A Semi-Weekend Update and New Shoes!

I have the best husband ever*. His patience for my antics is unwavering. Sometimes, it baffles me. This weekend, I was pretty down on myself. A bunch of stuff is piling up on my plate at work, and our life is filled with an atypical (albeit, temporary) amount of uncertainties that I have a (bad) habit of letting myself get weighed down with. So, that being said, he was especially thoughtful of me this weekend. On Friday, I came home to one of these. (I always say I'm not a flowers girl, but it still gets me every time.)

That night, we stayed home (my choice) and played Scrabble. (I totally kill in that game (unless I play my dad, who taught me all my tricks). Also, I'm slightly addicted to Wordfeud on my phone. Would you like to play with me?)

On Saturday, he had a carwash fundraiser for work, so I ventured to the movie theater to see Crazy, Stupid, Love. It was a rainy Saturday afternoon here - perfect for a solo movie viewing.

Source: flickr.com via Barbara on Pinterest

My review is as follows: I really enjoyed the movie, although I enjoyed two of the interrelated story lines more than the others. It wasn't "dirty," but it had very mature themes, so I'd hesistate to recommend it wholeheartedly. I do think that, for better or for worse, it was a very real (with a few exceptions) take on a very real situation. Ryan Gosling is quite the hottie, and Emma Stone is one of my favorite twenty-something actresses.

We had some fun times with friends on Saturday night, with a little not-for-profit poker.

But, here's the clincher. This weekend was "tax free weekend" in South Carolina. So, after church, we headed out to run some errands, and I came home with these bad boys.

Vibram FiveFingers KomodoSport

(image via)

I have an odd running style, so I'm hoping these might actually help my form. Initially, I won't be running in them at all. I'll stick to walking and then gradually introduce running. They are awfully ugly, and I joked with my husband that it's slightly ironic that we're now wearing shoes designed to mimic the human foot. Couldn't we just walk around barefoot and get the same effect?

I'll keep you posted on my Vibram adventure. Have any of you made the switch?

*I fully expect you to disagree with me, and argue that your husband (or significant other) is the best. In fact, I hope so. Because if we had a world full of the best husbands and significant others (and brothers and dads and uncles), I'm pretty sure the world would be a more awesome place.

Joining up with Carissa for Miscellany Monday.

Craigslist Miscellany

I have a secret. Until yesterday, I had never successfully sold anything on Craigslist. (Bought something? Ha! All the time, much to the hub's dismay.) But yesterday, I posted six things, and I sold three of them the same day. It's quite the rush.

 Good-bye, end table. You served us well.

Thanks for the memories, sweet painted nightstand 

(previously lime green thanks to a college apartment color fling).

We also sold full mattress set that we'd inherited with a bedroom set but didn't need. The family who bought it was replacing their 8-year-old daughter hand-me-down king mattress. Apparently, she was against the replacement, but they thought a full was much more suitable for a little girl. That story made me laugh, since I slept in a twin bed until my second year of college.

Now, I'm trying to figure out e-bay. Any advice? I have a couple of nicer bags to sell that I doubt will sell on Craiglist.

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With my blow money, I did indeed buy the shorts I mentioned last Monday. While I was there, I also picked up this shirt (horrible modeling by yours truely).

AE boyfriend shirt, where have you been all my life? (Also, I picked mine up on clearance for 50 percent off.)

I really should learn to iron.

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I am typing this blog entry on the rogue during work hours, so I've got to get back to what I'm supposed to be doing. We're meeting with a second real estate agent tonight. I don't expect the financial outlook to be much brighter, but I'm choosing to trust God's plan. Right now, we still believe that selling is the better option for us, even if we do have to dip into savings. I'd love some stories of positive sales experiences, post real estate crash, if you have them. 

For all you Dave Ramsey folks, the real estate agent and her husband are on baby step 7 - build wealth and give. How cool is that?

Linking up with Carissa:

Summer meets sail.

I fully intended to post again before Miscellany Monday rolled around again. Life moves too fast. I will be back tomorrow, because I've been tackling some "home improvement meets interior design" projects, and I have to share.

I discovered Polyvore last tonight. If I went on a shopping spree today, here are my purchases. If you find it online, it's free, right?!

Floral dress, $178
J Crew fitted shirt, $30
J Crew scoop neck t shirt, $30
American Eagle Outfitters denim short shorts, $25
TOMS wedge shoes, $69
Braided belt, $30

I may actually pick up those shorts using my blow money (A Dave Ramsey term for budgeted spending money to use as you please.). I've been looking for shorts that are shorter than bermudas but longer than most everything else, and those got really great reviews. My only problem with American Eagle is their insistence on low waists. I like a low rise as much as the next gal, but what's the point if you have to cover your bum crack everytime you sit down?

Also, we are getting a J.Crew Factory Store at the outlet near my house. Umm - yes, please.

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As a souvenir from our recent vacation, my sweet hubs gave me this bag - made of sail material. He's the sailor, but I may enjoy the other uses for sails more.

(Mine looks like the one in the back middle, with the number 2.)

(Image via)

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If you get your hands on fresh blueberries, please take them home, don't wash them (or wash them lightly, depending on who you ask), put them in a single layer on a cookie sheet, and throw them in the freezer. I'm not a huge blueberry fan, but frozen blueberries are delicious. You can take them out by the handful.

