Hello All! It seems I have lost my small Russian following... isn't the internet amazing? I can see where in the world people are reading my blog, and for a while, Russia was lit up! Even more exciting, I don't know anyone there! Perhaps they were reading because they like Oprah. My post that mentions her has been my most popular post yet. Perhaps if I want to get a larger following, or at least more site views, I should just name drop!
Naw. I don't care enough, and I'm not writing this to be a gazillionaire. Not that I'd turn that down, but this blog is for shits and giggles. Who put those two things together? Who thought, "Hey, if I want an analogy for having fun, I should say... 'shits and giggles.' Good times." People are weird.
I'm having applesauce for lunch. I just looked at the jar, and it's apples and water. And I'm also having a glass of water. I feel like my glass of water is superfluous given my applesauce ingredients, but I still want it. I'm eating the sauce straight out of the jar, too, with our large dinner spoons. As opposed to our small dinner spoons? They aren't soup spoons, but I can't think of the fancy term for small dinner spoons. I'm so rebellious- eating my applesauce straight out of the jar. Now if you ever come to my house and want applesauce, you'll know my spit is probably in it. Not that I snorted up a lougie (loogie? loogy?) in it, just the saliva remnants on the large dinner spoon I'm using. Justin doesn't like applesauce, so I feel entitled to eat it however I want. Until I get too far down in the jar to reach with my spoon. Maybe I'll switch to a wooden spoon then. Save on dishes, you know.
So, updates. Bennett was doing well on her expensive food and pill diet, and then she went off the pills about two weeks ago. Since then, she's returned to pooping outside the litter box and vomiting. I'm thinking it's the pills that were doing their trick, then. I called the vet yesterday and got her a refill. She promptly threw up the first little bit of pill-and-soft-food she ate, but finished that portion later in the night without issue. So far, no poop or vomit today!
Bear is trying to play with me right now as I sit on the floor, on a laptop. His nose is cold and wet and he likes when I blow my nose. I'm really loud when I do (genetically loud...) and he is SURE that means I am doing it to mess with him. He's tall enough to pet with my fingertips standing up and he was 72 pounds at his last vet visit. He also turned 1 year old on December 26! Bear is a sweetheart.
Ok, I think I'm going to leave and go riding now. Which, by the way, Rocky is doing really well! I have been working with him every day for the last 4 days and wow, improvement! It just goes to show me how much consistency matters. Today I am going to try going out on a little solo trail ride. I'm hoping I don't get hurt, but he did so well yesterday I want to try. Ooof, it makes me nervous thinking about it but we can try. That's probably why I am still here, stalling and babbling on the internet. Eating my applesauce.
Oh, and don't worry, I'm not becoming anorexic or anything. I usually eat more than applesauce for lunch. Today is a weird day. I'm reading "Unbearable Lightness" by Portia de Rossi, and it's making me a little paranoid about my eating habits. It's about her struggles with eating disorders, and it's a bit shocking. Good read, it really gets into the psychology of eating disorders, but wow. It makes what I eat in an average day look like pure gluttony. When a stick of 5 calorie gum becomes a "special treat" that you feel guilty about "indulging" in, you have a problem. (Not me, that's part of the book.)
Alright, I'm off. Wish me luck!
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Wedding Day, The End
Sorry it has been so long for me to write the end of my cliff hanger wedding day post, honestly, I haven't wanted to write it. There just seems to be many details that I could write and I don't feel like I can do the tension and joy of the day justice. But I'll just lay it out.
We got married in my parents' front yard, and it was gorgeous. The Tower's trees were mostly green, and we were married under a brilliant red maple tree, with a yellow maple nearby.
In order to let people know about the change of wedding venue, we made phone call trees for both sides of our families, and then went through our cell phones calling everybody who wasn't a blood relative and who needed to know. All but two people made it on time, and the two that missed said that they had a wonderful time touring the gardens at the Tower. Our DJ said that it was the only time he has ever done a wedding venue change in 3 hours.
Other than that, things went off without a hitch. The only other thing that happened that made me squinchy was when someone asked if we were actually married or not because our minister was a woman. It made me angry to hear it but I let it go and just told them that yes, we were legally married now.
