Wednesday Things/Currently…

(From our honeymoon in the Dominican Republic – it was paradise!)

Hello again! In my last blog update before I got married, I mentioned that I was going to start doing “Currently” posts instead of my usual “Wednesday Things.” Just thought I’d add that little reminder since I’m back to posting regularly on the blog!

Currently…

Loving… My wedding highlight reel. Yes, still. I’ve watched it just about every day since my videographer gave me the link!

Reading… nothing at the moment. I just finished Night Circus by Eric Morgenstern for Bonnie’s Book Club (one of my favorite bloggers – go fall in love with her, too!). It. Was. BRILLIANT. I got it as an audiobook, which was read by Jim Dale (who read the audio books for the Harry Potter series and is absolutely amazing). For months now, I’ve been raving about audio books, but now that I’m not driving to school everyday or an hour just to see my man anymore, I’m definitely not driving nearly as much as I had been. I guess it’s time for me to sit and read one of my hard copy books!

Watching… Parks and Rec. How did I ever fall behind on this show? We’ve also been catching up on Arrow but sometimes we just need better acting/happier content/shorter episodes. What are you watching?

Anticipating… getting another job. I’m still writing for My Subscription Addiction (and loving it – seriously, what a dream job!) but I’d love to get an hourly job that 1) isn’t waitressing, 2) lets me work during the same hours as Luke so we still have our evenings together, 3) is something I don’t hate, which requires that it’s also 4) not waitressing (oh, did I mention that already?). Also, I’d like to avoid the retail industry. I’ve been sick for the last two weeks, which has given me an out from pressuring myself to go apply anywhere, but now that I’m feeling better I’m definitely antsy to get out there and talk to people.

Eating… chocolate. Seriously, I got to review Treatsie‘s new Chocolate Bar Subscription box and the gourmet chocolates have been amaaaazinnnng. Also, because I’ve been sick – like I said – I made a super yummy “Chicken Noodle Soup Casserole” thing. And I got to use my new bakeware!

Planning… A date night. Between post-wedding catching up and Memorial Day plans, the only times Luke and I have spent away from the house together has been for family get-togethers, but I really need a date night. Did you know that Frankenmuth has an adventure park with rope courses and zip lines and everything? I’ve been dying to go there since I found out about it last fall. It was too cold then, but now that it’s summer I definitely want to get all over that.

Needing… to get back to exercising. I’m in a new town, so I need to explore good running routes. Like I said though, I’ve been sick and haven’t wanted to push myself to go running when my lungs were making me have cough attacks every 10 minutes. Now that I’m better there’s no excuse!

What are you up to? What did you do for Memorial Day weekend? =]

 

Last Unmarried Blog Update!

This will officially be my last post as an unmarried woman (what? ahhhhh!).  The wedding is on Sunday, in 2 days and this week has blown by.  I mean, I guess that’s obvious, but seriously. Fortunately, I am not a hectic whirlwind of a girl; I am doing super well and am really calm and chill. All of the big decisions have been made and all the little things to worry about have been delegated.  All I have to worry about is moving all my things to L’s apartment, which is still pretty inconvenient because of how far he lives from me. My room looks like a tornado ran through it due to my cleaning/sorting/packing, but it has to get worse before it gets better, I guess.

Currently, my sister and I are curled up on the couch in front of a lovely fire in the fire place, perfecting the details of the ceremony programs and talking about our feelings in regards to varying fonts and I’m really happy. Tomorrow is full of really boring errands and then picking up some of my favorite ladies at the airport. From that point on, I get my best friend that I never get to see with me 24/7 and it’s going to be heavenly. I’m so excited!

I know I’ve done Wednesday Things for the majority of this past semester, but this lovely lady does a variation of that for posting updates on her blog, which she titles “Currently” and describes her current feelings and thoughts, etc. I think it’s a great idea, and I’m going to start doing them myself. =]  So, here we go…

Currently…

Loving… moving! Namely, finally going through all my crap and paring down all my belongings. Seriously, I own way too much.

Thinking… about all my last-minute little errands, phone calls, and things to finish up in the (zero) time I have left until the ceremony.

Reading… Ready Player One by Earnest Cline. If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you probably know that I absolutely love audio books. 50% of my time is (unfortunately) spent driving in my car and thanks to audio books, I’ve gone through up to five or six books in one month! I anticipate that this will change after I get back from the wedding because I won’t have a school, job, or boyfriend’s house to drive to (hurray for working online!). I’m looking forward to this, because I think I’ll actually be able to get through the tons of physical books I own that I have yet to read. (Bonus: the audio version of Ready Player One is read by Whil Wheaton!)

Watching… youtube. Honestly, I’ve just been going through Rooster Teeth and Achievement Hunter videos because all of the shows I’m behind on are ones I watch with L, and we just haven’t seen enough of each other in, like, ever to actually stay up to date on all of them. So, when I’m at my place and/or just by myself, I just watch their episodes on YouTube.

