Left Over Fall

When was the last time you played in the leaves? Mine was last night.  I felt like a kid again.

After Three Years of Marriage

So today marks our three year wedding anniversary however it doesn't at all feel like it has been three years!  It feels like just yesterday.  Last night Bradley and I sat in the grass rethreading tent poles for our camping trip tomorrow talking about when we first met and started dating 8 years ago.  Its so insane to me to see how far we have come together. I have been reflecting a bit further this morning and here are a few things that I have learned in the past three years.

- Things change and you and your spouse have to be able to adjust with them. Houses, jobs, moving, school, pets, friends....you name it.  We have been through a lot of change together.  Just this time last year I remember crying on the front steps of our last house because it was such a dramatic and unexpected time and move.  Bradley was so sweet and reminded me that it was only a temporary place to live.  And although I hated living there we got through it together.  We have gotten through a lot together and we have always came out on the otherside of it. 

- Its not about you.  Its about the both of you.  As simple as that sounds it is so easy to let your ego get in the way and make something about yourself.  You have to remember that you are now functioning as a unit.  You work for the betterment of both of you. 

- Communicate.  This has been the foundation of our relationship since day one.  We talk...alot.  And we talk about things that are bothering us or need work in the relationship. Its not always easy to bring it up but it has made our relationship tighter.  Its also crucial that we are both open and willing to do this.  In the past we have laid some ground rules so it doesn't turn into an all out yelling fight

-The little things go a long way.  A homecooked meal, a clean toilet, ride in the car together, a random "I love you".  I am a firm believer in the little things in life make it wonderful.  Its all those little things that add up. I think this is partly why I have never understood Valentine's Day.  We try and do things for eachother all year long instead of saving it for just one day. 

- My husband is not a mind reader.  In the beginning of our marriage I remember getting so frustrated that Bradley just didn't automatically know what I wanted.  It sounds silly but I live my life always looking around and assessing the needs of individuals.  So for some reason I expected Bradley to do this. It took me awhile getting used to just saying what I wanted or needed. 

- Its okay to do your own thing sometimes. I need quiet time.  By nature I am pretty introverted.  I blame it on being an only child and spending a lot of time entertaining myself when I was little.  Bradley is really good about giving me space.  We have never been the couple that is connected at the hip.  I think it is important that you each have your own space to do whatever it is you want with it...paint, read, go out with you firends, whatever!  Its healthy in a marriage to maintain your personal sense of identity.







p.s. you are probably all getting used to me blogging everyday now but I will be gone till the beginning of next week on our annual 5 day glorious beach camping trip.

Moments in the House

Hello! Yes, I am alive.  No, I did not drown in all the boxes of moving.  But it was close.  We finally just set up my computer this past weekend.  Our original desk had an unfortunate demise during the moving process. It was a big and bulky desk that I had since college.  Bradley was positive that he could take the top half of it off to make moving it up a flight of stairs much easier but really he just ended up taking the whole desk apart. I just looked at my desk in pieces after and hour of cursing and said "we are buying a new desk".   I though I would share some moments I captured around the house this morning.  I love this place.  It is so light and airy.  Behind the house is a big open grassy area which its not uncommon to spot foxes and deer roaming through it. Its really just nice to finally be in a place that feel like home.

Moving...again

Commence boxland!  This will be our 4th move in 3 years. Yeah. We are crazy.

(notice the box from our wedding. I am thrifty!)

Since we got back from our trip to the fabulous midwest (more on that later) I have been doing nothing but painting, packing, and passing out on the couch at 8 every night.  Its good because a lot is getting done and we are super excited to move into the new house.  However the part I loath the most is the actual packing and moving of boxes.  I am constantly reminded how much stuff I have.  Its a bit overwhelming.  I did run across this gem while packing our office.  I kept it out and have been looking at it perodically to remind myself to laugh during this process.


When we graduated from CSU they just gave you a blank book to put your diploma in and then sent you the actual piece of paper in the mail so Bradley decided to make his own diploma.  I like it much better don't you?