Many people said that they had a great time dancing at the reception, the food was delicious and the music was great. I danced a lot and had fun laughing with my husband and his awesome brothers- who, by the way, can really dance!
We got married in my parents' front yard, and it was gorgeous. The Tower's trees were mostly green, and we were married under a brilliant red maple tree, with a yellow maple nearby.
In order to let people know about the change of wedding venue, we made phone call trees for both sides of our families, and then went through our cell phones calling everybody who wasn't a blood relative and who needed to know. All but two people made it on time, and the two that missed said that they had a wonderful time touring the gardens at the Tower. Our DJ said that it was the only time he has ever done a wedding venue change in 3 hours.
Other than that, things went off without a hitch. The only other thing that happened that made me squinchy was when someone asked if we were actually married or not because our minister was a woman. It made me angry to hear it but I let it go and just told them that yes, we were legally married now.
Many people said that they had a great time dancing at the reception, the food was delicious and the music was great. I danced a lot and had fun laughing with my husband and his awesome brothers- who, by the way, can really dance!
Monday, December 12, 2011
Smelly Cat, Smelly Cat, what are we feeding you?
In "Tired" I talked about one or both of my cats that was pooping intermittently outside of the litter box. Since that post, we have discovered the culprit: Bennett.
Despite the name, Bennett is a girl. I suppose I should have added an 'e' at the end to get the French feminine spelling, but I don't like it spelled that way. Bennett is my "mental health" cat. I've talked about her previously, how we found her as a stray outside of our home one cold October night and invited her in until we found a suitable home for her. Which became our home.
Our mental health cat was diagnosed with anxiety two years ago by a veterinarian. She over grooms, which I am told is fairly common in cats. Ever since we had her spayed (spay or neuter all of your pets!) she has kept her belly scrupulously clean of fur. She also overdoes her hind feet a little, but it's more patchy. Her belly, on the other hand, is pristine pink skin with a little bit of shading where her stripes would grow. She's a brownish gray tabby.
We had her on anti-anxiety pills for about a week. By the end of the week, she was turning her nose up at tuna (TUNA!) and would run when she heard/saw me take down her pill bottle. They seemed to be causing more problems than they were solving, so we stopped giving her them. As an indoor cat, she doesn't HAVE to have all of her fur. So she over grooms and we all get along.
She is also a frequent vomiter. On average, she vomits about once a week- also a possible side effect of her anxiety. It's always partially digested food, never hairballs- which, you'd think it would be hair by the way she over grooms, but whatever. It's not.
Then came the pooping. For about the last two weeks she has been pooping in our bedroom, on the rug that used to be my Grandma's. She also pooped in our living room several times. It's runny and essentially kitty diarrhea. After looking at our finances, I made her an appointment with the vet for a Friday- gotta love paydays. The cash comes in and is swiftly gone. Anyway.
I was able to bring in a fresh poop sample, clean of all litter, even. The rug has a white fringe on two sides, and this round of diarrhea was right on the fringe...
We (Bennett and I) were almost to the vet's office when she began to cry in earnest. She had been meowing plaintively before, but now she sounded like a small child. I continued to try to talk to her, to reassure her that she'd be okay, but the small-child wailing kept on. Until she vomited. Mental health cat, indeed.
The vet looked her over and she felt okay under his probing fingers. She let him take her temperature (up her hiney) and it was normal. They checked her stool sample and found it clean (haha), or at least clear of any worms or other possibly bad things. I had them take a blood sample to make sure that her kidneys, liver and blood count were all normal, which they were.
Bennett has Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and/or allergies. Essentially, her digestive tract is very unhappy and needs to be soothed. Treatment? Right now she is on steroids, in pill form. (My little 8 lb cat is going to be BUFF!) We're doing a 15 day "trial run" with the steroids to see how she handles it and what level of steroids she may need to be on for the rest of her life- or if the 15 day trial will be enough to soothe her system. 5 days of pills twice a day, then 5 days of pills once a day, then 5 days of pills every other day.
