Pink Cotton Candy

Sept 27, 2010

The clouds tonight reminded me of pink cotton candy.



And while the sunset was beautiful, thinking about pink cotton candy made me want to vomit.

Because I ate way too much at Houlihans for dinner.

For the record, the "meal deal" is a bad idea. No one should ever gorge themselves on that much food. I told myself that when I ordered, but who can turn down free dessert?

Also for the record, the Snickers Dome Crunch- totally worth the "I'm so full my stomach feels like it may actually explode" pain.

Prisms

When I was little, I loved prisms. We had one that hung from the lock on the living room window and I could sit for hours and watch the prism catch the sunlight and throw rainbows all over the walls.

The world after the rain is like a prism. Crystal droplets catching the light and casting rainbows of beauty on the walls of the world around them.

Marriage

We've been married for 2 months now and everyone asks "so, how's married life?". I always answer "it's awesome". Because it really is. But I also want to say "it's surreal. I can't always wrap my mind around it. I'm a wife." Totally weird.

I sometimes feel like a little girl playing dress up. Standing in my mother's heels, feet slipped into the toe and 3 inches of extra room in the back, swimming in a dress that fits more like a tent than a glove. Gazing through the looking glass at my made up face of lipstick pink cheeks, smeared purple eye shadow, and spikey lashes, gooped with mascara.

Sometimes, I feel like I'm playing house. Wearing my funny apron, whipping up dinner, and folding laundry while the apple pie is baking in the oven.

But it's good. Surreal and mind boggling, but definitely good. And when I look out the window and see my husband sitting on the back porch waiting for the grill to heat up, enjoying the sunset, it's not only good, it just seems right.

The Best

Sunday Sept 12, 2010

I am a project person. I can always find something that I want to do. For what seems like eons, I've wanted to scrape and repaint the screened in porch. So, this weekend I finally got around to it.

I scraped and primed and finally, on Sunday I was ready to paint. It took a lot of persuading, but I managed to enlist Austin's help...and while Austin was a great (if not mildly grumpy) assistant, his real contribution was calling his mom who packed up a trunk load of painting supplies and come over to pitch in.

And after Austin headed off to the golf course, it was Lisa who stuck around to help clean up. And it Lisa who came by later to pick me up for a Wal-mart run to check out their clearance patio furniture cushions before we headed over to meet the boys on the 18th hole.


Hotair balloon over the 18th hole at Gustin

When Austin texted me from the course to tell me they were going to be a little later than anticipated, I told him I was running errands with his mom. He asked me later "was that weird for you?" I just laughed and said "no, babe. It was actually really fun. It was awesome."

And it really was because I'm blessed with the best mother in law ever.

(oh, and Tim, if you're reading this, I have the best father-in-law ever too :))

First Home Game

Saturday Sept 11, 2010

First home football game of the season. I love football season.

I love tailgating.

I love B2 flyovers and the band marching on to the field.





I love Austin yelling at the halftime show that's broadcasted on the megatron screen because the first clip is a highlight of the KU game.
BOOOOOO KU! WHY ARE YOU EVEN SHOWING THIS CLIP!? BOOOOOO KOMU!! WATCH CBS!!!

And I love when the fans in our section start applauding and booing with him.

There really isn't any better way to spend a September Saturday evening.

Go Tigers!

Bridgette

Sept 10-18, 2010

When we were engaged, Austin and I were talking about all those hard decisions we needed to make. How would we divide up holidays between our families? When and how often would we have a "date night"? And I was amazed at how easy it was to agree on all the big questions.

We have one checking account.

We can split holidays between our families. A blessing that comes with living in the same town as both sets of in-laws.

We will have date night at least once every other week with the goal of making "us time" at least once a week.

We will do the Dave Ramsey plan...

This is where it got a little more complicated. Because in my mind "The Dave Ramsey Plan" looked like us making a monthly budget and following it. Keeping cash in an envelope for gas and food and entertainment funds. Having "blow money" that we can do whatever we want with.

In his mind "The Dave Ramsey Plan" included selling my car so we didn't have a car payment.

Bridgette. My sleek, beautiful, BMW X3. The first automobile that I have ever purchased totally on my own. No help from my parents, no co-signer on the loan. All mine.

It's hard for Austin to understand my struggle to give her up. Not just because I worked so hard for her. Not only because she is a symbol of me being an adult, a real life grown up who can afford things like a new car all on my own; but, she's my independence also.

If I need to go on a spontaneous trip to Gerbes for some Ben & Jerry's Half Baked ice cream, I can just hop in Bridgette. If I get the urge on a gorgeous fall day to pack up the dogs and go to the park, I can just hop in Bridgette. If I need a day trip to the J-Crew outlet at the lake, I can just hop in Bridgette. On days when the only cure for a crappy mood is to zip down Rock Quarry with the panoramic moon roof open and the windows down, I have Bridgette.

But, marriage has taught me that sometimes, it's not about me. Or my independence. It's no longer about what I want or what I think is best for me, it's about what's best for us....what's going to be best for our family one day. It's about something bigger than just me.

