There is a quote by Albert Einstein that I recently found on Pinterest (where else?) that I absolutely love! It says: "Everybody is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid." I've decided to embrace this way thinking. Growing up, my greatest insecurity, has been my ditziness. Please note, this can be completely separated from unintelligent, aka dumb.
Now, let's clarify: "ditzy" isn't about not being smart. Over the course of highschool I was in advanced level classes and worked hard for straight A's. From there, I got accepted into one of the top universities in Texas, Texas A&M (Whoop), where I maintained a high GPA and had a great shot at getting accepted into one of the Masters of Occupational Therapy programs in Texas, which can be very competitive to get into, if I hadn't decided to move to Iowa with Michael. Ditzy is apparently about being just absent-mind or bubbly enough to give your friends enough ammunition to sporadically make fun of you throughout your entire life.
Though I now think of this insecurity as "ditziness", I didn't always. In highschool, my friends made fun of me so incessantly that I thought of my self as stupid. I took more difficult classes and made straight A's and it didn't seem to matter. I didn't get it. Of course, it didn't help that I was always attracted to nerds who I thought would make up for me in the areas that I lacked and the prince charming that I happened to date in high school also happened to have an unrealistically high confidence level and always made mean remarks about my SAT score (c'mon, 1230 is even bad!) and pretty much whatever else he could use to cut me down.
Then in college I started dating Michael. Though he believed in me and always told me how capable I am of achieving whatever I want, he's incredibly brilliant and surrounds himself with people who are equally so, or at least believe themselves to be. These people judge and criticize. To them, I have a pretty face, a nice body, and no thoughts or opinions, at least any that are worth listening to. They haven't seen me when I cook a good meal, or make something beautiful with my hands. They haven't seen me kiss away my students' tears, or rough it in the woods. It's true, I couldn't tell you every stance each political candidate takes on each topic, anything at all about technology, and I could pretty much go on and on about what I don't know. But I could also go on and on about what these people don't know.
A while back, Michael challenged me to make a new years resolution that I wasn't going to quit on, so I've decided to go back to school, or at the very least, find a better job with higher pay and will allow for some personal growth. I graduated from A&M with a bachelors degree and I've become a pre-school teacher? I haven't exactly risen above anyone who is less-capable than myself, so how would anyone even know what my potential is?...I don't even know what my potential is at this point! Time to spread these wings...
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Monday, November 28, 2011
I don't need a special day to acknowledge all of my blessings, but since there is one...
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!! Or maybe I should say "belated thanksgiving"...either way, it was a great time of food and family and remembering my blessings!
This year was the first year that I haven't been surrounded by 30+ family members! Let me tell ya, it is SO much more work! Usually I spend the day, and following weekend, with my extended family in Lake Jackson and there are so many people, every family just brings one or two dishes, and we have a feast! This year, Michael's parents came to Des Moines, so Pam (Michael's mom) and I had to cook everything ourselves, in my tiny apartment kitchen! We started cooking around 11am and were finally ready to sit down around 4:30pm. Though it was tons of work, the moment I took my first bite of sweet potato casserole, it was all completely worth it :) I promise I won't do this every year, but since it's mine and Michael's very first Thanksgiving together, I thought I'd list the dishes. We had:
- brown-sugared ham
- broccoli salad
- cranberry jello salad
- deviled eggs
- broccoli cheese rice casserole
- mashed potatoes
- gravy
- rolls
- sweet potato casserole
- pumpkin pie
- apple pie
- chocolate pie
I'm sure you think it's a little wierd that we didn't have a turkey for "Turkey Day", but Michael and I don't like it, so we just decided to skip it haha.
We also had a nice time visiting with the Kings. They arrived while I was at work on Wednesday morning and as soon as I got off, we went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse (yummm!). On Thanksgiving day, Michael woke me up with a gorgeous bouquet of flowers and then all the cooking began! other than cooking, we watched a movie that we rented from Redbox and then watched the Texas Aggie vs. UT football game, a tradition that has taken place every Thanksgiving since 1894. Sadly, this will be the last year for this great rivalry, due to the Aggies leaving the Big 12 for the SCC. Even more, my beloved Aggies lost the game by 2 points, when the Longhorns kicked a fieldgoal in the last 2 seconds of the game. The day couldn't have ended worse lol.