Think steroids was enough? Think again! She also needs to eat hypo allergenic cat food- available only from your veterinarian! The wet food cans cost $2.50 each, and the dry food? $25 for 10 lbs. Just SLIGHTLY more costly than the bulk bags of dry food from Petco, at roughly $19 for 25 pounds.
If at the end of our trial steroid pill taking (which, by the way, she happily eats when it is in $2.50 wet hypo allergenic cat food) she can maintain on just the food, then we won't need to continue the steroids.
The good news? So far, she has been on this new diet since Friday night, and no pooping outside of the litter box has occurred! Also, the vet thinks that this new diet may stop her vomiting, as well, which could have been a sign of her delicate internal system.
The down side? Apart from the cost of the new food and steroids, the steroids will make her hungrier and thirstier than before. So she'll want to eat more, and will then poop and pee more frequently. Also, if she eats ANY of the regular cat food, her system may not accept it and it could start another round of the cat who squirts from both ends. So we need to (carefully!) feed the cats separately. We could make it easier on ourselves by feeding both cats the hypo allergenic stuff- but Fox is an almost 13 pound CHUNK and would likely eat the expensive stuff at an alarming rate.
For now, we are trying to save our screaming wallets as much as possible, and will give Bennett the food she needs to be comfortable while saving my Grandma's rug. And feed the chunk, aka Fox, separately.
Despite the name, Bennett is a girl. I suppose I should have added an 'e' at the end to get the French feminine spelling, but I don't like it spelled that way. Bennett is my "mental health" cat. I've talked about her previously, how we found her as a stray outside of our home one cold October night and invited her in until we found a suitable home for her. Which became our home.
Our mental health cat was diagnosed with anxiety two years ago by a veterinarian. She over grooms, which I am told is fairly common in cats. Ever since we had her spayed (spay or neuter all of your pets!) she has kept her belly scrupulously clean of fur. She also overdoes her hind feet a little, but it's more patchy. Her belly, on the other hand, is pristine pink skin with a little bit of shading where her stripes would grow. She's a brownish gray tabby.
We had her on anti-anxiety pills for about a week. By the end of the week, she was turning her nose up at tuna (TUNA!) and would run when she heard/saw me take down her pill bottle. They seemed to be causing more problems than they were solving, so we stopped giving her them. As an indoor cat, she doesn't HAVE to have all of her fur. So she over grooms and we all get along.
She is also a frequent vomiter. On average, she vomits about once a week- also a possible side effect of her anxiety. It's always partially digested food, never hairballs- which, you'd think it would be hair by the way she over grooms, but whatever. It's not.
Then came the pooping. For about the last two weeks she has been pooping in our bedroom, on the rug that used to be my Grandma's. She also pooped in our living room several times. It's runny and essentially kitty diarrhea. After looking at our finances, I made her an appointment with the vet for a Friday- gotta love paydays. The cash comes in and is swiftly gone. Anyway.
I was able to bring in a fresh poop sample, clean of all litter, even. The rug has a white fringe on two sides, and this round of diarrhea was right on the fringe...
We (Bennett and I) were almost to the vet's office when she began to cry in earnest. She had been meowing plaintively before, but now she sounded like a small child. I continued to try to talk to her, to reassure her that she'd be okay, but the small-child wailing kept on. Until she vomited. Mental health cat, indeed.
The vet looked her over and she felt okay under his probing fingers. She let him take her temperature (up her hiney) and it was normal. They checked her stool sample and found it clean (haha), or at least clear of any worms or other possibly bad things. I had them take a blood sample to make sure that her kidneys, liver and blood count were all normal, which they were.
Bennett has Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and/or allergies. Essentially, her digestive tract is very unhappy and needs to be soothed. Treatment? Right now she is on steroids, in pill form. (My little 8 lb cat is going to be BUFF!) We're doing a 15 day "trial run" with the steroids to see how she handles it and what level of steroids she may need to be on for the rest of her life- or if the 15 day trial will be enough to soothe her system. 5 days of pills twice a day, then 5 days of pills once a day, then 5 days of pills every other day.
Think steroids was enough? Think again! She also needs to eat hypo allergenic cat food- available only from your veterinarian! The wet food cans cost $2.50 each, and the dry food? $25 for 10 lbs. Just SLIGHTLY more costly than the bulk bags of dry food from Petco, at roughly $19 for 25 pounds.