Anticipating…  my wedding. Duh. AND seeing my lovely lady friends who are coming into town to stand up next to me for my big day! Also, I recently realized a wonderful thing that I am very excited for: on the day of, I have no time schedule to which I must conform. Aside from making sure that I’m happily hidden away once people actually start arriving, the entire day does not happen without me or my say-so. Literally. This is the ONE day in my life that I get when this happens. This has also been one of the most comforting things for me.

Wednesday Things

1. Our wedding guest book arrived!! I know I mentioned that I second-guessed it for a hot second in last week’s Wednesday post, but now that I have it in my hands, I couldn’t be any happier. I’m so excited to read the things everyone I love has written in it after the wedding.

2. Today has not been a day when the universe has been nice to me. I slept through my alarm (for the second day in a row), realized I forgot my wallet at home only AFTER I ate out for lunch, went to the wrong meeting place for a group project and didn’t realize it for an hour, got cussed out for walking into the grocery store (what?), and was then honked at and given the finger for safely and legally getting into the lane for a Michigan left (I had signaled, then braked, and then merged into the left-turn lane, all while monitoring my mirrors like a good citizen. I have no idea what this guy was angry about).

3. Today I had my last choir rehearsal ever. Probably for ever ever. My director said the sweetest thing to me after specially recognizing the graduating seniors; he said “what a neat opportunity you gave to me by auditioning and joining Chorale this year.” Although I’m slightly terrified at the fact that, in a little less than a month (WHAT?) I’ll be graduated and will likely never get the chance to sing with a group of people ever again, and almost definitely will never get the chance to sing with such a wonderful group of people who are just so dang good at what they do. You can say whatever you like about what you’re going to miss when you graduate, but the connection and belonging you gain by being in an amazing choir with a director who is the most enthusiastic and loving person I have ever met is something that will break your heart when you leave. Even though I’ve only been in Chorale for this past year, I’ve learned so much about who I am, who I want to be, who I can be, and what I value through the process.

4. Some of you know I write for MySubscriptionAddiction, a company that reviews subscription boxes. Because of the fact that boxes are only mailed out monthly (or bi-monthly, or quarterly), it’s taken some time to get a good number of boxes sent my way even though I’ve been employed for a couple months. Things have really gotten going this month, and I just have to say that this is one of the neatest opportunities I’ve had. I’m loving it. It’s also so much fun to try new things! I mean, sometimes I get clothes or high-end beauty products, and sometimes I get a box of Japanese action figures? All in all, though, it’s awesome.

5. Did you know that Audible lets you return audio books for 365 days after the purchase date? You can only return like, two online and then you have to call their customer service for the rest, but it’s so easy and they don’t even bug you about it. They might ask why you’re returning them, and you can literally say “just ’cause.” Guess who has 6 new books at once to listen to! This gal!

6. Can we just talk about how my fiancee actually researched relationship-related books and asked for us to get them to read together to prep for married life? On his own? It’s like he’s some sort of rare mythical beast or something. What guy does that? A great one, that’s for sure.

7. Does anyone else find it hard to feed yourself for real when you’re all by yourself? My parents have been out of town and, with it just being me here, I’m living off of cereal and grocery-store sushi even though I make great things when I’m cooking for someone else, too. You’d think I’d rather make something yummy and not have to share it when I’m on my own. Is this just me?

8. It’s just about the most fun ever to get the mail when there’s a couple cute RSVP cards awaiting your arrival every day.

9. I’m debating what I should do with all of my extraneous belongings like books and clothes and such. I’ve been thinking about making some sort of online store via facebook, or maybe setting up an Amazon seller’s page or something. Basically, a virtual garage sale. Do any of you have any experience doing something like this? Any brilliant ideas for me?

 

 

Thoughts and Inspiration

Lately, I’ve had a few things get stuck in my head that I just want to write about, or even just share with someone – anyone. And what do I love more than a good list? So today, we’re putting the two together. (Also, I’ve missed my Wednesday Things for the last couple weeks from the holidays, so I’m just writing things out instead of saving it all for Wednesday).