On most Black Fridays, I spend the day shopping with my girl cousins, but this year, I didn't take a single step into a store. Instead, I had a migraine, so I kind of lounged around while Michael and his parents watched a movie and relaxed and in the evening we went to Jolly Holiday Christmas lights, which is a lights display to raise money for the Make a Wish Foundation. It was a good time, except for Michael's refusal to take a picture with me and Santa :(
Overall, it was a great weekend! Though michael still had to spend part of each day locked away in his office studying, it was so nice to be able to spend so much more time with him than we usually get together. And although I very much missed my family back in Texas, I really enjoyed spending some time with the Kings and finally getting to show them our first home!
As always, here are a couple pics we took over the weekend:
This year was the first year that I haven't been surrounded by 30+ family members! Let me tell ya, it is SO much more work! Usually I spend the day, and following weekend, with my extended family in Lake Jackson and there are so many people, every family just brings one or two dishes, and we have a feast! This year, Michael's parents came to Des Moines, so Pam (Michael's mom) and I had to cook everything ourselves, in my tiny apartment kitchen! We started cooking around 11am and were finally ready to sit down around 4:30pm. Though it was tons of work, the moment I took my first bite of sweet potato casserole, it was all completely worth it :) I promise I won't do this every year, but since it's mine and Michael's very first Thanksgiving together, I thought I'd list the dishes. We had:
- brown-sugared ham
- broccoli salad
- cranberry jello salad
- deviled eggs
- broccoli cheese rice casserole
- mashed potatoes
- gravy
- rolls
- sweet potato casserole
- pumpkin pie
- apple pie
- chocolate pie
I'm sure you think it's a little wierd that we didn't have a turkey for "Turkey Day", but Michael and I don't like it, so we just decided to skip it haha.
We also had a nice time visiting with the Kings. They arrived while I was at work on Wednesday morning and as soon as I got off, we went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse (yummm!). On Thanksgiving day, Michael woke me up with a gorgeous bouquet of flowers and then all the cooking began! other than cooking, we watched a movie that we rented from Redbox and then watched the Texas Aggie vs. UT football game, a tradition that has taken place every Thanksgiving since 1894. Sadly, this will be the last year for this great rivalry, due to the Aggies leaving the Big 12 for the SCC. Even more, my beloved Aggies lost the game by 2 points, when the Longhorns kicked a fieldgoal in the last 2 seconds of the game. The day couldn't have ended worse lol.
On most Black Fridays, I spend the day shopping with my girl cousins, but this year, I didn't take a single step into a store. Instead, I had a migraine, so I kind of lounged around while Michael and his parents watched a movie and relaxed and in the evening we went to Jolly Holiday Christmas lights, which is a lights display to raise money for the Make a Wish Foundation. It was a good time, except for Michael's refusal to take a picture with me and Santa :(
Overall, it was a great weekend! Though michael still had to spend part of each day locked away in his office studying, it was so nice to be able to spend so much more time with him than we usually get together. And although I very much missed my family back in Texas, I really enjoyed spending some time with the Kings and finally getting to show them our first home!
As always, here are a couple pics we took over the weekend:
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Drab to Fab: New Me, New Things
Howdy friends! Soo lately, I've not only gotten a very different haircut than the one I'm typically used to, but I also made a few more things I've discovered on Pinterest, so I figured I would share them.
Okay, so this is the new haircut. These are admittedly horrible pictures of myself, but they at least show my hair. A haircut probably isn't a big deal to most people, but I've pretty much had the exact same hair since middle school, with the exception of a 12 inch cut I got during a momentary lapse of judgement during highschool for a boyfriend. This time, it wasn't 12 inches, but it was somewhere around 6-8 and I got full bangs for the first time since I was probably in the 2nd grade. I must say, I do not handle change well AT ALL!!!...usually. But this was different. I felt like my haircut made me look more asian, and with that, I decided to embrace it. I typically avoid high collared or silky shirts with every attempt to look less asian, but I've decided there will be no more of that. I will wear and present myself with whatever happens to look good, weather or not that results in my looking more asian lol. I am me. I am 1/4 Korean. And I can be confident in that. I've also been told my new hair makes me look older (at least older than 14 haha), and sophisticated. I like that. I'm not sure if it's the hair or the way I carry myself with my new cut, but either way, I feel different.
