Oh Hi...Are You Still There?

Bad blogger, bad blogger. I'll be honest with you guys- I'd rather not write than write something totally boring and that's why I haven't written much lately. I was feeling kind of pathetic and didn't want to write it all here. Although it would have been nice to get out, I don't think this is the place.

Anyway, here's whats been going on in the NewlyWife life:

-Less than a month till graduation, guys!! I take my last final April 26th and my actual graduation (in case you didn't know already- haha) is April 30. I'm so excited to not have homework anymore. My mom graduates 2 days before I do and we're having a big party to celebrate. I wish some of you were local, you know you'd be invited!

-There's been some drama with my sister. I don't talk about her much on here, but here's the Cliffnotes version. She goes back and forth between two guys- we'll call them Bryan and Tony. She left Tony to live with Bryan a few weeks ago. Tony allegedly slashed her and Bryan's tires. Fast forward 2 weeks. Something happens and Bryan tells her to get the fuck out of his house. So, she moves into a hotel with Tony. Gets fired and realizes she can't pay for the hotel anymore. Tony has a friend in Kentucky, so they go stay with him. Doesn't tell anyone she's moving. Just texts our whole family after she gets there. 3 days go by. She and Tony get kicked out of the place they were staying in and are now back in FL. No one knows where they're staying.

-This almost college graduate is spending her days job searching. I got offered a job to start next Monday and I said I would take it. It would be working for someone I used to work with who is starting her own business. I'm starting to second guess that decision though. The pay wouldn't be great until they got licensed, I would be working as a 1099 employee, and there are no benefits. The experience would be great to put on my resume but I don't know. I got a phone call from another job yesterday morning, missed the call, called back and left a message, but never heard back. Hopefully I'll hear back Monday because I'm really interested in the job and company.

-House is still on the market. Still no showings. We have an open house next Saturday, so prayers, vibes, good thoughts, would be much appreciated.

-The NewlyHusband and I are at almost 8 months of marriage and it's wonderful. I love being married to him.

Well, I've got class in a couple hours, am behind on my homework, need to go to BB&B to get a gift for a bridal shower, and the grocery store to buy something to make for Easter to bring to work. And of course I work all weekend.

Mish Mash

A bunch of random thoughts for you on this Friday:

-Today is my last day of Spring Break. I did not get near as much as I wanted to accomplished. Ok, lie, I barely got anything accomplished. It was so nice to just be able to relax though. Work tomorrow and Sunday.

-I love Vitamin Water. Seriously, best drink ever. I stopped drinking soda a while ago and drinking Vitamin Water has made it so easy. I'm never tempted to drink soda now.

-The NewlyHusband has decided that my blog is so awesome that he should start one of his own. His blog is...a donut review blog! No joke. He has mentioned that he will occasionally review things like honey buns and bagels as well. So, if you're a donut fan, go check him out here. He's just getting started.

-My life lately has been consumed with job searching. I really want to have a job lined up by the time I graduate.

-We still have not had one showing of our house. We just reduced it $5,000 in the hope that it will attract more buyers. I didn't expect selling a house to be easy in this market, but not even one showing?! Pretty frustrating. The good news is it's not like we have to move for any reason. It's a good little house and we pay the mortgage just fine, so if we're stuck in it a little longer it's not the end of the world.

-My best friend and her husband are moving to DC for about 20 months for his job. Soooo DC Bloggers, what up? I'm thinking I may get to have a blog gtg in the fall!

-I am so ready to be done with school. I'm just not feeling it anymore. 1 month, 1 week, and 3 days until GRADUATION!

-The NewlyHusband and I have got to get in shape. The time is now. We went walking a couple days this week and of course got plenty of exercise walking around Disney last weekend, but we need something more. Any tips would be really great. We're thinking of maybe starting the Couch to 5K plan next week. We've even talked about P90X. I would love to start spinning, but the gym we belong to doesn't offer any classes.