Sorry Kate

This is the number one selling product of my husband's right now. 

not this

or this

But this


Who in there right mind would want a $200 statue of Kate Middleton in there home? People are crazy. I kind of wonder what she thinks of it.  It must be nuts to all the sudden be so popular that a doll is being crafted after you.

Look on the Bright Side

What is it with this time of year?  And why does all the suckiness get thrown at you all at once? The Universe will only give you as much as you can handle so I guess I can handle everything that is going on now?  I think so.  This week has basically been taken over by my ailing grandfather, emotionally distraught father in law living on my couch, and watching my mom grieve over her dying father (this one is the kicker).

SO!  I am making a list of everything good I am looking forward to this weekend.   

Friday drinks with Allison.  I have been going to the gym after work the past 3 days to relieve stress so I figure a night off is well deserved. 

Seeing my husband


Good god I sometimes forget how tall my husband is. I have three inch wedges on in this picture.  We have been really strong lately.  We worked through some hard stuff between us a week or so ago and it really has only made us grow closer.  I love looking at my husband knowing that he is my partner in this life. 

My sewing 101 class at Mama Said Sew on Saturday. 

I am getting better with my sewing machine but I am hoping that this intro to sewing class will help me on my way to becoming a master at sewing.  I got projects I need to make!

Warm(er) Weather! It is supposed to get almost to 60 both Saturday and Sunday. I could use a little sunshine happiness. Maybe I will even get to open up the windows!



Ladies Valentine Bruch at Rachel's awesome mountain house on Sunday.  Nothing is more theraputic and spending some quality time with my girlfriends.

Secret Compass

Bradley has embarked on a new adventure with our good friend and his business.  I added a nice shiny button on the side on the blog to check it out.  They are dealing in high end movie collectibles and overall awesome nerdy things.  It is truly my husband's dream job.  I can't tell you how many times in the last 7 years we have been together that Bradley has HAD to shown me something incredibly nerdy and awesome on the internet. I'm not sure where he finds the stuff and yes there has been many times where I have given the standard "thats nice dear" and rolled my eyes and walked off .  It is a perfect fit for him and the best part is it is with  2 of our really close friends as well as my best friend.  So Bradley will be searching out products, contacting the production company and selling them on the website.  The best part is we all have to go to ComiCon next July for the business.  I am already giddy with delight at the thought.

Now most of their stuff seems to me like it is more interesting to the male species but here are a few of my favorite things they are selling. 

Love love love Edward Scissorhands

Life Size Robby the Robot...Life Size!!!  That is just awesome. 

Metropolis Maria Robot... of course. 

Oogie Boogie!

Joker Statue. Mmm... Heath Ledger? Yes please!

No Time

This past week as been super wacky and today was no exception.  I think yesterday was the only mellow day I had.  I spent Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at school from 7:15am to 8pm.  I teach IB, which is an excellerated high school program, and on Tuesday the Juniors had their induction to the second part of the IB program.  It was cute but awkward for me.  The kids have themes and then they dress up for the part.  Each group is supposed to have teacher in their group and the "Lady Gaga" group approached me.  I found a lampshade that was turned into a hat and then I did my best to mimic the makeup from the Telephone video.  It turned out well I must say but I refused to take any pictures due to eternal mortification.  When I got there I was one of three teachers and NONE of them dressed up.  I thought all the groups had to have a teacher sponsor but I guess I was wrong.

On Wednesday and Thursday we had parent teacher conferences and I am guessing a lot of teachers turned down the opportunity to dress up like an idiot with a bunch of 16 year old due to this.  Parent teacher conferences are usually good.  I like meeting the kid's parents and I like giving them feedback about their student.  It is fun to see the parent light up when you tell them good things about their kid.  It is also really fascinating to me to see how much the students are like their parents.  The hard part of parent teacher conference is staying at school till 8 on Wednesday and then going back to work on Thursday and staying till 8 again.  I rarely do this but I informed a few of my classes that I was super tired and run down so to forgive me for my lack of energy.  I am always amazed when I do this because my kids are always a little more patient and caring with me.  As a teacher I try to be myself as much as possible while still establishing clear rules and boundaries so everything runs smoothly.  I learned the hard way early in my teaching career that teaching out of power or the idea of "do it because I said so" doesn't work for me.  It is so fake and weird when I do it.  I try to establish mutual respect and understanding in my classroom and explain why we do things and listen to kids when they have concerns.  ANYWAY... side rant.