I also promised to be posting results of recipes I've tried from Pinterest, so I'll go ahead and follow through on that. This time, I made something called Cowboy Casserole. It's the epitome of comfort food and so incredible easy and delicious...perfect for the witner weather we've had here in Iowa. The recipe can be found at this link: http://thecuttingedgeofordinary.blogspot.com/2010/09/cowboy-casserole-looks-like-dog-food.html and here are some pics I took...
It may not look that appealing, but I assure you tastes great! Oh also, I threw a can of green beans in there and it was yummy!
I also refurbished some old side tables that Michael's parents gave us and these, I admit, I'm pretty proud of. I took off the hardware that was already on them, sanded them, gave 'em a paint job, and then comes the impressive part (at least for me haha). I got some wood putty from home depot and filled the holes from the existing handles, and drilled one hole for some nobs. Lastly, I made a stencil and painted a design on each of the drawers. Here at the before and after pics:
Lastly, I made some simple coasters using modge podge, some tiles, and scrapbook paper. Here the link for the directions: http://twogirlsbeingcrafty.blogspot.com/2011/02/ramseys-finally-have-coasters.html and here are the pics of the ones I made
Other than these things, life has been pretty much the usual- work, housework, and lots and lots of studying for Michael. I was sick for a couple days with a horrible stomach virus, which was especially miserable because Michael couldn't really take care of me; he had so much studying to do for his tests and also couldn't afford to get sick and have to miss any classes or study time. Other than bringing me some drinks and a trashcan, I was on my own. It was short-lived, though and now I'm just fine. This weekend has been so great! Michael has had a little bit of time to spend away from studying, so we rented a couple movies and snuggled up tight...it's the simple things :)
Gotta run, I'm painting my bedroom. Stay tuned, I'll let you know how it turns out!
Okay, so this is the new haircut. These are admittedly horrible pictures of myself, but they at least show my hair. A haircut probably isn't a big deal to most people, but I've pretty much had the exact same hair since middle school, with the exception of a 12 inch cut I got during a momentary lapse of judgement during highschool for a boyfriend. This time, it wasn't 12 inches, but it was somewhere around 6-8 and I got full bangs for the first time since I was probably in the 2nd grade. I must say, I do not handle change well AT ALL!!!...usually. But this was different. I felt like my haircut made me look more asian, and with that, I decided to embrace it. I typically avoid high collared or silky shirts with every attempt to look less asian, but I've decided there will be no more of that. I will wear and present myself with whatever happens to look good, weather or not that results in my looking more asian lol. I am me. I am 1/4 Korean. And I can be confident in that. I've also been told my new hair makes me look older (at least older than 14 haha), and sophisticated. I like that. I'm not sure if it's the hair or the way I carry myself with my new cut, but either way, I feel different.
I also promised to be posting results of recipes I've tried from Pinterest, so I'll go ahead and follow through on that. This time, I made something called Cowboy Casserole. It's the epitome of comfort food and so incredible easy and delicious...perfect for the witner weather we've had here in Iowa. The recipe can be found at this link: http://thecuttingedgeofordinary.blogspot.com/2010/09/cowboy-casserole-looks-like-dog-food.html and here are some pics I took...
It may not look that appealing, but I assure you tastes great! Oh also, I threw a can of green beans in there and it was yummy!
I also refurbished some old side tables that Michael's parents gave us and these, I admit, I'm pretty proud of. I took off the hardware that was already on them, sanded them, gave 'em a paint job, and then comes the impressive part (at least for me haha). I got some wood putty from home depot and filled the holes from the existing handles, and drilled one hole for some nobs. Lastly, I made a stencil and painted a design on each of the drawers. Here at the before and after pics:
Lastly, I made some simple coasters using modge podge, some tiles, and scrapbook paper. Here the link for the directions: http://twogirlsbeingcrafty.blogspot.com/2011/02/ramseys-finally-have-coasters.html and here are the pics of the ones I made
Other than these things, life has been pretty much the usual- work, housework, and lots and lots of studying for Michael. I was sick for a couple days with a horrible stomach virus, which was especially miserable because Michael couldn't really take care of me; he had so much studying to do for his tests and also couldn't afford to get sick and have to miss any classes or study time. Other than bringing me some drinks and a trashcan, I was on my own. It was short-lived, though and now I'm just fine. This weekend has been so great! Michael has had a little bit of time to spend away from studying, so we rented a couple movies and snuggled up tight...it's the simple things :)
Gotta run, I'm painting my bedroom. Stay tuned, I'll let you know how it turns out!
