Wet Carpet and Avoiding Wedding Disasters

Well, since the last time I wrote, our hot water heater (that in itself seems redundant... so I'll call it our water heater) leaked up THROUGH our floors into our hallway and our bedroom. How did I notice this, you ask? Well, our bed does not have a frame, so our box spring is sitting on the floor. While I was walking past the bed the other day, I brushed it with my foot and felt that it was wet. This really confused me because the carpet between the wall and bed wasn't wet... just the box spring. I'm guessing this is because there was the pressure of the bed on the carpet, I don't even know... I put one of our little fans on it hoping it would help but it didnt. ANYWAY, then I see a spot in the hallway. Thinking Ryan had just stepped there when he got out of the shower, I put a towel down to dry it up.

Well, we woke up the next morning, and the towel was SOAKED. So... I called maintenance. They were at our apartment within 5 minutes. I think they said it was a clogged overflow pipe or something like that. Okay, I'm really not savvy with the lingo, so that either made complete sense or I was way off.

They fixed the pipe or whatever, and then the carpet guy came and turned our bed up against the wall and proceeded to rip up our carpet in our bedroom. We've had 2 huge fans going since Wednesday. They said they'd be by to pick them up on Friday, but here we are 2 days later than that and they're still in my home. Grr.

On a happier note, my best friend Julie (who was also my maid of honor) got married yesterday. It was neat to finally meet the other bridesmaids (her friends from college) after hearing so much about them. I think everything went fairly smoothly. I'm actually glad her wedding was at 3pm instead of 7 like mine because, though we were exhausted when it was over, I was able to go home at like 630.

At the rehearsal, Kevin, one of the ministers who married them, said there would definitely be one thing that did NOT go according to plan, but that everything would be okay anyway. At the time, I kind of felt like he was jinxing it, but every wedding I've been to was that way, so it really wasn't a huge deal.

For Julie and Reed's wedding, it was her wedding dress. Poor thing. It was a lace-up corset top and the boning on her right side broke. The dress was still wearable, but it wasn't perfect, like every bride deserves. We all wanted so bad to fix it, but there was really nothing anyone could do. As I saw tears well up in her eyes, I had to get her away from any mirrors in the room because she kept staring at the dress and seeing imperfections. At the end of the day, it wasn't as noticeable as she feared, and it was still the happiest day of her life. I love her and wish her a lifetime full of happiness.

I think I'm getting the hang of it!

After a handful of attempts at the "perfect meal" for my husband and myself, I think I've finally found the recipe! It's hilarious, really, because it's SO simple. Meatballs. I'm not even a huge fan of meatballs... but I sure did surprise myself with this dish.

I remember telling Ryan, close to tears, the other night that "I'm just a terrible cook... I'll never get the hang of this... I just want you to genuinely enjoy a meal that I cook for you... and don't you dare pretend that you like something you don't!"

We woke up on Sunday morning, and I told him that I was going to try this seemingly easy meatball recipe I found on the internet. He asked what was in the sauce that I was going to put on them, and I told him: Heinz Chili Sauce and grape jelly. I wish you could have seen his face when he heard the "grape jelly" part. I could tell he was very suspicious of the whole idea.

When I got home from church, Ryan was at work (he doesn't get off until 6pm on Sundays), and I decided to make the meatballs from scratch. Time consuming, but easy enough. I took 1 lb of ground beef and mixed it (by hand) with 1 lb of ground pork. I then added 2 cups of seasoned breadcrumbs and 2 eggs (that's the messy, but fun part of the whole mixing!). I then made meatballs from the mix and browned them in a skillet and put them in the crock pot.

After I had made all the meatballs, I took the 12 oz bottle of Heinz Chili Sauce and whisked it together with an 18 oz jar of grape jelly and poured the mixture over the top of the meatballs and cooked them on low for 4-5 hours (for the last 30 minutes or so I had the crock pot on warm).

I then made mashed potatoes to complete the meal, and had it all on the table for Ryan when he got home.

He loved it! I really didn't expect him to. I mean, I thought they were tasty, but he was using adjectives like "delicious". I asked him if the meatballs were something he'd like for me to make for our next party and he looked at me like I was crazy and said "These are too good to share. When you make them again, I want the whole thing to myself."

Needless to say, my heart smiled a little... and I hope I'm out of my terrible cooking rut. I know it all comes with experience, and I don't have the most of it... but it really is fun trying... especially when my husband enjoys the end result!

I'm a married woman!

This is my third week as a true grown up. I'm living in an apartment... with my HUSBAND! It feels so natural, so... perfect.

