Life, the Universe, and Time

So it is official. I should have done it months (some would say years) ago, but I finally have legally changed my name!! Yes yes, I know. Two years late, but whatever. You try working 40 hours a week, 9 hours of classes, and keeping up with a house and oh yah, that other thing....oh, marriage. That's right. 


Anyway, I am so happy I finally fixed that. Now I just have to make an appointment at the DMV to get my license changed (name and address, actually), and voila! Though it is wonderful to know that I can now sign my name without having to explain anything.


Toy Story 3 was incredibly good. As usual. Pixar, well done. Go take yourself (and significant others, kids etc) to go see it. If you're like me, you'll have fond memories of being 11 (I think) and watching it, being amazed at how real everything looked. And now I'm 22, soon to be 23 (a month and couple weeks from!), watching the third and final installment (I think) of Toy Story and still feeling like a kid watching it. Good job. Though, I'll watch anything by Pixar. They have yet to do something bad. Even sequels turn out almost as good as the first one, which is a rare thing nowadays. 


I had an attack of reorganize the kitchen last night. We weren't using our counterspace well, and it was bugging me. I kept staring at it and finally realized how to utilize the whole counter. Most of which consisted of putting away a couple appliances we weren't using enough to keep out, move over the knife block to the other side in the corner, the spices near the knives, and stick the cutting board on the side of the counter with the disposal section of the sink. On the opposite corner is a fruit basket (filled currently with oranges, a cantaloupe, and oranges), and some flowers (well, realistically fake looking flowers. I like them!) It adds just enough color to lighten and brighten our kitchen considerably, since it's practically the only place that actually doesn't have windows besides the back door. 


I honestly cannot wait for the day I can be at home during the day so I can open the house up and get all the sunlight streaming in. By the time I'm back from work, the sun is in the wrong place and it gets dark quite quickly, which is really sad. It's such an amazing bright and cheery place with the windows open. At night, it's not non-cheery or something. I just love natural light. Especially after spending all this time in fluorescent light, I miss natural lighting a lot. 


Ooo...I need to get candles. I love having candles all around the house, but have run out. Dollar store, here I come! They have great scented candles for cheap. And little stands, too. Though I do know what kind I'd like to get sooner rather than later. 


I suppose now I'm actually settling in to our home, and viewing it as our home. Not that I didn't before, but finally figuring out how I want it to look and what it should be like. Wonderful. I love setting up house. Now if I could just get through some of those boxes in the garage..... Most of which are books. You know, I might take a Saturday and just spend the entire day going through our boxes of books, getting them all set up and putting the rest back in the garage. Pretty sure that would take care of a good chunk of the random boxes sitting around in there. 


I've also started actually planning out meals. On a blog I love browsing through, they had this amazing setup for planning your meals and keeping track of the groceries to remember. I taped both up on the fridge (Because it's not magnetic!) and am now keeping a good list of both. I figure I'll use Saturday as "grocery" day from now on, because I assume that buying groceries regularly instead of waiting till you nearly run out probably is a better way to save money than not.  Also have a couple envelopes on the fridge keeping track of coupons for food and for market. Also our fridge is dry erasable. So bummer about not being magnetic. Awesome for being able to use dry erase markers on it! 


I'm feeling rather grown up now. I'm married (almost two years!!), we have an amazing condo. We're settling into a schedule. 


Oh and all of my friends are having babies. Talk about feeling old....er. 


I've also realized my concept of Time has shifted without me knowing it. I think in long term now, not just short term. Five years to me is not that long anymore and I know it can be gone in a blink. We've been talking about when to buy a house (future!), and I realized that living in the same place for more than five years does not scare me like it used to, because it really isn't all that long. Planning on where to be for the next five years (I'm using five cause it's a good round number) is easier and more natural. 


Compared to three-four years ago when thinking ahead that much scared me, because I didn't think I could know what I would want to do that far in advance. Ha. Well, live and learn. 


It's also weird to look back on myself from three years ago and realize how much I've changed and also how much I've settled into who I am. I probably won't vary (much) from who I am today in five years. I might settle more, I might change a little, but nothing like the drastic change from 18 year old me to 23 year old me. Even looks have changed a bit. Well...more style than looks, I suppose. Anyway. I'm settling into who I am and embracing it, instead of fighting against it. 


I'm incredibly excited for what this next year holds. Hopefully some good changes coming up soon. 