Saturday, November 12, 2011
There's no "I" in TEAM
Soo yesterday, Michael taught me something that I had never thought about before and I felt compelled to write about it. We were discussing how difficult it is to be newlyweds and have him in such a demanding graduate program. I always pictured our first years of marriage (the "honeymoon phase") being full of spontaneous dates and new adventures, but that's not quite exactly how it's turned out.
With only being able to see him for about 15-30 minutes a day, half of which is spent when he sings me a song before I go to bed, right before he returns to his studies until about 2am, our growth has primarily come through the trials we face, instead of all of the fun new memories we've been making together. Not that we haven't made any fun memories since being married, but our time is so limited, we don't have any time to go on quick day trips to other towns just to get away, or even a simple dinner and movie. Mostly, we stay close by continually encouraging eachother through these difficult times and reminding eachother that things will get easier; and eventually all this hard work and limited time together will be worth it, when he has a job he loves which will allow the financial freedoms to experience many things we only dream of now.
Yesterday I was feeling a little down because of how little time I've spent with Michael, and he held me close and reminded me "this is just a small bump in the road, on the way to success". I told him I know and told him I feel bad for even feeling down about it because he's the one that has to study like 18 hours a day, which is way harder on him. His response was "it's not about what I have to do and what you have to do; if it's hard on one of us, it's hard on both of us. When you are feeling neglected ecause I don't have the time to offer you that you need, it hurts me too." This is when I realized he was right. All this time I've thought of ourselves as complete individuals. Yes, we're married, but I still categorize the things that I do versus the things that he has to do. This thinking is all wrong. We're a team now, and my job as his wife isn't just do get the things done that I've deemed as the wifes job; I'm also responsible for trying to make my husband feel loved and content, because when he's happy is when i can be most happy.
I am so thankful for a husband that opened my eyes to this. I love you, sweetheart!
With only being able to see him for about 15-30 minutes a day, half of which is spent when he sings me a song before I go to bed, right before he returns to his studies until about 2am, our growth has primarily come through the trials we face, instead of all of the fun new memories we've been making together. Not that we haven't made any fun memories since being married, but our time is so limited, we don't have any time to go on quick day trips to other towns just to get away, or even a simple dinner and movie. Mostly, we stay close by continually encouraging eachother through these difficult times and reminding eachother that things will get easier; and eventually all this hard work and limited time together will be worth it, when he has a job he loves which will allow the financial freedoms to experience many things we only dream of now.
Yesterday I was feeling a little down because of how little time I've spent with Michael, and he held me close and reminded me "this is just a small bump in the road, on the way to success". I told him I know and told him I feel bad for even feeling down about it because he's the one that has to study like 18 hours a day, which is way harder on him. His response was "it's not about what I have to do and what you have to do; if it's hard on one of us, it's hard on both of us. When you are feeling neglected ecause I don't have the time to offer you that you need, it hurts me too." This is when I realized he was right. All this time I've thought of ourselves as complete individuals. Yes, we're married, but I still categorize the things that I do versus the things that he has to do. This thinking is all wrong. We're a team now, and my job as his wife isn't just do get the things done that I've deemed as the wifes job; I'm also responsible for trying to make my husband feel loved and content, because when he's happy is when i can be most happy.
I am so thankful for a husband that opened my eyes to this. I love you, sweetheart!
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Michael turns old
Well, Michael finally hit the status of "old", at least in my book. It really does seem like just last week that my brother, Ryan, was turning 24 and I was thinking how old that sounded. I cannot believe Michael is now that age! Sigh...the years since we first became close have flown by. He even still has the first birthday card I ever gave him, which was for his 16th birthday. Although it doesn't seem like that long ago, when I think in detail about all that we have been through together as teens, and now as adults, it makes me feel so blessed to have had such a steady friendship for all these years.