Our wedding in itself was perfect. I honestly can't remember how many times we've used that word, perfect, to describe the day. We drove to Abilene on our wedding night to stay in a hotel before driving to the DFW airport the next day, and the whole time we were grinning from ear to ear, repeating "Gosh, that was perfect... I wouldn't change a thing."

This being said, we DID get pulled over that night... for going 72 in a 65 (night time). Thank the Lord our friends had written "Just Married" on our windows, or the deputy might not have believed us.

No worries, we just got a warning. :)

Looking back, there were a few minor details that I was stressing over on our big day, but I just LOVE how everything unfolded. Simply beautiful. Just like I had always imagined.

Our honeymoon was beyond awesome! We went to Las Vegas (we both turned 21 in May, so this was perfect timing)! I had never been before, so just walking the strip and seeing all of the buildings, fountains, etc, was incredibly neat. Ryan was excited to gamble, but once we actually got down to it, we lost money way too quickly. We decided to have 40 bucks a piece to gamble at our own leisure, and I think I ended up losing a total of 10 on a slot machine and keeping my 30. Ryan, on the other hand, lost 20-30 real quick on one game of black jack, and decided to quit while he still had some money. He did, however, win $156 on a slot machine off of ONE spin that cost 40 cents while we were waiting for our dinner reservations... VERY cool. I swear, you would have thought we won at least $1000 with the way we reacted. It was such a blast. :)

Exactly a week after our wedding (the day after we got home from the honeymoon), my niece Ashley got married... to a gentleman named... RYAN. Yes, we both married Ryans. They are expecting a baby in January. So exciting... this means me and MY Ryan can hold off on the whole baby thing for a while and play with theirs! ;)

Speaking of babies... my nephew Jason and his wife Laura had their baby girl Layla on the 13th. I haven't been over to see her yet, because I won't be able to refrain from loving on her, and Ryan has been pretty sick for the past week or so and I don't want to give her anything... especially with her being 3-4 weeks premature.

I have found that I'm not as good of a cook as I'd hoped to be... but I'm having so much fun trying. It's always fun to have dinner ready for Ryan as he gets home from work (even though it IS at 9:30pm).

We still don't have the apartment as clean as I'd like it... but I mean, really, it's taken weeks just to get all the boxes from our wedding gifts out of here! Still in the process of moving the last of my stuff over here from my parents house... and we will hopefully have that completed this weekend.

I'm missing my mom and dad, and my fat little dog... but Ryan and I visit them often. I'm not sure if my dog will ever forgive me for moving out, but she's always excited to see us when we stop by.

I love my parents so much... and I'm so grateful for the way they raised me; knowing I deserved nothing less than perfect. And I thank God every day that Ryan fits that description.

I can honestly say I love my life right now... and I wouldn't change a thing.

my heart

I'm in love. Deeply, madly, butterflies in my stomach, I can't catch my breath, 16 years old kind of love.

Yes, I'm aware that Ryan and I started dating when we were 16... and geez, that was over 4 years ago... but I love him even more now than I did then.

When I hear a love song, I picture his face. When I imagine the future, I see us with children that are breathtaking and beautiful... because they look like him.

I love everything about him.

his laughter.

his smile.

his kind heart.

his gorgeous eyes.

the way he rolls those eyes when he thinks I'm being "a goof."

the way he knows what buttons to push in order to make me furious.

the way he knows that I'll only be mad at him for a moment.

the way my hands fit perfectly with his.

the way he tries to slip my hand into his pocket when we're walking and holding hands.

his sense of humor.

his optimism.

his constant encouragement.

the way he brings me back to reality in a split second.

the way he forces me to see the good in others.

the way his eyes light up when he gets excited about something.

the way he always wants me to choose where we're going or what we're doing... even though he knows that I hate making quick decisions.

his patience.

his love for life.

his acceptance.

the fact that he calls me by my last name... which will soon be his.

the way he admits when I'm right... sometimes. ;)

the way he makes me feel beautiful even when I know I look far from it.

the way he acts around children.

the fact that he wants children of his own.

the way he calls my mom "mom."

the fact that my dad calls him "cousin Ryan."

hearing him say "I love you" to his parents or grandparents on the phone.

the fact that he's willing to share his family with me.

the look on his face when he listens to a song for the first time.

the fact that I know he'll have that song memorized by the next time he hears it.

the fact that I have to tip-toe to kiss him.

the way he kisses me.

the way he brushes the hair out of my face.

the way he jokes around.

the fact that he's such a hard worker.

his motivation.

his care-free heart.

his love for animals.

the way animals love him.

how much he's grown up in the past 4 years, but can make me feel like we're 16 again.

the way he loves me.

the way we've only become closer over time.

the way I miss him when we haven't seen each other all day, even though we spent a year and a half apart.

the way I cry in chick flicks now because I know how it feels to have something so great and the thought of that being taken away is heartbreaking.

and most importantly, his love and faith in God and how I know that he will always keep Him in the middle of our relationship.