If at the end of our trial steroid pill taking (which, by the way, she happily eats when it is in $2.50 wet hypo allergenic cat food) she can maintain on just the food, then we won't need to continue the steroids.
The good news? So far, she has been on this new diet since Friday night, and no pooping outside of the litter box has occurred! Also, the vet thinks that this new diet may stop her vomiting, as well, which could have been a sign of her delicate internal system.
The down side? Apart from the cost of the new food and steroids, the steroids will make her hungrier and thirstier than before. So she'll want to eat more, and will then poop and pee more frequently. Also, if she eats ANY of the regular cat food, her system may not accept it and it could start another round of the cat who squirts from both ends. So we need to (carefully!) feed the cats separately. We could make it easier on ourselves by feeding both cats the hypo allergenic stuff- but Fox is an almost 13 pound CHUNK and would likely eat the expensive stuff at an alarming rate.
For now, we are trying to save our screaming wallets as much as possible, and will give Bennett the food she needs to be comfortable while saving my Grandma's rug. And feed the chunk, aka Fox, separately.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
A Case of the Mondays
That last post was awfully sad, wasn't it? When I got home and saw Justin, I talked about what I had written and finally cried. Then I went to my calendar (both wall and purse) and began marking down appointments to go see Rocky. So far I kept every appointment I made this week (2) and I have three appointments written down per week for the next month- which, for those of you keeping track- was the goal I set for myself several posts ago. This last week was the first week I have made that goal in a long time, and he was so happy to see me! Rocky genuinely enjoys being worked with and learning, his ears perk forward and when I tell him he's a good boy, he tucks his head into my chest. There is no way I would sell him, I just needed to get my heart back on straight. :)
So a while ago I promised a post about my wedding day. I don't know that I will be able to finish it today, but I can start.
The first question I am usually asked about my wedding day is if everything went to plan. They... well, everything worked out in the end. I married the love of my life, had a beautiful ceremony, a wonderful reception and so far have been enjoying married life.
To steal a line from Paul Harvey, here's, "The Rest of the Story."
My mom and sister went to the reception site, hereby "the Castle," the morning of the wedding to decorate the banquet hall with our buckets of flowers (small galvanized steel buckets with an arrangement of artificial sunflowers and hypercium berries) as table centerpieces. My mom made our wedding cakes with my grandma's wedding cake supplies, so they needed to drop off the cakes, get them into the refrigerator, and put together the three tiered wedding cake. Except they couldn't get in for over an hour. The doors were locked, and no one was to be seen. Finally, my sister ran around the building after a car and found the master chef, who was kind and good and let them in. So that got taken care of.
Next we had hair appointments. I had a pedicure and a manicure, and my pedicure appointment lasted almost an hour and a half. Delightful but my manicure had to be sped up so we could get to my hair. My hair is being curled and fastened into place with about 50 bobby pins when my mom looks at me with fear in her eyes.
"Alright Dude, we have a problem." My childhood nickname is Dudie, but is often shortened to Dude in conversation.
"Okay, what's going on?"
"There is a cross country meet at the Tower golf course today, and the area is full of several thousand people. We can't have the wedding ceremony there."
I think I said, "okay..." while I tried mightily not to panic. It was 12:30 pm, and the wedding was supposed to be at 3 pm.
We needed to find a new wedding location and let 150 guests know where that might be in 2 1/2 hours.
So a while ago I promised a post about my wedding day. I don't know that I will be able to finish it today, but I can start.
The first question I am usually asked about my wedding day is if everything went to plan. They... well, everything worked out in the end. I married the love of my life, had a beautiful ceremony, a wonderful reception and so far have been enjoying married life.
To steal a line from Paul Harvey, here's, "The Rest of the Story."