This year, we really weren't able to have a real celebration, on account of his super busy school schedule. When I asked him if he wanted me to cook him a good meal or go out to dinner, he told me all he really wanted was a good pizza lol. He asked for so little, I couldn't deny him that! When it came time to figure out where to get the pizza, though, all he could really think of was Cici's. Though this hardly qualifies as a "good pizza", we went. We see so little of each other, it was great just to be able to sit down and share a meal with him. Afterwards, I presented him with the cake I made him- a mint chocolate chip cake (I got the recipe on Pinterest). His favorite ice cream is mint chocolate chip, so I figured it was perfect! All in all, it was a pretty uneventful day, but with Michael in Podiatry School, I'm slowly learning that even these simple moments are ones can be treasured.
While I didn't have much to offer Michael in the way of gifts, with the budget being tight and all, God had a little surprise up his sleeve. That night we got our first heavy snowfall of the season! We awoke to a few inches on the ground and car windows that needed thawing out...something we're not used to in Texas. As beautiful of a sight as it was, I couldn't have been more unprepared. The boots I was wearing got completely soaked through in just the few minutes it took Gizmo to go to the bathroom. Thank goodness my mom bought me some new rainboots last summer! I ran upstairs, changed into some dry socks and my rainboots and was set for all the slush I encountered that day. Needless to say, I'll be going to the mall this weekend to buy Michael and I some appropriate winterwear. Next time it snows, we'll be ready for some sledding :)
This year, we really weren't able to have a real celebration, on account of his super busy school schedule. When I asked him if he wanted me to cook him a good meal or go out to dinner, he told me all he really wanted was a good pizza lol. He asked for so little, I couldn't deny him that! When it came time to figure out where to get the pizza, though, all he could really think of was Cici's. Though this hardly qualifies as a "good pizza", we went. We see so little of each other, it was great just to be able to sit down and share a meal with him. Afterwards, I presented him with the cake I made him- a mint chocolate chip cake (I got the recipe on Pinterest). His favorite ice cream is mint chocolate chip, so I figured it was perfect! All in all, it was a pretty uneventful day, but with Michael in Podiatry School, I'm slowly learning that even these simple moments are ones can be treasured.
While I didn't have much to offer Michael in the way of gifts, with the budget being tight and all, God had a little surprise up his sleeve. That night we got our first heavy snowfall of the season! We awoke to a few inches on the ground and car windows that needed thawing out...something we're not used to in Texas. As beautiful of a sight as it was, I couldn't have been more unprepared. The boots I was wearing got completely soaked through in just the few minutes it took Gizmo to go to the bathroom. Thank goodness my mom bought me some new rainboots last summer! I ran upstairs, changed into some dry socks and my rainboots and was set for all the slush I encountered that day. Needless to say, I'll be going to the mall this weekend to buy Michael and I some appropriate winterwear. Next time it snows, we'll be ready for some sledding :)
Monday, October 31, 2011
Superman as a Dad
As you can tell by the date, Today is Halloween; but even more than that, today is my Dad's 50th birthday! For being such the incredible dad that he is, I thought I would write a tribute to him.
If you know dad, you know he has a tough outer layer, which can be difficult to pierce. Being his only daughter, though, I like to think that I have a special ability to break through his macho-man exterior and get to know his most vulnerable self.
Growing up, dad always told us kids ("us" being my brother, cousins, and I) that he was Superman. He was so believable at being Superman that my cousin, Shawna, actually went to school and told her class about her uncle's supernatural identity lol. He was strong and knew everything there was to know and made me feel safe from the scary things that loom in the darkness, as he tucked me into bed every night.
Dad gave me lots of reasons to brag about him, but I remember one time in particular that I went to school and told my friends I have "the best dad in the world". It was pet day at school, and I was bringing my Jackson Chameleon to show my class. On our way out the door, my dad noticed there were sugar ants all in my chameleon's cage. Instead of making me leave my prized pet at home, even though he had work and we were already running late, he took the cage outside and cleaned it all out so I could take it to school. This probably doesn't seem like a big deal to most people, but it was one of the many times I actually stopped to think about how lucky I was to have such a great dad and I will never forget that day. Though I've always loved my dad exactly the same, I didn't always take the time to truly appreciate him.