- If I can have a job lined up by graduation, I will only have 6 weekends left to work. If not, I'll keep my job and stay working every single weekend till I can get a new job. Say it ain't so!

Hmm, well I think that's enough random Tara thoughts for the day. Have a great weekend!

Rain Rain Go Away

I realize we need rain for life and growth and all that jazz, but I hate the rain. I mean, hate it with a passion. I don't like the sound of it, I don't like the smell of it, I can't stand driving in it. I don't do a whole lot during the week. Mon, Wed, Fri I go to school and Tues and Thurs I usually sit at home all day reading for my classes. Why is it the day I decide I want to leave the house to go buy some jeans, maybe get a pedicure, is the day it rains? Now I don't feel like going anywhere. But I really need new jeans. I have 2, count em just 2, pairs that fit me right now. How sad is that?

On that same note, I need a shopping buddy. I had one right out of high school- that friend you can call up and say "Hey I need some new clothes. Wanna go to the mall?" Now I shop by myself. My schedule is odd, so most of the people I know are at work when I'm off and off when I'm at work. Shopping by yourself is just not as fun.

And speaking of shopping, one of my goals for this year is to do a closet makeover. I want to make my closet say Tara. Right now, it's a big mish mash of clothes. I go through my closet every couple of months and donate clothes. I want to be able to look in my closet and be able to pick out any piece and feel good wearing it. Right now, I have only a few items that I feel great in and that means those items get over worn. I know it will take time. I'm not made of money after all, but by the end of this year I would like to have a closet that shouts "ME"

The End and The Beginning

Today is my last day off before 3 days of work and then I'm back to school on Monday. Today is the last day of 2009. Today is the last day of the decade. Goodbye 2000's, Hello 2010's (or whatever the heck we're calling them).

2009 was a good year. I won't go into the whole decade, because honestly, I can't remember all that. I love New Years because of the celebration of things past and the hopefulness of things to come.

This is what I am looking forward to in 2010:

-Graduating! This is numero uno on my list- being done with my Bachelors in April. Although I am stoked to be almost done with school, the nerves have started to kick in a bit about job searching. Hopefully I will be able to find something good by May. Going along with this is quitting my current job when I graduate, so I won't be working weekends anymore.

-Buying a new house! We want to put our house up for sale sometime in January and buy something by April. The house we live in now is actually the NewlyHusband's. He has owned it for a little over 5 years and I just moved in here before we got married. It's not a bad house, but we would like something a little newer, in a different part of town, that we can really make ours.

-Getting healthier. Notice this one does not have an exclamation point, because I am not really looking forward to it. I like good food and I don't have a whole lot of motivation to work out. However, I do not like myself when I look in the mirror. I get depressed about this body that I've never had before. It's hard getting rid of all your jeans because they no longer fit and donating all your shirts that are too fitted. The NewlyHusband is doing a Biggest Loser competition at his job, so we are planning on getting up early together every morning to hit the gym. Getting healthy will also include drinking less soda and way more water and thinking a bit more about what I put in my mouth. I will never be a health nut when it comes to food, but I can at least make a little bit better decisions.

-Being more responsible in my walk with God. I do not currently go to church because I work every Sunday, but I need to make an effort to actually read my Bible and talk to God more.

-Learning to cook more. I would love to make something new at least once a month to put a little variety in our meals.

-Seeing our good friends get married in May.

-Celebrating our first anniversary in August with some sort of vacation.

So, here's to 2010! May it be a great year for us all!

4 Months

It's December 8th- the NewlyHusband and I have been married 4 months today. On November 8, I showed you all a glimpse of our fabulous honeymoon. So I decided to carry on the tradition and on each one of our monthiverssaries, show you a little part of our wedding or wedding events. Since I started at the end with the honeymoon, I decided to come back to the beginning today- the proposal.