So, I listed Bridgette for sale on craigslist. This weekend, I sold her to a guy named Grant after taking her for one last cruise down Rock Quarry with the top open and the windows down, enjoying the sun on my face and the wind through my hair.

Austin hugged me as we waited for Grant in the bank parking lot and said "come on, we can still back out, we'll just get in the car and drive off and tell him we changed our mind". But I knew it was the right thing to do for us. It was what was best. It made it better knowing that Austin understood... that even though it was best, it was still a little sad.




Austin also understands that when we've worked our plan and we're debt free and retired early, he owes me a trip to anywhere I want to go in the world...at least once a year. Thinking about that makes it easier too :)

Good-bye, Bridgette.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

Thursday Sept 9, 2010

I love Christmas music. I could probably listen to it all year long, but realize how insanely annoying that would be (especially to my former roommate, Courtney). So, I manage to fight the urge to pop in my N'Sync "Home for Christmas" album for as long as I can....but on the first cold, rainy day of the year, I get the green light to bust out the holiday cheer and enjoy a melodic "Winter Wonderland".

Driving home last night with the misty fall rain splattering my windshield, I was so tempted.



I reasoned though, that while the weather was getting cooler, it wasn't actually cold - it just felt like winter because the AC was set to 60 degrees thanks to my ever hot (temperature wise as well as smokin' good looks) husband- and it isn't even mid-September yet. SO, I refrained from putting my Christmas mix into the disc drive.

Besides, my CDs weren't even in the car anyway....

Honeymoon

July 26-Aug 2, 2010

The best week ever (if you add on the 24-25 at the beginning). An amazing wedding weekend followed by 7 days of relaxing on the beach, drinking fruity drinks, laying by the pool, drinking fruity drinks, swimming with dolphins, seeing one of the Seven Wonders of the World, drinking a Corona and more fruity drinks, eating delicious food....and drinking fruity drinks.

I think we should go on a honeymoon every year. Seriously.

Kabobs

Sept 7, 2010

Austin! The kabobs are so pretty! They look awesome!

Yeah. You should take a picture and blog about it (with just a hint of sarcasm)

Yeah. Fine. Maybe I will....

Labor Day

Sept 6, 2010

It's Labor Day...the day that marks the end of the summer and the beginning of fall. As the dogs run ahead of me on the trail this morning, I slowly meander behind them, looking at the changes I can already see coming.

I have mixed feelings about fall. I love the change in the weather, where the temperatures start to drop and I can pull out my jeans and hoodies. I love football season and tailgating. I love the end of baseball season (I know....admitting it feels like heresy since my husband religiously follows the Cards). I love the beauty of the changing colors.

But it makes me sad too. I told Austin this morning that I love spring because I can slowly feel the world coming back to life. Flowers start budding, the sun rises a little earlier, grass starts peaking out through the frozen, black muck that used to be my front yard. It starts to get a little warmer and animals ease out of their burrows. Fall is like a slow march to death (yeah, I was a little dramatic this morning). But it's true.

I see the leaves and although I love their beautiful red and yellow colors, I notice how some are already drooping off their branches, getting ready to fall. Flowers that were once bright are slowly losing petals and their leaves are turning brown and crinkly.








Animals are packing for a southern flight or gathering food for hybernation. I feel the temperatures continue to drop with each passing week, until there is a cold bite in the air, a sure sign that it's going to be freezing soon and I will be locked in a continuous shiver for the next 4 months. I am not a cold weather girl.







So, I try to appreciate the beauty of fall for as long as I can. Because I know in a couple months, I'm going to be cursing every time I have to step foot outdoors and counting down the seconds til spring.

Some more August pictures

August 28, 2010
The kids came over to "work" today (Ethan is working off a debt and Ariah just likes to weed)...but too much work and no play makes for a very boring afternoon...




Austin helping Ethan perfect his golf swing...



August 29, 2010

Happy birthday, Austin! It's the birthday gift that keeps on giving- a bedroom furniture assembly party! :)





August 30, 2010

Austin's Hermann birthday party...he doesn't think birthdays are a big deal, but we do. So he got a party. Complete with a cake and the Hermann tradition of icing on the face :)




A side note...when people ask me when Austin and I are going to have children, I always say "oh, I don't know...maybe we'll start talking about it in a year or so". And then we have my niece and nephews over...when they leave, I fall into bed exhausted and think "maybe more like 5 years or so...". I especially think this after days when the kids are hopped up on sugar from an ice cream cake and a naked Fat Baby has peed on the bathroom floor waiting for the bath water to run....ah, the chaos. So fun. But soooo tiring.

Roots

August 6-7, 2010

My grandmother (mom's mother) has a passion for genealogy. I think she's traced our ancestory back past the Revolutionary War. And while I admire her dedication, I have never really been able to understand or share her passion for tracing the annals of the McMullen/Bryant lineage.