As a teenager, I didn't always get along with my dad. in fact, I pretty much fought with him constantly. I thought he was unemotional, insensitive towards my feelings, and most of all, I hated that he didn't spend as much time with me as he did my brother. I wanted to go on hunting outings, fishing trips, and learn how to golf! So how did I express my frustrations with him? I yelled and disrespected him and fought him over everything I could. As you can imagine, this didn't exactly make my dad want to be around me any more. This is how our relationship continued basically until I went to college, where I grew up some and started to grasp the fact that my dad isn't actually Superman; he's just a man, and I'm lucky enough to have a dad who tries to be Superman for my brother and I.
Looking back, I regret my teenage years with everything in me. I wish I understood then what I do now- that he didn't ever care about me any less, he just didn't really know how to relate to me or speak to me in my specific love language. I went from a little girl who went along with everything he said, to a confused teen who took it far too personally whenever he spent his time doing something else, rather than spending it with me. I now know that his love language is service. In his eyes, he was probably doing everything humanly possible to keep his daughter content; he worked and gave me spending money, he mowed the lawn, did house work, etc. and I just remained unsatisfied with his efforts.
Now, I am happy to say that we're far past that point in time. We now share an alma mater, which I like to think makes us closer and gives us something in common, he taught Michael and I how to swing dance for the first dance at our wedding, performed our ceremony, and spent the time and money to move us into our new apartment in Iowa. He's supportive in every way imaginable. Dad, I'm so lucky to have you! Happy Birthday, old man, I love you!!
If you know dad, you know he has a tough outer layer, which can be difficult to pierce. Being his only daughter, though, I like to think that I have a special ability to break through his macho-man exterior and get to know his most vulnerable self.
Growing up, dad always told us kids ("us" being my brother, cousins, and I) that he was Superman. He was so believable at being Superman that my cousin, Shawna, actually went to school and told her class about her uncle's supernatural identity lol. He was strong and knew everything there was to know and made me feel safe from the scary things that loom in the darkness, as he tucked me into bed every night.
Dad gave me lots of reasons to brag about him, but I remember one time in particular that I went to school and told my friends I have "the best dad in the world". It was pet day at school, and I was bringing my Jackson Chameleon to show my class. On our way out the door, my dad noticed there were sugar ants all in my chameleon's cage. Instead of making me leave my prized pet at home, even though he had work and we were already running late, he took the cage outside and cleaned it all out so I could take it to school. This probably doesn't seem like a big deal to most people, but it was one of the many times I actually stopped to think about how lucky I was to have such a great dad and I will never forget that day. Though I've always loved my dad exactly the same, I didn't always take the time to truly appreciate him.
As a teenager, I didn't always get along with my dad. in fact, I pretty much fought with him constantly. I thought he was unemotional, insensitive towards my feelings, and most of all, I hated that he didn't spend as much time with me as he did my brother. I wanted to go on hunting outings, fishing trips, and learn how to golf! So how did I express my frustrations with him? I yelled and disrespected him and fought him over everything I could. As you can imagine, this didn't exactly make my dad want to be around me any more. This is how our relationship continued basically until I went to college, where I grew up some and started to grasp the fact that my dad isn't actually Superman; he's just a man, and I'm lucky enough to have a dad who tries to be Superman for my brother and I.
Looking back, I regret my teenage years with everything in me. I wish I understood then what I do now- that he didn't ever care about me any less, he just didn't really know how to relate to me or speak to me in my specific love language. I went from a little girl who went along with everything he said, to a confused teen who took it far too personally whenever he spent his time doing something else, rather than spending it with me. I now know that his love language is service. In his eyes, he was probably doing everything humanly possible to keep his daughter content; he worked and gave me spending money, he mowed the lawn, did house work, etc. and I just remained unsatisfied with his efforts.
Now, I am happy to say that we're far past that point in time. We now share an alma mater, which I like to think makes us closer and gives us something in common, he taught Michael and I how to swing dance for the first dance at our wedding, performed our ceremony, and spent the time and money to move us into our new apartment in Iowa. He's supportive in every way imaginable. Dad, I'm so lucky to have you! Happy Birthday, old man, I love you!!
Saturday, October 29, 2011
A New Beginning
Well, married life isn't exactly as I'd envisioned it, but it's wonderful so many reasons. Since I know i won't always remember the overwhelming combination of emotions that I now feel as a newlywed, I thought I'd record them through this blog. Happy reading :)
By the time I moved up here to Des Moines, Michael had already been here a month for school. I missed him and our sweet Gizmo so much, and even though everyone told me to come into marriage without expectations of Michael as my husband, it was hard not to; I just couldn't wait to live with Michael by ourselves for the first time! I thought we would have the perfect leave-it-to-beaver household...ha!
