getting to know me

Joining Leslie today for this "getting to know you" edition of Confessional Fridays. I love reading "about" posts, so I knew I'd want to participate in this fun link up.

I think it’s human nature to have a hard time describing ourselves. It’s like hearing your voice being played back to you on a recording. Everyone will tell you it sounds just like you, but to you it sounds like a stranger, am I right?

If I had to tell you a little about myself, I’d probably start with what I am. I’m a daughter, sister, wife, and dog mom. I’m a Christian who doesn't consider herself a member of any particular church (my husband is very Catholic), former sorority girl, graduate of the University of Cincinnati, and corporate recruiter. I’m a Gemini, a smart ass, a book lover and TV junkie. I’m a designer handbag freak who rarely spends more than $30 on any other article of clothing, and I’ve been 6 feet tall since I was 13.

What would my husband say about me? Probably that I’m funny. That I’m a good wife and his best friend. That I get loud when I've had one too many drinks, watch too much HGTV and Investigation Discovery, and that I talk too much through movies. He and I have childhoods and personalities that could not be more different at times, but in many ways we are really the same.

What would my best friends say? Probably that I’m loud. That I’m a good friend and a good partner in crime for any adventure they want to try. That I am the talker, the silly one, and a bit of a klutz.

All of the above would be true.

If I had to write a brief bio on my life, it’d go a little something like this.

Once there was a girl named Brittany. Her parents were high school sweethearts, but unfortunately (or fortunately) they divorced when she was 7. Brittany and her Mom moved from their home in Ohio to the suburbs of St. Louis to start over. There her Mom met a new husband, and soon after Brittany’s two sisters, the lights of her life, were born.

At 14 Brittany decided to switch things up and move back to Ohio to live with her Dad, and has lived in the good old OH ever since. High School was a bumpy road for Brittany, but she spent most of her time competing in track meets and spending time with her best friends (who are still her besties to this day), so there wasn't too much to complain about.

For college Brittany ended up going to three different schools, and really had a bit of trouble finding a place that felt right. That didn't stop her from having fun along the way. You can read more about that here.

When she was 23, and finishing up her “Super Senior” year of college, she met Will. And the rest as they say, is history. Just two and a half short years later they’re married and living their happily ever after. You can read more about all that here and here.

And that’s about it folks! My life isn't anything too particularly out of the ordinary, but it is precious and special to me, and I wouldn't trade it for the world! I hope you’ll stick around!

on marriage advice

When we were engaged, I thought as soon as we tied the knot I'd sit around and spend a lot of time reflecting on our marriage. Documenting it. Instituting date nights and traditions and "Taco Tuesdays". Well we eat tacos on many different nights of the week, and I haven't really come close to doing any other of the above.

Even though W and I both work, though we have a home and pets to take care of, in the grand scheme of things we are pretty stress free. We have few places on the weekend or after work we actually have to be, and really no one to answer to besides each other. With all that "free" time, I'm not sure why I haven't done all of the things I just knew I would. The things I was so excited to institute in our marriage.

I think the answer is this. For us, it's just not realistic. I read about all of these things on other blogs or in marriage advice books or somewhere on the internet or in a magazine.

"Make time once a week for date night"

"Write a love letter to each other or keep a weekly journal about this or that or the other"

The list goes on. For some people, these things may be necessary and awesome and helpful. To me, they are just another thing on a list of crap I don't really feel like doing.

Honestly? Every night is kind of like date night in our house. It is just us here after all, and we do whatever we want to do. Go out for dinner. Stay in and binge on trash TV. Those are both kind of dates, right? I don't sit around and take a picture of W and myself once a week, but I do make sure I tell him every single weekend how those two days spend together are the highlight of each week for me. I email him a quick message every morning making sure he got to work safely. He locks up the house and lets the dogs out when I'm too tired (which is mostly every single night).

In our eight months of marriage we've established a few routines, but still have a lot of "who what when hows" to figure out. We've laughed and cried and yelled and danced and most of all, have had an affirming and happy two thirds of a year, without any lists or schedules.

I know as we add kids to the mix, as appointments become more frequent, and as life in general gets busier, some of these things may be necessary. But for now, I am happy with just living. I've read a lot of great marriage sustaining advice a lot of places, but I'm happy to report that so far, I haven't had to resort to any of it :)

Friday Confessions

It's Friday, and that means time for some confessions!

First and most glaringly obvious... I confess that I really just suck at blogging lately. Most of the things going on in my life are totally uninspiring, and the things that are somewhat interesting, I'm not ready to share just yet. I promise I will be back with something interesting to say soon!

I confess that my wedding pages on this here blog are seriously lack luster. I've been meaning to update them with the hundreds of pictures that poured in after I originally posted them. I plan to work on that this weekend, and add much more detail, so stay tuned!

I confess that I have been counting down for Friday since ohhh Monday afternoon? Two days to snuggle in front of the fire in these sub zero temperatures? Yes please.