My mom and sister went to the reception site, hereby "the Castle," the morning of the wedding to decorate the banquet hall with our buckets of flowers (small galvanized steel buckets with an arrangement of artificial sunflowers and hypercium berries) as table centerpieces. My mom made our wedding cakes with my grandma's wedding cake supplies, so they needed to drop off the cakes, get them into the refrigerator, and put together the three tiered wedding cake. Except they couldn't get in for over an hour. The doors were locked, and no one was to be seen. Finally, my sister ran around the building after a car and found the master chef, who was kind and good and let them in. So that got taken care of.
Next we had hair appointments. I had a pedicure and a manicure, and my pedicure appointment lasted almost an hour and a half. Delightful but my manicure had to be sped up so we could get to my hair. My hair is being curled and fastened into place with about 50 bobby pins when my mom looks at me with fear in her eyes.
"Alright Dude, we have a problem." My childhood nickname is Dudie, but is often shortened to Dude in conversation.
"Okay, what's going on?"
"There is a cross country meet at the Tower golf course today, and the area is full of several thousand people. We can't have the wedding ceremony there."
I think I said, "okay..." while I tried mightily not to panic. It was 12:30 pm, and the wedding was supposed to be at 3 pm.
We needed to find a new wedding location and let 150 guests know where that might be in 2 1/2 hours.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Tired
I'm really tired today. I've been tired for a while now, it seems. Lately, mornings have been dragging myself out of bed, or pressing the snooze button way too many times. Sometimes at night I have trouble sleeping.
My interest in going to see Rocky has waned, as well. I am so frustrated with my schedule and myself. I've been thinking about selling him, he costs so much money and if I'm too damn lazy to go see him... what's the point? It hurts me to write that and put it out in the universe. I felt like crying today on my way up to see him, but didn't work up the tears. I think I do miss him but I haven't put the energy into caring for him, so he is an "out of sight, off of schedule" thing. I feel so bad every time I think of him and how long it's been since the last time I went out to see him. I don't think I actually want to sell him, but I need... something.
Today I dragged myself around the house and out to see him, if only for 15 minutes. He was dirty and injured and I felt bad. I will drag myself up sooner tomorrow so I can at least groom him properly before saying good bye, maybe go for a little walk. I feel bad leaving earlier than usual in the mornings, as Bear then needs to be kenneled longer and I don't have time to walk him first. I did take him for a quick walk this morning, so I suppose I should feel better about that. It just feels like everything is too little, too late.
I started to organize our living room, and now 4 garbage bags of books and 1 of my clothes sit in the living room, taking up physical and mental space. I need to throw them in my car and let someone else enjoy them. I need to go through my bookshelves again, more mercilessly, create more free space so our living room can breathe. I need to get rid of the stacks of magazines and crap that pile up on every available surface, to get things off the kitchen counters. I want to dust my shelves and rearrange the living room so that it is more open, less littered with stuff and more deliberately put together.
One of the cats (or both?) has begun intermittently pooping outside of the litter box. Twice now, on my jeans, which I only realized as I started to pull the denim up my leg in the morning. Don't worry, I didn't get poop on my legs, but I was a gross surprise. Also, if it's not on my jeans, it's on the rug that used to belong to my grandmother. The one that makes me think of her and smile a little.
I still have a few thank you cards from the wedding to write (late gifts), still have to get car insurance under our new names, still have to figure out our schedule for Christmas and when everyone is doing everything.
There's a painting I want to get my mom for her 50th birthday this year, but the original is $1500 and there are no prints of it yet.
I don't know what to get Justin yet, or how my sister is going to make it up to Duluth to celebrate Christmas and our parents' birthdays (Dec 21 and 31). I had an idea for everyone to meet at the halfway point between where she and we live, but my mom's face fell at the suggestion while my dad looked like he was forcing optimism. I just want the Holidays to go well, where my parents and my sister never say anything to each other that wounds. Where I sit there, knowing that they will continue to hurt each other and then pretend it didn't happen, trying to just "get along" for the short time she is in town. Because we love each other. I hate the moments where they have swiped at each other and I can see both sides of the story, but no one is there to narrate.
I worry about our credit rating and how we are going to handle changing all of our finances into one account. I worry about the weight I've gained and if I should take back a few of the nice, good condition jeans that don't currently fit me but might if I lost the weight and put them back in my dresser, instead of giving them away. They're part of the bag of clothes in my living room. So I can see them and remind myself that they don't fit because I have become too fat, and dig for a pair that does. I could use another pair of jeans that do fit, but I don't want to waste the money if I just lose the weight. Then again, when am I going to get THAT started?