The NewlyHusband proposed to me on December 31, 2008. For New Years Eve, him and I and my best friend and her husband went to the Comedy Zone to celebrate- they do an hour comedy show and then dancing till 1 am. I certainly was not expecting a proposal. The first slow slong to come on was Tiny Dancer by Elton John. So we went onto the dance floor and he started telling me that he loved me and how he wanted to marry me. And I'm like Yeah I want to marry you too one day. We've had the talk before, so I thought we were just talking casually about it again. Until...He got down on one knee in the middle of the dance floor!! I couldn't believe it. When he said "Will you marry me?" I said "Shut up!" Haha- I was just so shocked. I then nodded my head excitedly and ran off the dance floor and hugged my best friend.

It was just the absolute best night. People were congratulating us, the dj made an announcement, and since we didn't get a picture someone offered to take a re-enactment photo. So the NewlyHusband got down on one knee in the hallway outside of the bathrooms and we got a picture. We ran into a lady that worked there a couple months later and she said "Oh yeah! You're the ones who got engaged in front of the bathroom!" Poor NewlyHusband was all romantic and proposed in the middle of the dance floor and this lady thought he pulled out the ring for the first time in front of the freakin restrooms.

Pictures from that night for your viewing pleasure:

Beginning of the night

Re-enactment photo

NewlyHusband, Me, BFF's Hubby, and BFF

Coming up on our 5 monthaverssary: Professional Engagement Photos!

I'm Tired

I realize it's Thanksgiving week and there's some unspoken rule that we should all write about what we're thankful for. In an effort to not conform, I've decided to kind of do the opposite and write a post of the things I'm tired of. But no worries, I do have plenty of gratitude, so look for a post of things I'm thankful for tomorrow.

I'm tired of:

• my pants being too tight
• my neck being in constant pain
• homework and studying
• not speaking my mind
• being afraid
• working weekends
• missing church
• living on the westside
• my vision getting worse
• things breaking
• not having enough time

What are you tired of?

Let's Catch Up, Shall We?

I don't have much time, cuz I need to write a paper that's due tomorrow, but I just wanted to catch up with you all a bit. So, expect a bunch of randomness in this post.

-I went to Martini Fest Friday night with a couple girls. Martini Fest is an event here where you get a small martini glass and they have over 50 different booths, all with different types of martinis that you can sample. Best ones- American vodka and lemonade and one that was Bubblegum vodka, cranberry juice and gingerale. Yum! Worst one- caramel martini with chocolate sauce. Ick!

- I just registered for my last semester of college classes! WooHoo! That just feels amazing. My last semester will consist of these 4 classes: a seminar on the 1890's, Nazi Germany, Industrial Organizational Psychology, and the Sociology of Work. (Should be better than this semester which was Irish History, American Revolution/Constitution, Modern China, and Global Environmental History).

- I have 3 weeks left until the end of this semester. I cannot wait to have 3 weeks off of school. I'll probably be back to blogging every day then. I also plan on going to the gym Mon-Fri during Christmas break and painting some rooms in our house.

-Seriously guys, I'm not exaggerating when I say school is just wearing me out. Being a history major means lots and lots and lots of reading and writing. It is just very hard to keep up with. When I finish this blog, I need to read a chapter and a half in a book called The Belfast Diaries for my Irish History class and write a study guide for it, write a 5 page paper on the Okefenokee Swamp, and read something for my Environmental History class (I don't know what yet).

- We are going to a 1st birthday party for our friend's little girl on Saturday. We also have a housewarming party to go to. I took Saturday off so I can attend both, which I'm way excited about!

Sorry this wasn't the most interesting post! Bear with me, ya'll!

Dinner, Shopping, and Dissapointment

It's....Recap time! I don't get a weekend, so since the NewlyHusband was off for Veterans Day, Tues/Wed was kind of like my weekend.