I confess that this morning I managed to oversleep, set off our house alarm, forgot the secret code to tell the alarm company when they called, drove to work with my gas light on, and forgot my work badge at home. Proof I am in serious need of the weekend.

Linking up with Leslie. That's all for now pals. Happy Weekend!

lately

Long time no blog. At least it feels like it. Although in the coming months I think I will have LOTS to share on this blog, right now, it's just not happening.

We haven't been up to anything too exciting in these parts lately. Highlight of the past week or so include:

-A fun Friday night dinner at 20 Brix with a few of the ladies in my neighborhood. I love our neighbors, and I hadn't seen most of them in over a month, so it was much needed.

-Making some serious financial goals for 2014 and it feels good. I plan to enter the Summer this year with 0 credit card debt (a first since I was 18), save more, and start paying more on student loans. It feels so good to be able to take these steps!

-Our entry way table is at least 20 years old. I found it in the old house and threw a new coat of paint on it last summer. Needless to say, it needs to be replaces. I've been browsing online and I think I will purchase a new table and lamp this afternoon! Still on a mission for the perfect rug for that area, but the temporary one I bought from Garden Ridge right when we moved in has kind of grown on us.

I think this is the one. Available on Overstock.

-More horrific weather. I AM READY FOR SPRING. Except in Ohio we don't normally get much of a Spring, so bring on Summer?

That's all for now!

the best kind of weekend

It's pretty safe to say that this was one of the most relaxing weekends I've had in a long time, and it was much needed. The only time I left the house in fact was to walk the dogs on Saturday. The sun came out so we decided to brace the wind and get them some exercise. By the end of the walk I felt like I had a double ear infection, but it was still good the pups out of the house.

The rest of out weekend was filled with lots of movie and football watching, snacking, take out, and cleaning. After what is undoubtedly the longest week of the year, I wouldn't have had it any other way!

radio silence

Well, it's safe to say there isn't much to report lately around these parts. So little in fact, small things are starting to seem really remarkable to me. I think this is part of getting old. The few things I have to note for the past week or so are as follows.

1. Someone told me yesterday that they don't like Kelly Rippa. Is that even possible? The first I've hear of such a thing, that's for sure.

2. In case you haven't hear, it is COLD AS IDK WHAT outside. I'm talking about bone chilling, blisteringly cold. So cold it's not even snowing and thy've cancelled school multiple days in a row. Shout out to all the delivery people and other workers who have to spend more than 5 minutes a day out in this mess. I feel horribly for ordering something off of Amazon Prime the other day knowing it forces someone to be out in this weather. Sorry parcel delivery person!

And on another note with the cold, I really wish I would have picked an occupation that allowed me sporadic days off here and there. Talk about being a kid again. Teachers and other school personnel, I seriously envy you. As if summers off wasn't enough.

3. I've discovered a few movies lately that Will hasn't seen that I'm super excited to introduce him. to. We just finished Matilda, and A Little Princess will be here tomorrow. See above amazon reference. Classics of my childhood.

And that's all she wrote. Trecking through the dreary, cold, uneventful month that is January. Is it just me or is it time for Spring?

Friday Confessions

Happy Friday pals. Even though I know it’s going to make next week, the first full work week in what seems like ages, even more brutal- I am loving this chopped up work schedule. Work a day or two here, have off a day or two there. A girl could get used to this. So glad one of my favorite bloggers Leslie is back for Friday Confessions. I have very little news to actually report, but a whole lot of randomness to confess.

I confess that my house is not clean, by any stretch of the imagination. I'd actually venture to say this is the worse it's been since we moved in. Thankfully my husband has been helping out, but I feel like I haven't picked up a cleaning product in ages. You’d think with all of this extra time on my hands I could have gotten something done, but no. Dishes are piled. Floors are neglected. Laundry is sitting in baskets all over the place. Hopefully the cleaning bug bites me tomorrow, because I hate a cluttered/dirty house. Something about all this time spent lounging on the couch that just sucks the motivation right out of me.

I confess that I have also been neglecting myself. Chipped nail polish. Eyebrows that need some serious attention. Split ends for days. Luckily I have plans to fix all of those things within the next week. Maybe it’s the holidays. Maybe it’s the ton of snow and freezing temps we've gotten. Whatever it is, I've been slacking lately in the beauty department as well. Meh.

I confess even though Christmas just passed, I may have ordered myself a few things from Nordstrom a couple of days ago. I’ve been loving wearing plain black and white tops to work lately, so it’s hard to pass up any I see on sale.

And finally. I confess, that even though I don't really care to make resolutions, there are two things I vow to do moving forward. Take more pictures (with my camera, not my iPhone), and save more money. Now that we're out of the crazy wedding and house buying year that was 2013, I have no excuse not to save save save. And take a few seconds out of whatever I'm doing to capture the moment. Especially when it comes to Will and myself. I have hundreds of pictures of the dogs, compared to just a few dozen of us. Sad, and it's time to fix it!

That’s all for now folks. I’m ready to hole up for the weekend and hide from the single digit temperatures we’ll be facing.  Spring, come quickly!