I'm tired.
My interest in going to see Rocky has waned, as well. I am so frustrated with my schedule and myself. I've been thinking about selling him, he costs so much money and if I'm too damn lazy to go see him... what's the point? It hurts me to write that and put it out in the universe. I felt like crying today on my way up to see him, but didn't work up the tears. I think I do miss him but I haven't put the energy into caring for him, so he is an "out of sight, off of schedule" thing. I feel so bad every time I think of him and how long it's been since the last time I went out to see him. I don't think I actually want to sell him, but I need... something.
Today I dragged myself around the house and out to see him, if only for 15 minutes. He was dirty and injured and I felt bad. I will drag myself up sooner tomorrow so I can at least groom him properly before saying good bye, maybe go for a little walk. I feel bad leaving earlier than usual in the mornings, as Bear then needs to be kenneled longer and I don't have time to walk him first. I did take him for a quick walk this morning, so I suppose I should feel better about that. It just feels like everything is too little, too late.
I started to organize our living room, and now 4 garbage bags of books and 1 of my clothes sit in the living room, taking up physical and mental space. I need to throw them in my car and let someone else enjoy them. I need to go through my bookshelves again, more mercilessly, create more free space so our living room can breathe. I need to get rid of the stacks of magazines and crap that pile up on every available surface, to get things off the kitchen counters. I want to dust my shelves and rearrange the living room so that it is more open, less littered with stuff and more deliberately put together.
One of the cats (or both?) has begun intermittently pooping outside of the litter box. Twice now, on my jeans, which I only realized as I started to pull the denim up my leg in the morning. Don't worry, I didn't get poop on my legs, but I was a gross surprise. Also, if it's not on my jeans, it's on the rug that used to belong to my grandmother. The one that makes me think of her and smile a little.
I still have a few thank you cards from the wedding to write (late gifts), still have to get car insurance under our new names, still have to figure out our schedule for Christmas and when everyone is doing everything.
There's a painting I want to get my mom for her 50th birthday this year, but the original is $1500 and there are no prints of it yet.
I don't know what to get Justin yet, or how my sister is going to make it up to Duluth to celebrate Christmas and our parents' birthdays (Dec 21 and 31). I had an idea for everyone to meet at the halfway point between where she and we live, but my mom's face fell at the suggestion while my dad looked like he was forcing optimism. I just want the Holidays to go well, where my parents and my sister never say anything to each other that wounds. Where I sit there, knowing that they will continue to hurt each other and then pretend it didn't happen, trying to just "get along" for the short time she is in town. Because we love each other. I hate the moments where they have swiped at each other and I can see both sides of the story, but no one is there to narrate.
I worry about our credit rating and how we are going to handle changing all of our finances into one account. I worry about the weight I've gained and if I should take back a few of the nice, good condition jeans that don't currently fit me but might if I lost the weight and put them back in my dresser, instead of giving them away. They're part of the bag of clothes in my living room. So I can see them and remind myself that they don't fit because I have become too fat, and dig for a pair that does. I could use another pair of jeans that do fit, but I don't want to waste the money if I just lose the weight. Then again, when am I going to get THAT started?
I'm tired.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Name Changes
Hello Again!
It's been just over a month since we got married, and it feels good. The name changing process has and is definitely... a process. My driver's license finally came back, but we're still waiting for his. Our social security cards came right away, and thus far have been the most painless part of the journey from one last name to another. We are still waiting for Justin's driver's license, as he had to bring in multiple documents (wedding certificate, birth certificate) and take a driver's exam for our state. He had to go back to the DMV THREE TIMES to try to get his license, and each time they would tell him he needed another document. Apparently they don't give you a nice little list of what you need the first time you go, they tell you each item individually. Dumb. But he passed his test and so hopefully we'll get his ID soon.