1. I’ve lost track of the link where I originally read it, but one of the more powerful (and effective) strategies to judge others less that I have ever come across is this: next time you find yourself starting to judge someone else based on their looks, imagine that person standing in front of you, looking you in the eyes, and saying “I’m beautiful.” Just like some say doing this to yourself makes your brain start to believe it, you will begin to start seeing it in others. 
2. I just finished reading The Husband’s Secret by Liane Moriarty for Bon’s monthly book club  (lovely gal! I love that she runs a book club through her blog!), and I didn’t really expect to love it when I started it. However, as things progress (especially into the last half of the book) I knew it had some amazing observations of and questions to ask human nature. At least to me, it did. 
3. When my grandmother passed in October, the core strategy I’ve clung to is to drop all my self-criticism – about how I feel like grieving, about what I feel, and in general. I feel like, initially, I used this escape from my own self-judgement as an excuse to procrastinate, indulge, and overspend; but right now I feel as if this break has naturally come round to a state of mind where I feel genuinely motivated for self-development and self-improvement goals in contrast to the years I’ve spend trying to shame or guilt myself into “fixing” things about myself. I’ve got goals, plans, and a support system. I’m good to go.
4. Speaking of self-improvement: thank goodness New Year’s started in the middle of the week, am I right? I got four or five days to flesh out my resolutions, set up my plans, and indulge in the last few treats (sweets, not going to the gym, not keeping my room clean, etc.) that I’m limiting a little more in this coming year, starting Monday. These last couple days have also been especially restful since the holidays really didn’t offer too much peace or time to relax. Thus is the life of a server. Now that the holidays are done, we’re in one of our slowest months for the restaurant industry, and even though the nights I do have to go in are slow, part of me feels that they are a nice reprieve from the crazy holiday shifts and hours I’ve worked this past month.
5. One of my resolutions is to try and take the extra moment to do a little more for others. I find that, when one suspects someone else needs help or someone to talk to or encouragement, it’s so easy to assume some one else will be there for them, and so we aren’t. In reality, this often leads to no one being there for them. It’s another demonstration of the bystander effect.
6. I know I mentioned this before, but I am absolutely loving audio books! Gone are the days where I have to sit still and read and feel like I may be giving up time to do something else more productive. I listen to books whenever I’m in the car. I drive a lot. In the last two months, I’ve gone through 7 books (that’s almost a book a week!), They make my frequent hour-long commutes go by so quickly, and I’m never scared of being too sleepy to drive home late, and I’m excited about seeing if I like using them while I work out. I’m currently using Audible, but I recently discovered that there’s an app call Overdrive that lets you select a local library, sign in with your library card, and download free audiobooks to your phone or computer (here’s one link for more information).
7. Um, all I’ve been eating lately is Thai food and yellow curry? One of my resolutions is to start making it myself. Buying it daily is… expensive. Whomp whomp.
8. I’m watching the series House of Cards on Netflix. I did not expect it to be my thing, but holy crap, do I find it exhilarating. It’s so different than anything else I usually watch, but the story and characters are amazing and at the end of every episode I always find myself wanting more. Let me know if you watch it so we can talk!
9. For years and years, I’ve pictured “the girl I want to be.” Heck, I’ve even made lists and plans on my computer of how to become that girl. However, this year is about realizing I already am that girl. I’m already exactly who I want to be, but sometimes some bad habits of taking the easy route or worrying too much or losing perspective get in the way. This means that, instead of seeing some perfect goal I hopelessly aim to obtain, I tell myself I already have/am it, and I just have to to choose not to fall prey to an obstacle and stay true to me. Helllloooo perspective change!
10. Another resolution/goal? ORGANIZATION. I want to go container- and label- and file-crazy this year. There’s no way being organized can hurt, and it does so much for my psyche knowing that I know exactly where to find things I need. Committing to making organization a habit now only strengthens my ability to continue on with it for the rest of my life.

All in all, I feel excited, positive, and confident for 2014. What are your resolutions? What are some thoughts that have been sticking in your mind lately? What are you excited about?

Wednesday Things

 

1. Obviously, I couldn’t start this week’s Wednesday Things with anything other than the announcement that I’m ENGAGED!! A whole post dedicated to the details will be posted sometime this weekend. 
2. The semester is just about officially over. I’m so excited — especially now that I have a definite real thing to dedicate my time to!
3. I really just have to clean my room. It’s… such a mess. How does this happen? Dude, I just cleaned it last week. I like to think that I’m not the only person who has this problem, but I might be. All of the boxes and shipments from my online shopping for Black Friday and Christmas do not help.
4. Speaking of which! I know I missed posting Wednesday Things last week, but last Wednesday was my Thanksgiving, so I was busy with the cooking and the being a family thing. Wednesday was my Thanksgiving because Thanksgiving I had to work!
5. This weekend is my best friend’s senior piano recital in Pennsylvania. I’m totally stoked. I’m leaving tomorrow to see her (and celebrate each other!) and she is the best ever and I know it will be amazing.
6. My favorite podcast gave out a code for a free book on tape from Audible, and I’m telling you that I do not know why I never got into Audible sooner! It’s perfect for how much I drive. No, really, I drive a LOT. I was shocked when I found out that the national average for miles put on a vehicle in a year was 10,000. Uhhhmm, I’ve put on more than twice that in 6 months. I drive quadruple the amount as the national average. This being said, I’ve been flying through books. In the last two weeks, I’ve gone through three. I’m very sad that I can’t like, highlight quote or phrases, but I know if I let just that be an excuse for not letting myself listen to books, I’ll never have the time to sit still and read them. Like I said – I’m a busy girl. School, work, wedding planning, social life… Driving is the only time I sit still if I have to, and I am thrilled to be loving audio books!
   
7. I totally just found out that the next John Green book I want to read is only about 8 hours long. My trip to Pennsylvania this weekend is 5 hours long just to get there. I will be done with this book and started on a new one by the time I get back. Ah-mazing.
8. I’m still loving my subscription boxes! I accidentally missed my selection window for Beauty Army somehow (upsetting) and so I’m stuck with the surprise of whatever they picked for me. I also get Birchbox, and will be getting my first trials of Wantable and POPsugar. I’m so excited. I’m getting myself all the presents this December!