Tuesday evening, we went to Bonefish for dinner to celebrate making it past 3 months of marriage. I know, I know, monthaverssary's are kinda dumb but we realize that a marriage takes work and darn it we want to celebrate being married and happy- we don't want to take that for granted. I shall now proceed to make your mouth water with what I had. I had a Bonefish Martini, which is vodka, champagne, and cranberry juice. It was tasty but man was it strong. Some of the sips felt like I was taking shots of straight vodka. We shared Bang Bang shrimp for an appetizer. Lemme tell you, I don't too much care for shrimp, but this is amazing! I wish I could describe the taste. The online menu describes it as "tender, crispy shrimp tossed in a creamy, spicy sauce." For dinner, I had the Lily's chicken- chicken breast with lemon basil sauce and goat cheese- with a side of herbed jasmine rice. It was a really nice date night.

Wednesday, we got up somewhat early to drive to Orlando. We were going to check out Ikea. Have you guys ever been there? It is incredible. 309,00 square feet, 2 stories of homegood heaven. The whole top story is set up as showrooms. The closets...ohmygosh...the closets. I wanted to just move into the store. They also have a little cafe and a small Swedish grocery store in there. We spent 4 hours there. We didn't really go to buy anything though, just check it out. We did leave with 2 table lamps, a ceiling light for our kitchen, and an apron for me.

After Ikea, we decided to head down to CityWalk at Universal for a drink at Margaritaville. As soon as we started pulling in, I decided I wanted to actually go into the park and ride the rides. I put on my best pouting act, but it didn't work. Haha- we did decide we'll have to go back down there just to go to Universal and Islands of Adventure. I loovvvee roller coasters and I haven't been to Universal in at least 5 years. I had the Pomegranate margarita at Margaritaville though and it was fab! While there, I found a coat I liked at the Billabong store, but it was more expensive than I would have liked, so we decided to head to the Orlando outlet mall to see if I could find something cheaper.

Here is where the dissapointment part comes in- I always thought that outlet mall meant cheaper stuff. I thought it was last season or overstock or whatever. Yeah...turns out everything at the outlet store is the same price as in the regular store. What the heck is the point of having an outlet then? NewlyHusband got some new shoes at the Nike store, but after a while, my feet were hurting and we headed home.

It was a really nice way for the NewlyHusband and I to spend some time together and it was especially nice to get out of town, even if only for a day. I can't wait till we have weekends off together again. 5 and 1/2 months!

A Day Off

I work every Saturday and Sunday. The NewlyHusband works Mon-Fri. So we never have a full day off together. Well, we are going to a wedding tonight, so we actually have a Saturday off together. I'm so excited! Now I feel like there is pressure to make sure we do something with the day. Choices:

-Go to Home Depot to look at carpet and tile for the house

-Go to Total Wine (we've never been and I hear it's huge with any kind of beer and wine and liquor you could want). If we go there, we will probably eat at one of the restaurants in the Town Center that Total Wine is in.

-Spend our gift cards that we got for the wedding.

-Go to a museum that we have a BOGO coupon for.

-Mini golf

-Go see a movie

No matter what we do, I don't want to spend the day in the house. Sometimes I wish we lived in a city where there was more to do. We don't have like a "downtown" area where people go to hang out. Our downtown is somewhat scary and there is one area called The Landing that is on the river, but it's basically a couple shops and a few restaurants. Really not much there.

This will be the first wedding we've gone to since we got married, so it should be interesting. Oh and the inlaws are here!

I realize this post is random nothingness. I seem to come up with good blog ideas in the shower or in bed and then forget them by the time I get around to writing. So, to at least give you something good, I did finally make the banana bread I've been talking (writing) about. It freaking rocked.

We have eaten it for breakfast and dessert every day since I made it. Here's the recipe- and as always it's super easy. I'll make you a deal right now that I won't put any recipe on here that is not dummy proof.

Banana Bread

Taken from Cooks.com Never Fail Easy Banana Bread

Ingredients:

1 cup crushed bananas (this amounts to 3 bananas)

1 cup sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

3 tablespoons milk

1/2 cup melted butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together, adding bananas and melted butter last. Put in a greased loaf pan that has been sprinkled with sugar. Bake at 350 for 1 hour.