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Thursday, August 30, 2012

Lesson #55: Sometimes You Need to go Because He Needs You to go

Let me start out by saying this: we have zero luck with cars.  We've only been married for a little over two years, yet we're already out looking for our fourth car.  We're really good at being really bad with cars.  I don't know what it is about the two of us combined, but it's not fun.  The plan for today was to look at a car here in Omaha and then head to Lincoln to look at another car.  Up until last night, that plan didn't include me.  When Lyndon realized I was working in the late afternoon/evening, he asked me to tag along.

I hate looking at cars.  The only thing I have an eye for is whether or not the A/C and heat work, if there's a way for me to play my music, and how bad the interior of the car smells.  Those seem to be my specialties, so Lyndon graciously takes care of the rest.  While he's getting into the nitty-gritty of the car with the owner, I'm twiddling my thumbs.  The worst part is that the car we're currently on the hunt for is supposed to be for me.  I'm supposed to care about what car I drive, but I don't know anything about them; therefore, I rarely care or have an opinion.  I am useless.  Lyndon is not a fan of this.

The 2001 Elantra in town was decent, but we still wanted to look at the 2003 in Lincoln.  After driving for 45 minutes, we finally got there and started going about our car inspection.  It took us a while to notice, but we eventually realized that we hadn't been bombarded by a salesman.  That is absolutely not normal for a dealership.  We then found out that we hadn't been attacked because no one was there.  They were supposed to have been open an hour (agoio90-=plp[;,,,,,,,,,, c-that was Nala thinking she was helping with this post) ago, yet no one was in the offices.  Lyndon had even been in contact with them, giving them the time that we would be there.  We called and were told that it would be another 20-30 minutes until someone showed up.  We had already been there for an hour.

We decided to try another place we had passed in the hopes that this trip would not be a total disaster.  After walking around for five minutes, looking at cars, Lyndon decided to leave.  The problem with this place wasn't that no one was around.  The problem was that the people there neither noticed him nor said a word to him.

To sum up: we did not buy a car in Lincoln today.

Our moods were much improved when we made an impromptu stop at a roadside antiques shop.  For real.  That's our thing.

On the way home, Lyndon told me he was glad I was there with him.  He had never wanted to make the trip alone.  Looking at/buying cars is a stressful time.  He said he would have been furious otherwise.  So maybe I'm not as useless when it comes to buying cars as I thought.  It must have been my comic relief.

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Lesson #54: Marriage to a Restaurant Employee is Advantageous

Lyndon works hard to provide and protect.  He serves his country, and he serves you your food.  Being a shift supervisor at a restaurant is a demanding job, and Lyndon is no slacker.  His hours are awful, so we rarely see each other and usually eat dinner after nine.  As a couple, we're never able to go out with others because of his work schedule.  Working 12-hour shifts takes a lot out of him so our evenings stay very low-key.  Suffice it to say that he's exploring other options outside of this field of work.

In the meantime, however, we're stuck with the previously mentioned schedule.  It's either been that or some sort of variation, so it's nothing we aren't used to experiencing.  Supervising simply seems to be more exhausting than serving/bar tending.  I have a tired husband.

All of that majorly stinks, but we got to experience one of the upsides to his job tonight.  His restaurant has a "to go" option for people to use to order food so they can drop by, pay, and leave with their meals.  I learned tonight that when people fail to show up the food is usually thrown away.  If there happens to be a smart shift supervisor on duty, part of the booty is given to a server while he takes home the rest of the spoils.  And that resulted in...

FREE DINNER!

"'It's fo' free!' so I was like, 'Sure.'"

Food that would have otherwise been thrown away was instead chosen to grace our table.  And by table, I mean our coffee table because we sit and watch shows like Cake Boss while we eat.  I don't know whether to take this as a blessing from God or a sign from God that even He was ashamed of my subpar grocery list yesterday.

"So what's the lesson?" you might ask.  Truth is, I'm not really sure.  Marry someone in the business of food?  Don't throw away food that's still good?  Realize God's blessings in little things?  Make a good grocery list?  You decide.

Monday, August 27, 2012

Lesson #53: You Never Stop Buying Groceries

Days like today are when I wish I was super rich and could have my private, gourmet chef take care of anything.  Okay, most days are like that.  Today is particularly leaning towards that view, however.  I just got home from work and had to make a grocery list.  I then get to go buy groceries, come home, put them away, eat something, and go to rehearsal.

This is seriously the billionth time I've gone grocery shopping since getting married.  That might be a stretch, but I doubt it.  I either run out of money or I run out of ideas for meals.  And while I sit here listening to songs for rehearsal tonight, I'm drawing a blank.  I can't go out and buy ingredients and throw things together.  My brain doesn't work like that.  Never has, never will.  I have to have a solid list in which items are put under the meal they'll be used for.  My brain is a nightmare.