The first couple of weeks were by far the most difficult, as we established our new roles in the household and eliminated the pre-conceived expectations we had for eachother. I knew Michael would be studying alot, but I guess I didn't realize how much. Here I was, in this new apartment in a state I'd never even been to, with a new job, no friends or family, and I literally only got to see Michael about 30 mins a day, which was usually for dinner. He didn't even come to bed until hours after I'd fallen to sleep. "Is this how it's going to be for the next 4 years?!" I wondered. I felt lost and alone and so homesick. I didn't really feel like I had a purpose here. I gave up OT school and the life I was comfortable in, to support Michael while he's in school, and I didn't even get to see him! I was a little resentful of his super limited schedule and he was frustrated that I wasn't happy because there really wasn't much he could do about it.
It took a little bit of patience and understanding on both our parts, but after we learned how to communicate well, I learned about Michael's needs in a wife and he learned how to comfort and support me. Since then, life has only improved for us. We've grown so much stronger as a couple, I began to really enjoy my job, the boxes were s-l-o-w-l-y getting unpacked, and the beautiful new furniture that my parents bought us for a wedding present even arrived, making us feel more at home. Though we still have basically no time together, and I can count the number of things we've been able to do together on one hand, it does make us value the moments we do have together even more.
One Saturday, Michael had a few hours he could spend away from his studies and we decided to explore Iowa together by going to a local apple orchard. It was a really fun experience, getting to pick the apples right off the tree and eat them. Definitely wasn't something we are able to do in TX! Here are a few pics from our evening...
The next chance we had to spend time together was for my birthday. Michael had told me that he had a surprise for me, but I wasn't sure if the surprise was the date or a gift, so I didn't have a clue about what it could be. When I got home from work, I stepped out of my car and noticed Michael sitting in his car, parked next to me. I saw some of my sweats in the backseat, and instead of the obvious, I thought to myself "has it really been so long since the last time I did laundry that he's taking it to a laundromat?!" Then I noticed Gizmo jumping around in the front seat and Michael signaled me to get into the car. I was thrilled when we arrived at a camping ground, after about a 30 min. drive! Michael had bought us a new tent and everything we would need for camping. He even brought dinner, which consisted of hotsogs, brautwurst, chips, pickles, and s'mores for dessert. He even brought his laptop to watch a DVD, and beef jerky and jiffypop to cook over the fire for a snack. Although we were exhausted and ended up falling asleep around 11pm, and we had to get up at 7am so Michael could resume his studying, we still had such a perfect evening together while it lasted. It was the perfect birthday surprise!
The weekend after my birthday, my dad flew me back to the great state of Texas for my cousin, Lindsay's, wedding. Although Michael wasn't able to come because of his heavy school load, I still had a blast! Not only did Lindsay and Sam have a beautiful wedding, but I also got to go fishing with mom and dad at the beach, celebrate my belated birthday with all of my family, and spent precious time with my cousins. The older I get, the more I treasure time with my family and the more I realize what a uniquely close family I have, being so large. I feel so incredibly lucky to be blessed with such a strong support system that I can always turn to. Here are some pics from the time I spent there...
Though I SO loved my time in TX, it was nice to come home to my sweet hubby. He even tidied up the apartment for my return lol :) Last weekend, Michael and I finally got to go to the Aggie football game against Iowa State. I've been looking forward to it since Michael gave me the tickets as a present, on our wedding day. Lately, though, he's been so busy with studying that we didn't think we were going to have time to go. He actually ended up pulling some all-nighters to make time for the game. We had such a great time at the game and the Aggies killed the Cyclones. Whoop!
Well, that basically sums up our life in Iowa, so far. I know it's pretty uneventful, but hey, there's not a whole lot of fun things to do by myself. I've been trying new recipes from Pinterest, which have been great. I'll be sure to post them when I make a new one. I've also had alot of requests for pics of the apartment. It's pretty slow-going because everything I've done to it is DIY, to save money. I'll post pics as I make progress!