Also, planning our 2nd year Anniversary Adventure. Going to be awesome, but not quite talking about it yet. Need to finalize a few things first. Ee! Soo excited.


On that note, I need to get back to work. 

Hi

Goodness...long time, no write, isn't it? Not since Memorial Day. Sheesh. Well, life's been busy but not at the same time. And I really haven't had much to blog about lately.

Life's been going. School's out (hooray!!). Allison's been here visiting, which has been an absolute blast. I really miss her, so I'm glad to have gotten some time to visit with her before she heads so far North don't know if I'll ever get up to visit her...unless I'm going to Ashland or something (sorry friend!). We (her, me, and hubby) went to see UP! last night. It was really good. I enjoyed it a lot. Though...I do have to admit, the first five minutes are shocking, kind of. I certainly wasn't expecting the tone it created. All in all, amazing fun adventure story you should go see and take someone you love to go watch it too. It made me cry several times, which is saying a lot.

Other than that, just getting ready for the mass weekends of weddings (wwweeelll...not mass, really. more like swarm or parade or..no no, swarm of weddings). I don't mind, weddings are happy events and all that. Just time consuming, but very glad to be there with the ones we love to support and congratulate (and very sorry to any of the ones we're going to have to miss). I'll probably be making some nice homemade gifts for them, which I hope they shall like.

I've also been watching Dr. Who, which is a new favorite show. Though I'm a bit behind on watching it (considering there's four seasons already). It's been grand fun, and it's very well-written. The banter and dialogue of all the characters together. That and the fact they're practically all British is fun. Though it makes for some odd accent picking up. I pick up accents very easily if I'm in the environment or watching something that's heavily one accent, so I get funny eye-rolling looks from my hubby. I don't mind, though. I'm a nerd in my own way, just as he's a nerd in his own way. We really balance each other out. It's amazing. Hard to believe it'll be one year in August. Or that I'll be 22. Geez, I feel old. (Older friends, don't mind me.) There's just something to be said of passing over 21...like, when you're 18, it's a deal. Then it's looking foward to being 21....what's after 21? 24 finishes it, I suppose, but it's nothing exciting. Weird sensation. 30, maybe? Well, can't wait to see what adventures start coming our way. Or, rather, keep coming our way.

(Disclaimer: this next part I'm writing on is about feeling and noticing patterns, not singling anyone out. So don't feel like I'm talking directly about you. Ok? Good? Ok.)

I've been extremely lonely lately. Not in a "Gee, I wish people would hang out with me" kind of way. More of a realizing this time in my life is ending, rather soon. In about six months, Hubby will be graduated, and we'll be starting a new step in our married life together. That's not much time, and it's starting to hit me as the calendar starts filling up with stuff that we need/have to do, and plan for things we know are coming up. Six months sounds like a long time, until people ask you what's going on for the next few months, you list it out, and then realize, "Holy crap...then it's November/December, and Hubby's graduated and we're moving on. Whoa." When you look at it like that, it's a bit mindblowing. Also makes me realize things I hope to get done between now and then, and also things I wish I could have gotten done or done. Not in a resentful way, but in a "during this time of my life, I kinda wish I had done this...ah well."

It also makes watching other people's lives who still have a year or more left interesting. Because you watch them be so busy or so stressed about little things, and you want ot just reach out and go, "It won't matter in a few months or a year!" or "Look, prioritize! What's more important?" ..but it's not my place in the slightest to do that. If asked, sure. But I won't try to make people do things. It's just not who I am. I just hope that they don't look back with any kind of regrets for missed opportunities.

Looking back, sure, there are things I can think of I wish I could have done. But...I'm satisifed-no, not quite the word...-content-there it is!-with where I am at, and what I've gotten done. Sure, things go on, and change. They always do. Life doesn't stand still just because you want it to, and you shouldn't want it to...

Overall, I am ready for this next chapter to begin. It's that odd feeling of knowing you're almost there, but not quite yet--so it's bugging you and making you antsy and wanting something to happen. Time can't move fast enough or slow enough.

Going to end with a new poem I wrote. I hope you enjoy. It was just something I had been thinking about lately

Sisters

Hope is fair
And dear,
Her sister is dark
And cold,
Despair is
Her name.

Together they walk
Hand in hand,
Stride for stride,

Without both,
No true
Hope.
Separate the two
And
Life becomes
A farce,
A misery.

Because twain
Are they,
And balancing
Life,
They are.