We need it to change his name with the bank, and then add me to his bank account. Then I can get a new debit card and checks that match my ID. In the meantime, I carry both my old and new driver's license, along with the application for it as none of my cards match my new name. You have to call a number on each card for them to send you a new one, but my bank account name won't match...argh. They should really have an easier way of making the transition. Last night someone checked my ID with my debit card for the first time since I got my new ID, and she asked me if I had recently changed my name. I said yes, and she let me make the purchase. I was a little worried for a minute that I was going to have to dig out my old ID or something, but I guess she accepted what I said. It must be my honest face. (What does that even mean?)
I really like being able to say "my husband." Hearing "wife," however, gives me pause. As does anyone saying my new last name. My brain is slowly tuning into listening for it, but I still respond more readily to my old name. When giving my name to people, I have to think about which name I should give them based on their relationship to me. I appreciate anew why some people keep their birth names.
So that's most of the new stuff with me. I need to go riding more, and schedule it like an appointment. Otherwise I'm too lazy to get up and go.
What's new with you?
It's been just over a month since we got married, and it feels good. The name changing process has and is definitely... a process. My driver's license finally came back, but we're still waiting for his. Our social security cards came right away, and thus far have been the most painless part of the journey from one last name to another. We are still waiting for Justin's driver's license, as he had to bring in multiple documents (wedding certificate, birth certificate) and take a driver's exam for our state. He had to go back to the DMV THREE TIMES to try to get his license, and each time they would tell him he needed another document. Apparently they don't give you a nice little list of what you need the first time you go, they tell you each item individually. Dumb. But he passed his test and so hopefully we'll get his ID soon.
We need it to change his name with the bank, and then add me to his bank account. Then I can get a new debit card and checks that match my ID. In the meantime, I carry both my old and new driver's license, along with the application for it as none of my cards match my new name. You have to call a number on each card for them to send you a new one, but my bank account name won't match...argh. They should really have an easier way of making the transition. Last night someone checked my ID with my debit card for the first time since I got my new ID, and she asked me if I had recently changed my name. I said yes, and she let me make the purchase. I was a little worried for a minute that I was going to have to dig out my old ID or something, but I guess she accepted what I said. It must be my honest face. (What does that even mean?)
I really like being able to say "my husband." Hearing "wife," however, gives me pause. As does anyone saying my new last name. My brain is slowly tuning into listening for it, but I still respond more readily to my old name. When giving my name to people, I have to think about which name I should give them based on their relationship to me. I appreciate anew why some people keep their birth names.
So that's most of the new stuff with me. I need to go riding more, and schedule it like an appointment. Otherwise I'm too lazy to get up and go.
What's new with you?
Monday, October 3, 2011
Honeymoon, Day 1
I got married this weekend! And (apart from a last minute venue change- more on that later) everything went really well.
However, today I want to talk about the first day of my honeymoon. We slept in until the sounds of the garbage truck outside had sufficiently roused us from slumber, then had a fairly leisurely morning beginning to put away wedding gifts. After that, we went up to where I board Rocky, and I worked with him while Justin played on his iPad and kept an eye on Bear. Bear ran around happily and threw up horse crap only once, and thankfully in the barn, not the car.
We also made an amazing discovery tonight, one that will surely hit us in the wallet in the future. We went to an Italian restaurant in town, Bellisio's, that we have never been to before. Wine was half off a bottle (every Monday!), so we decided to splurge and order a bottle of wine. We are not big wine drinkers, and I am very picky about the wine that I like. Moscato's are my favorite as they are a sweet wine with less of the aftertaste I dislike.
Tonight, I had the best wine EVER. It was sweet, fruity and delicious to taste with absolutely no alcohol-y aftertaste. I wrote the name of it in my cell phone so that I can hopefully find it in stores and buy it. It's Moscato D'Asti by Luccio, and I highly recommend it. Unless you're one of those people who enjoy super dry wine. Anyway, this post should probably not be all about the wine- but oh man was it good. We finished the bottle at the restaurant. Additionally, I love the way they presented it, poured it for us, and put it in a chiller wrapped in a white cloth.
We also had a cheese tray appetizer with three different cheeses, red grapes and focaccia bread. I didn't care for the blue cheese but the other two were delightful, and we took home the extras.