Growing up, I've had moments of curiosity over my genealogy. I had to create a family tree as a social studies project in elementary school and was amused by my funny, lopsided tree. My father was disowned before he met my mother so I don't have a lot of information on his side of the family; so, while my mom's side of the tree had branches galore (thanks to my grandmother the family historian), my dad's side had 3 little limbs. Looking at the tree, I wondered what his parents and grandparents were like and what it would be like to run into a stranger one day and find out that they're a long lost cousin. But, other than the occasional fleeting thought, I've never truly pondered and appreciated my ancestry the way my grandmother does.

Every couple of summers, we have a McMullen family reunion. I've gone to what feels like hundreds of reunions, but this summer might be the first summer where I really took the time to notice the history, the generations of family all in one place. It was fascinating. As I looked at the pictures of each McMullen generation, going all the way back to George and Gertrude McMullen (my great great grandparents), I was struck by a sense of...for lack of a better word..."roots". It was this feeling of being a part of something bigger than I could really understand, that in this giant web of relatives, I was just a tiny thread. But how cool it is to be a part of something so intricate. I was amazed at the knowledge some of my great uncles and 2nd cousins had about our family (we are apparently related to William Peterson from CSI, pretty cool...) and listening to some of their stories, I began to appreciate my grandmother's love of our genealogy.

I don't know that I'm ever going to start making detailed family genealogies, but I do think it would be nice to be able to tell my children about their family history, so maybe one day they too will be awed by their roots.



There are only two lasting bequests we can give our children - one is roots, and the other, wings." - Hodding S. Carter

Wedding Weekend

July 23-25, 2010

Everyone warns you that wedding planning is crazy and chaotic and stressful. And it is.

But when you're suddenly standing in the middle of a room full of all of your favorite people...your family and closest friends...you don't feel the stress. or the chaos (you may feel some of the craziness though :)). you just feel insanely happy. And all the anxiety and frustration and the days where there was more to do than time to do it...all of that becomes totally worth it.

Rehearsal Dinner at Booches- hands down one of the best nights of my life. So much fun!

Saturday morning- Rehearsal (Austin-lower right-looks like he's having second thoughts)

and mani/pedis with the girls

Family night...

August 17, 2010

Having 4 pets is chaotic. Fun (most of the times...) but chaotic. Actually, the cats are pretty easy- Dora spends most of her time at the neighbors and even though Jeepers is a complete spaz, at least if we can throw her outside to roam the wild if she gets too annoying. It's the dogs that are the most high maintenance....love 'em, but they're work.

I try and take them to the park as often as possible because when they don't get enough exercise, something in the house is going to get broken. There are days though when the weather won't permit, or time gets away from me and before I know it, it's too late to pack them up and drive across town.

Those days can be nice though because they lead to evening walks around the neighborhood...where Austin and I get to enjoy the quiet coolness that accompanies the end of the day. We head off around the 1/2 mile circle with the dogs prancing ahead of us, stopping every few steps to sniff at something new...and tonight Jeepers decided to join us. Just another lovely family night stroll around the block...me, Austin, two big dogs, and a little orange cat tagging along.

Ballerina Girl

August 23, 2010

I got to babysit the kids this afternoon which consisted of packing all 3 of them up, trucking off to Ariah's dance lessons and waiting there until Ethan had Taekwondo across the street. I felt like a suburban housewife cartin' my kids off to all their activities. It was actually kind of fun. Watching Ariah's dance lessons was especially funny because all of the little kids in there are so stinkin' cute.

The class is half tap and half ballet. Ariah hates the tap part and spends most of the time playing with the girls around her or playing some made up game. She LOVES the ballet part though. When the ballet bar goes up, she slides over to it and starts playing on it, practicing her moves. The teacher turns around to change the music and suddenly Ariah knocks the ballet bar off the holder. It crashes to the ground and Ariah jumps back with a wide eyed look that clearly says "how do I pretend that I'm not the one who just broke that?" She glances at the teacher, notices that she's still preoccupied with the CD player, then bends down and hoists the bar back up into place and just goes back to dancing around like nothing happened. Such a graceful ballerina.

Starbucks

I don't really like coffee. I do really like Caramel Macchiatos from Starbucks though. Especially when I get them for "free". Thank you Kelsey and Melissa for the giftcard that made this "Back to School" breakfast possible.

Sunsets

August 2010

I love sunsets. I also love sunrises and clouds and the moon and the sky in general. And this fall has been provided some amazing sunsets. Unfortunately, I always seem to be in the car when they're the most vivid...usually driving home from Austin's parents' house. While he drives, I lean over him with my iPhone trying to capture the scenic skyscape and keep saying things like "slow down! Can you lean back a little? Your head is in the way? Dang it, Austin! It's blurry! Can you just go a little slower?!" I am such a brat sometimes.

Thankfully, I have a very patient husband who after a few minutes of my whining, yanks the steering wheel, whips onto a side street, completes a screeching U-turn (with astonishing grace), and throws the Jeep in park. Then he just looks at me and sighs before pointing out the best photo ops and waiting for me to snap away until I think I have the best shot possible. I love my husband.