By the time I moved up here to Des Moines, Michael had already been here a month for school. I missed him and our sweet Gizmo so much, and even though everyone told me to come into marriage without expectations of Michael as my husband, it was hard not to; I just couldn't wait to live with Michael by ourselves for the first time! I thought we would have the perfect leave-it-to-beaver household...ha!
The first couple of weeks were by far the most difficult, as we established our new roles in the household and eliminated the pre-conceived expectations we had for eachother. I knew Michael would be studying alot, but I guess I didn't realize how much. Here I was, in this new apartment in a state I'd never even been to, with a new job, no friends or family, and I literally only got to see Michael about 30 mins a day, which was usually for dinner. He didn't even come to bed until hours after I'd fallen to sleep. "Is this how it's going to be for the next 4 years?!" I wondered. I felt lost and alone and so homesick. I didn't really feel like I had a purpose here. I gave up OT school and the life I was comfortable in, to support Michael while he's in school, and I didn't even get to see him! I was a little resentful of his super limited schedule and he was frustrated that I wasn't happy because there really wasn't much he could do about it.
It took a little bit of patience and understanding on both our parts, but after we learned how to communicate well, I learned about Michael's needs in a wife and he learned how to comfort and support me. Since then, life has only improved for us. We've grown so much stronger as a couple, I began to really enjoy my job, the boxes were s-l-o-w-l-y getting unpacked, and the beautiful new furniture that my parents bought us for a wedding present even arrived, making us feel more at home. Though we still have basically no time together, and I can count the number of things we've been able to do together on one hand, it does make us value the moments we do have together even more.
One Saturday, Michael had a few hours he could spend away from his studies and we decided to explore Iowa together by going to a local apple orchard. It was a really fun experience, getting to pick the apples right off the tree and eat them. Definitely wasn't something we are able to do in TX! Here are a few pics from our evening...
The next chance we had to spend time together was for my birthday. Michael had told me that he had a surprise for me, but I wasn't sure if the surprise was the date or a gift, so I didn't have a clue about what it could be. When I got home from work, I stepped out of my car and noticed Michael sitting in his car, parked next to me. I saw some of my sweats in the backseat, and instead of the obvious, I thought to myself "has it really been so long since the last time I did laundry that he's taking it to a laundromat?!" Then I noticed Gizmo jumping around in the front seat and Michael signaled me to get into the car. I was thrilled when we arrived at a camping ground, after about a 30 min. drive! Michael had bought us a new tent and everything we would need for camping. He even brought dinner, which consisted of hotsogs, brautwurst, chips, pickles, and s'mores for dessert. He even brought his laptop to watch a DVD, and beef jerky and jiffypop to cook over the fire for a snack. Although we were exhausted and ended up falling asleep around 11pm, and we had to get up at 7am so Michael could resume his studying, we still had such a perfect evening together while it lasted. It was the perfect birthday surprise!
The weekend after my birthday, my dad flew me back to the great state of Texas for my cousin, Lindsay's, wedding. Although Michael wasn't able to come because of his heavy school load, I still had a blast! Not only did Lindsay and Sam have a beautiful wedding, but I also got to go fishing with mom and dad at the beach, celebrate my belated birthday with all of my family, and spent precious time with my cousins. The older I get, the more I treasure time with my family and the more I realize what a uniquely close family I have, being so large. I feel so incredibly lucky to be blessed with such a strong support system that I can always turn to. Here are some pics from the time I spent there...
Though I SO loved my time in TX, it was nice to come home to my sweet hubby. He even tidied up the apartment for my return lol :) Last weekend, Michael and I finally got to go to the Aggie football game against Iowa State. I've been looking forward to it since Michael gave me the tickets as a present, on our wedding day. Lately, though, he's been so busy with studying that we didn't think we were going to have time to go. He actually ended up pulling some all-nighters to make time for the game. We had such a great time at the game and the Aggies killed the Cyclones. Whoop!
Well, that basically sums up our life in Iowa, so far. I know it's pretty uneventful, but hey, there's not a whole lot of fun things to do by myself. I've been trying new recipes from Pinterest, which have been great. I'll be sure to post them when I make a new one. I've also had alot of requests for pics of the apartment. It's pretty slow-going because everything I've done to it is DIY, to save money. I'll post pics as I make progress!
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