I had their Fettuccine Alfredo, which tasted like fancy, grown up macaroni and cheese. YUM. I just got home from this dinner not long ago, and just writing about it makes me want to reheat my leftovers and eat them now. Justin had Chicken Marsala with Parmesan Romano potatoes and fresh green beans with sliced carrots. He enjoyed his meal but wishes he would have gotten the Fettuccine Alfredo.
The couple at the table next to us fascinated me, and I stared at them more than I probably should have. Their server (who was also our server) brought them a bottle of wine that she suggested based on what the couple said they liked. They did not like her suggestion. She ended up bringing them a sampling of three other chardonnays for them to try, for a total of four chardonnay choices that they tasted. The woman tried them with complete seriousness, dismissing two right away and mulling over a third until pronouncing, "it's ok." The fourth agreed with her, and she said that it was "really good." Her husband said little, and peered at the menu with his glasses perched near the end of his nose. He was a little less serious about the chardonnay but agreed with his wife's choice. He seemed like a well trained husband. She laughed, making a joke about getting older and that he needed to wear his glasses to see the menu. He smiled patiently.
Overall, it was an expensive dinner but if I could afford to go there more often... I'd be there every Monday for half off that bottle of Moscato. Which, I just discovered online, is $9.99 a bottle. I'm sensing Bellisio's jacks up their wine prices just a little.
However, today I want to talk about the first day of my honeymoon. We slept in until the sounds of the garbage truck outside had sufficiently roused us from slumber, then had a fairly leisurely morning beginning to put away wedding gifts. After that, we went up to where I board Rocky, and I worked with him while Justin played on his iPad and kept an eye on Bear. Bear ran around happily and threw up horse crap only once, and thankfully in the barn, not the car.
We also made an amazing discovery tonight, one that will surely hit us in the wallet in the future. We went to an Italian restaurant in town, Bellisio's, that we have never been to before. Wine was half off a bottle (every Monday!), so we decided to splurge and order a bottle of wine. We are not big wine drinkers, and I am very picky about the wine that I like. Moscato's are my favorite as they are a sweet wine with less of the aftertaste I dislike.
Tonight, I had the best wine EVER. It was sweet, fruity and delicious to taste with absolutely no alcohol-y aftertaste. I wrote the name of it in my cell phone so that I can hopefully find it in stores and buy it. It's Moscato D'Asti by Luccio, and I highly recommend it. Unless you're one of those people who enjoy super dry wine. Anyway, this post should probably not be all about the wine- but oh man was it good. We finished the bottle at the restaurant. Additionally, I love the way they presented it, poured it for us, and put it in a chiller wrapped in a white cloth.
We also had a cheese tray appetizer with three different cheeses, red grapes and focaccia bread. I didn't care for the blue cheese but the other two were delightful, and we took home the extras.
I had their Fettuccine Alfredo, which tasted like fancy, grown up macaroni and cheese. YUM. I just got home from this dinner not long ago, and just writing about it makes me want to reheat my leftovers and eat them now. Justin had Chicken Marsala with Parmesan Romano potatoes and fresh green beans with sliced carrots. He enjoyed his meal but wishes he would have gotten the Fettuccine Alfredo.
The couple at the table next to us fascinated me, and I stared at them more than I probably should have. Their server (who was also our server) brought them a bottle of wine that she suggested based on what the couple said they liked. They did not like her suggestion. She ended up bringing them a sampling of three other chardonnays for them to try, for a total of four chardonnay choices that they tasted. The woman tried them with complete seriousness, dismissing two right away and mulling over a third until pronouncing, "it's ok." The fourth agreed with her, and she said that it was "really good." Her husband said little, and peered at the menu with his glasses perched near the end of his nose. He was a little less serious about the chardonnay but agreed with his wife's choice. He seemed like a well trained husband. She laughed, making a joke about getting older and that he needed to wear his glasses to see the menu. He smiled patiently.
Overall, it was an expensive dinner but if I could afford to go there more often... I'd be there every Monday for half off that bottle of Moscato. Which, I just discovered online, is $9.99 a bottle. I'm sensing Bellisio's jacks up their wine prices just a little.
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