In 5 months I become a Marlar.

and

I. can't. wait.

:)

work!

So, work at Ram Radio is going pretty fantastic. I've been making playlists lately and logging music from CDs onto the computer. The only down side is that I'm all alone on the 3rd floor of the library. Summer 2 classes ended last week, so I've been having to unlock the door and turn on all the lights, and it's slightly creepy. I'm sure it will be better when classes start again though.

I'm ready for my boss to show me ropes so I can get my show up and running. I'm really excited about it. :)

I was attempting to go on air by myself last week, and I recorded a bit and listened, and my mic wasn't even on! hahaha! Oh well, I'll have to be patient for now.

Ryan's brother Casey has been in San Angelo visiting for the past couple of days. I think he's leaving on Monday. It's been nice to spend some time with him, and I'm glad he's gotten to see Ryan's new apartment.

Chocolate Fest was last night, and it was pretty awesome! It's the 3rd I've been to, I believe, and I think I've been to better. I mean, don't get me wrong, I loved tasting all the different chocolate, but I just think that last year there were some tastier things!

I'm dreading the start of school, but hey, at least it's one step closer to graduating. I'm really really really hoping to graduate a semester early. When this year gets under way, I plan on visiting my academic adviser and telling him my plans... because with his help, I know we can figure out the easiest way to achieve that goal.

My plans for this evening consist of spending some time with an old softball buddy whom I can Bob (I don't even really know why I call her that... haha) and then Ryan and I are going to make some Mac N Cheese for him to take to a pot luck at his work tomorrow.

I know my thoughts are scrambled, but I type them as I think of them. :)

That's all for now....

oh me oh my

Life has gradually been speeding up and my days are filling with more things to do now that Ryan is back in town. I've recently realized that school is like 3 weeks away... which makes my stomach hurt. I seriously hate the idea of class and homework and everything that comes with it. The only good thing about this year is that I'm working on campus, so it will save me gas money.

Speaking of money, I have received a lot of scholarship and grant money for this coming school year, so needless to say, I'm pretty stoked about that. Dad and I will only have to worry about $1400 per semester, rather than over $2000. I think every pay check, I'll put between 100 and 200 in my bank account and the rest can go to my school bill.

I'm also trying to save money for my wedding next summer. I feel pretty silly about it, and I'm honestly trying to not go too crazy planning it before I'm even engaged, but it's all so exciting.

This is Ryan's first week of work, and I think he's really going to enjoy working at Sitel, which is great news. I just hope that he can keep up with his school work while working 40 hours a week. Yipes! I know I wouldn't be able to do it... so more power to him. :)

Ryan has the weekends off, so we're going with the Christian Campus Center to Junction this weekend to float down the Llano River! I'm excited! I get to wear my new swim suit and work on my tan! :D

I'm worried about sunburns though, so I'll wear tons of sun screen... no worries!

I'm baaaaaaack, for now at least :)

Well, God is good (duhhhhh!). I ended up getting a last minute scholarship of 500 dollars, so I only had to pay around 200. My dad was also generous enough to give me some money (without my asking) at the last minute before my trip to New Zealand.

The trip was wonderful. There were a few moments when I was sick and tired of the people there, but my close friends in the group made me realize that I could enjoy my vacation and the people I wasn't getting along with could enjoy theirs. It honestly didn't bother me the least to ignore them... and I think it made my time in New Zealand that much more enjoyable. :)

I kept a small blog-like thing on facebook, but I don't feel like copying and pasting, so I'll just put some pictures on here. :)

I'm really really glad that I went on this trip. It was something that I needed to do for myself. I was determined to go, and I found a way to raise the money and get there. I'm so grateful that my parents saw that and helped me at the last minute for some spending money.

Now that I am back in the states, I am working for Ram Radio at ASU, and I'm loving it! I'm getting around 20 hours a week, and my duties (for now at least) consist of ripping CDs onto a computer and organizing the songs and their information. Tomorrow I will start making playlists that will air in the next few days. I'm really enjoying it! The hours go by quickly, which is nice.

Another exciting thing is that Ryan is coming back to San Angelo from Dallas this weekend! He's found an apartment at Sedona Ranch, and they're really nice from what I hear. He moves in on Saturday. I'm looking forward to spending this time with him, and then he'll start his job at Sitel on Monday.

I feel like we're both moving to the next step in our lives, and it just makes me want to be married that much more.

:)