say. I'm waiting to hear back about publishing/printing costs. If anyone would be interested in getting their hands on a copy, let me know. Any copies sold would certainly help recoup the expenses, and maybe put a little cash in the pockets of the guys that did all the hard work.
Had a great St. Patrick's day- cooked up some pot roast, potato casserole, homestyle green beans and biscuits at the request of a friend that wanted mountain food.
Hope everyone out there in internet land is doing well!
My birthday was awesome. I spent it exactly how I wanted- with good company and good beer. It was a great way to break in 25... along with a sinus infection. But YAY for free antibiotics at Publix!
We stayed at Pub Life for a night in St. Augustine. It's an awesome little place situated on the second floor of Ann O'Malley's. Free drinks and free food.. and we got invited onto the Double Decker Pub Crawl bus, and hopped to a few different bars before Josh met a guy that he got to talk Rush to. We were pretty lit by that point, and the bus had left the bar we landed at. After a long.. long walk back to the pub, we filled up the clawfoot tub, relaxed, and finally crawled into bed.
On an embarrassing note, I remember waking up in the middle of the night having to pee so bad.. I couldn't find the doorknob in the dark, and I started crying because I didn't want to pee on myself. Did I mention that we had A LOT to drink? Josh claims to not recall any of this. A true gentleman, he is.
We roamed around the town for a bit the next day, both of us terribly hungover. Drank a lot of water, made it halfway up the lighthouse, and then retreated back home and slept for hours. Apparently, staying out late, drinking in smokey bars isn't the best thing to do when you're fighting off an infection. My voice was gone for about two weeks, which made work tons of fun.
I finally got my passport, so the honeymoon is 100% go now. Josh was super worried that I'd put it off for too long and I wouldn't get it back in time, but luckily for an extra $40, it showed up two weeks after I submitted the paperwork. Laura Phalen can now legally travel abroad!
I started watching Mad Men from season one.. and can I say ADDICTED and thoroughly infatuated with Jon Hamm.
That's just a small side note from one of the more AWESOME things that have happened since my last post. Josh told me that his best friend and ladyfriend were coming to town and that I would have to pick them up from the airport. Only when I pulled up the curb at JAX, my aunt and grandma were waving at me! What a fantastic surprise! We got to take them around to our favorite restaurants and spent an afternoon at the beach. It was so great to have two of my favorite people under my roof for a few days. We also got to nail down some wedding details, which made Josh and I even more excited for the coming months.
In other news of plans coming together: Josh and his boys booked their flights! Talk about an awesome bachelor party.. a week in Japan! I wish this was one of those trips that I could beg enough to go along. He's so excited- said they've been planning a trip like this since they were in grade school. I demand souvenirs!
A comic book that I had a hand in creating should be finished by this summer. That's an awesome thing to say. I'm waiting to hear back about publishing/printing costs. If anyone would be interested in getting their hands on a copy, let me know. Any copies sold would certainly help recoup the expenses, and maybe put a little cash in the pockets of the guys that did all the hard work.
Had a great St. Patrick's day- cooked up some pot roast, potato casserole, homestyle green beans and biscuits at the request of a friend that wanted mountain food.
Hope everyone out there in internet land is doing well!
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Robits! Running!
It feels good to make progress. I don't give myself the opportunity to be proud of myself very often. But this was too great to let go- I started running at the end of December. 1.3 miles in 30 minutes. Since then, I've jumped up to 2.3 miles in 35 minutes. I even increased my walk/run speed from 2.5/4.5 to 3.0/4.7. The transition up was an awesome feeling in and of itself- I realized one evening that the treadmill wasn't moving fast enough for my pace, rather than me trying to keep up with it! Once I adjusted the speed to fit my gate, it was easier to run longer, I didn't feel as winded, I was even able to push myself run extra minutes. Shin splits took me down for a little while, but I'm certainly not out!
I'm gaining on that last mile! I'm also super pumped that Josh ordered me new running shoes for my birthday :)
In other news, I've been bitten by the artistic bug. I've been saying that I wanted to paint something for our living room since we moved in to this apartment. A year later, I finally found my way to Hobby Lobby and picked up some acrylic paints and a smallish canvas.
The finished product ended up being part of Josh's Valentine.
I ended up picking up three more canvasses and did these, too:
I'm pumped about all these! Check back in for more later on! I've got some wedding ideas...
I'm gaining on that last mile! I'm also super pumped that Josh ordered me new running shoes for my birthday :)
In other news, I've been bitten by the artistic bug. I've been saying that I wanted to paint something for our living room since we moved in to this apartment. A year later, I finally found my way to Hobby Lobby and picked up some acrylic paints and a smallish canvas.
The finished product ended up being part of Josh's Valentine.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
So many beers..
Oops! I didn't mean for there to be such a delay between posts..
Took a few days off running.. due to shin splints and hangovers. Getting back on track now. Josh and I went on a quesadilla kick for a few days thanks to the recipe we found in the cook book his mom got us for christmas.
We watched Memento at movie night. What a mindfuck of a movie. I really enjoyed it though. We also finally checked out a store at the mall called Total Wine. They had soooo many different craft beers.. and all the imports are organized by country and style. BLISS.
I'm part way through a geography activity book in which I have to name all the countries and then trivia questions about them. I wish all college courses were this easy.
Five months until the wedding... If you're reading this and you haven't sent me your address yet, you need to. We're putting the guest list together.
Took a few days off running.. due to shin splints and hangovers. Getting back on track now. Josh and I went on a quesadilla kick for a few days thanks to the recipe we found in the cook book his mom got us for christmas.
We watched Memento at movie night. What a mindfuck of a movie. I really enjoyed it though. We also finally checked out a store at the mall called Total Wine. They had soooo many different craft beers.. and all the imports are organized by country and style. BLISS.
I'm part way through a geography activity book in which I have to name all the countries and then trivia questions about them. I wish all college courses were this easy.
Five months until the wedding... If you're reading this and you haven't sent me your address yet, you need to. We're putting the guest list together.
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