The husband was also super sick this week with a cold.  We try really hard to take care of each other when we are sick and on Tuesday when he came down with it I tore up the house looking for any kind of cold medicine to find none.  I felt like I failed as a wife listening to the poor guy cough and gurgle snot as he tried to sleep.  I ran home on my break on Wednesday to bring him some Nyquil and put him out of his misery.  Between running back and forth from school to home and taking care of the husband I really didn't have much time for anything else... including my house which looked like a bomb went off in by Friday.  Thank god as a teacher we are compensated with a day off for staying late.  I cleaned and ran some errands including the fabric store to get some fabric for my new sewing machine!

Today I woke up with horrible monthly lady cramps and had to take two vicodin to knock myself out.  We had plans to finish the cleaning, go to a pumpkin patch, and a show tonight.  That was all out the window.  I woke up about an hour ago to find Bradley also passed out from his cold so we are just a ball of fun tonight.  We are going to try for the pumpkin patch tomorrow.  Hopefully all will be well in the lady region.

The only good side to all of it is the sleep... and kitty time... lots of kitty time.

The Hubby and Me

The Hubby and Me


Yesterday Bradley and I both took the day off to do nothing together.  We slept in for a little bit, went to breakfast at my new favorite place, Snooze, went looking for Halloween costumes, roamed around the local flea markets and then eventually went grocery shopping.  We came home and messed around the house for a bit and eventually made a really light dinner together (breakfast was insanely filling).  I know it doesn't sounds like much but it was lovely just to spend a day together.  We both get caught up in our jobs (he is a graphic designer) and it is easy to just go through the motions but never really engage.

Today was nuts back at work.  When you are a teacher it is sometimes more work to day a day off than it is worth.  You have to make lesson plans, make sure the sub knows where everything is at, deal with any behavior issues when you get back.  It was nice having yesterday to regroup.  I found myself being able to take a moment, take a breath, and not spaz out over 5 kids all asking me different questions at once.

I'm funny

I just found this picture on the Flickr account I set up for people to upload pictures from my wedding and I about died laughing. I was so tired after my wedding that I retreated to the room where I got ready to find two of my bridesmaids resting and proceeded to lay down on the floor. My mom walked in (after she had disappeared towards the start of my reception and the last time I saw her was demanding a larger glass of wine at the bar) laughed and then someone took this picture.





It is hard to believe that our two year anniversary is next month. Where does the time go? In that time we have gone to 6 more weddings, three friends have had babies, we bought a car and have moved twice. Crazy. We don't have any plans just yet for our anniversary because we will be moving into our new house and then taking our annual 5 day camping trip after that. Either way we will be together. I still have wedding cake in the freezer. I am sure that is delicious by now.

Signs of spring

Yesterday I was poking around in the dirt I noticed little blades of grass starting to poke their heads up.  Usually this time of year I am anxious and feel like I am pulling a 100 lbs weight just trying to make it to spring.  This year is different for some reason.  I am constantly confusing spring with fall.  For some reason my internal clock is all messed up and I am set for about 5 months ago.  Its weird but nice at the same time.  I start my second job next weekend working at a local greenhouse.  Maybe that will straighten me out.  Everyone keeps telling me I am crazy for working all week and then working all weekend but we have some serious debt that I want to get ride of. Its not permanent. 

Last weekend was my birthday and we celebrated all weekend long.  On Friday I spent some time with my lovely ladies, on Saturday Bradley and I went shopping in Denver and had a really wonderful dinner together, and on Sunday we went to brunch with my parents and I went to my little Ben's 1st birthday party.  For some reason we only took these pictures from the weekend. 

That is our awesome Lost poster in the background. A bunch of artists were commissioned to design a limited series of prints.  They sold for $50 and when we got ours no one really knew was going on.  Once it grew in popularity it was near impossible to get another print.  I saw the one we have listed on ebay for $1000 the other day. Crazy.