Since I seem to be more focused on listening to this music, my list has taken a turn for the worse:
alfredo
pasta
chicken
milk
string cheese
fruit
red pepper flakes
vanilla
Italian seasoning
tomato soup
Hamburger Helper
ground beef
cheddarwurst
shredded cheese
chips

What.on.earth.  Whatever.  I'm going grocery shopping.

Hello, end of the month.  You're a jerk.

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Lesson #52: Man's Best Friend is High Maintenance

It has long been a dream of ours to own a dog.  Considering both of us are vehemently opposed to cats (no offense, cat folk), it only made sense that we would get a dog as soon as we could.  That "soon as we could" finally came around after almost two years of marriage.  Living in an apartment that doesn't allow dogs kind of puts a damper on dog plans.  Plus, I figured I would start out with plants.  We kept (most of) those alive, so it was time to upgrade to a pet.  After a while, if she's still alive and well, we'll be able to upgrade again to kids.  It's a process.

So in March we met her...


in April we got her...


and in August we still love her.



Nala is almost six months old and has been hilarious to watch.  Shiba inus are notoriously distant and anti-social, yet she is the exact opposite of that.  Nala thinks every person she sees is a new best friend.  Every knock on a door in our hallway must be meant for her.  She loves people so much that she whines out of excitement when she meets someone.  Good thing we weren't banking on a guard dog.

Through the cost of shots, food, vet visits, treats, toys (that keep mysteriously showing up when I come home from work and Lyndon has a day off), and surprise health issues, we've realized how expensive dogs can be.  We did our research beforehand and calculated the costs, but it was still a nice surprise as to how big that cost would be.  So far, it's been worth it.  The only time I get worried is when Lyndon is convinced she needs a friend to play with.

Prepare for more posts about Nala because she's who I spend most of my time with.  Until that happens, here's a picture of her eating a clementine for the first time.


Saturday, August 25, 2012

Lesson #51: Beautiful Quilts Belong on a Wall

Beautiful objects passed from family member to family member warm my heart.  I love seeing things that people were given or inherited from older family members.  That's what I want to use to fill my house-things that remind us of those we love.  I'm already excited to pass on some of the things we own to future kids!

When Lyndon was younger, he was given a gorgeous quilt made by his great-grandmother (in-loves, correct me if I'm wrong).

By the way, my lovely in-loves, I don't know the story behind this quilt.  I would love to hear it the next time we get to see you!

I'd always wanted to put it up but never got around to it.  As a newlywed who finally got to decorate an apartment, I just kind of put things up without thinking.  When we moved, however, I was determined to not make that mistake again.  This time, that quilt was going up.  With very little money to make this happen, we settled with a giant dowel and some screws.


Isn't it wonderful?  Wait, scratch that.  I only care about your opinion if you like it.  I demand to be coddled when it comes to my decorating taste/choices/skills.

The quilt is very old, needs some mending, needs to be cleaned somehow, and should be better displayed.  I feel like I'm not doing it justice the way it is.  If you happen to have any tried-and-true advice on any of these matters, I would love to hear it.

Good thing it's still pretty despite its owners' lack of quilt knowledge.

Friday, August 24, 2012

Lesson #50: In the End, We Were Married

Every once in a while, I think to myself, I want to get married again...my wedding was boring compared to this...if I could do it all again it would be completely different, etc.  The high ranking of Pinterest in my "Top Sites" has been followed by the nagging thoughts that my wedding could have been more beautiful, more detailed, more extravagant.  I see stunning dresses, creative elements, and beautiful brides and wonder why I couldn't have done/had all of those things.  While most Pinterest users are dreaming about what "might be" when it comes to their weddings, I dream about what "could have been."   I know all that I would change about our wedding if you asked me.

These thoughts bug me for a while, but then I remember how wonderful our wedding was.  I remember how he looked when the doors to the sanctuary first opened.  I remember how much I loved being surrounded by those I loved.  I remember his surprise dip for our first kiss as husband and wife.  I remember that we talked about his truck breaking down that day and his subsequent sunburn during the unity candle instead of talking about romantic things.  I remember the beautiful music, having a great time with my mom while we planned, the delicious cupcakes, the bachelorette party gone-almost-wrong, the fun I had during the week of, and so much more.  My wedding was a dream, minus a few details.

I was blessed to have the wedding I did.  It was beautifully God-filled.  As if that wasn't enough, my parents didn't go into debt for it.  Considering the average wedding costs around $27,800 (http://wedding.theknot.com/wedding-planning/wedding-budget/qa/what-does-the-average-wedding-cost.aspx) and ours was right around $5,000, I'd say we made the right choice.

I'll continue to be plagued by thoughts of my "could have been" wedding.  It's not that hard to remind myself that in the end, I got to marry Lyndon.


That sounds like a successful wedding to me.