(Not mine, but mine look just the same - image via)

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Speaking of food, I am on my church's distribution list for our food ministry, and each month, we receive a devotion from the program's organizer. As part of this month's devotion, she included the following verse.

You (God) satisfy me more than the richest of foods. 

Psalm 63:5 (NLT)

I'm quick to look to food for satisfaction, so I've written this verse down in our kitchen as a reminder of where my true satisfaction comes from.

Miscellany on a Holiday Monday

After a few weeks off, I'm joining back in on the Miscellany Monday fray.

1) 30-day challenge - complete.

I committed to running (run/walking) for 30 days. And, I did it. I even gained a new running partner; Elizabeth and I dug our rear ends out the door M/W/F, which made solo runs on T/Th so much more pleasant. (Also, my dear hubs ran with me each day of our vacation. No small feat as I'm pretty grumpy in the mornings.) I'm not sure completing my "streak" reflects dedication as much as it reflects a stubbornness insistence on following through, but regardless, challenge embraced and completed.

This month, I'm going to stick with our M/W/F run/walking schedule, but introduce some weight training back into the routine. I think I will also sign up for a race. Sometimes you need a goal.

2) New wheels

We are now a two-car family again. We sold my car to my nephew in late May, with full intentions to find a replacement within a week or two. It actually took a full month, but the results were worth it. We were approaching this car purchase Dave Ramsey-style, so we had a very specific budget. We also only agreed on a few types of cars. After Craigslist and CarTrader searches and visits to dealerships, we ended up using a auto broker. The guy we used was a friend of a friend, so he came highly recommended. The process was simple. We told him what we wanted and our budget, and he hunted down cars that fit our criteria. That second part took some patience. Welcome to the family, new guy. (New to us - he's a 05 4Runner Limited.)

Exactly ten years to the month after I started driving the Civic, we sold her to someone who wears pre-made cut off jean shorts, v-neck shorts, and only knows girls with first names that sound like last names. The times (and fashion trends) are a changin'. Thanks for being my third arm for ten years, Civic. Have fun with your new partner in crime.

Yes, I'm getting sentimental about a car.

3) Papa Murphy's Pizza

This needs no explanation. I am obsessed. When I was first introduced (two months ago), I did not understand why you'd want to buy pizza that you had to go home and cook yourself. Now I know why - because it's amazing.

Please try the Herb Chicken Mediterranean deLite. I promise. I would not steer you wrong.

4) Go Gamecocks
After a long, well-played session, my Gamecocks grabbed the 2011 College Worlds Series championship. Two years in a row. Slightly less stressful than last year's series, but so fun to watch regardless.

5) Happy 4th!

We're off to grill out and shoot fireworks. (No points for originality.) I am thankful for the holiday, and I plan to enjoy it. I also want to remember what it means.

(Taken by the hubs at the Navy Memorial, D.C.)

Road trips bring the world together.

The hubs and I just completed an eight-hour road trip. Here's the thing with road trips. They always sound fun - kind of retro and All-American. And they are fun, when the right song is on the radio to belt out (off-key, much to the dismay of my husband).

However, not so much when you have to go the bathroom.

We stopped at our first gas station, and it did not have indoor plumbing. We had to use the portapotty in the dirt lot beside the station. I told the hubs as I walked out, "Whatever you do, don't look down."

By lunch, we upgraded to the travel center offering both a Quizno's and a Dairy Queen. While we ordered sandwiches (Quizno's subssssssssssss. They are gooooooooood. Or so sayth that weird, annoying, yet slightly charming commercial from a few years ago.), the hubs charmed me with stories of cleaning out the ice cream machine when he worked at Dairy Queen as a young lad.

But seriously, yall, the next exit took the cake. I was charmed by the exit signs promising Starbucks. I wanted some coffee to counter the images of portapotties still crowding my head. When we exited, we saw this sign, situated in middle-of-no-where USA across from a corn field.

Yes, that is a Starbucks, a Denny's, a Subway, and a Burger King. Something for everyone.

Would you like an obnoxiously large chair for your man cave?

They will ship it to you for $89.98 plus tax! (If you don't believe me that it was obnoxiously large, note that the piece of paper is 8 1/2 X 11.)

The Starbucks? Not a random gas station coffee bar "proudly serving Starbucks coffee." Oh no. This was the real deal. I didn't know whether to be impressed or annoyed that Starbucks sold out.

And at each gas station we stopped at, people from all walks of life were doing the same thing we were. Pumping gas, going to the bathroom, marveling at the bizarreness of it all.

The moral of the story is this: At some point on a road trip, every one of us - black, white, lawyer, student, whether you own a Mercedes or '89 Chevy Cavalier - will have to go to the bathroom above all else and our only option will be a gas station with no indoor plumbing.

But, please don't worry. Our end location has indoor plumbing. And a lovely view.

(Welcome to National Harbor, Maryland. Work beckoned, but we'll enjoy some fun time as well.)

Joining up with Carissa to share this travel miscellany.

Monday Miscellany - "My" edition

It's Monday, and it's time to be miscellaneous again. I should have called this "brag edition" because I've got to brag on my hubs and my dad. I hope you don't mind.

1. My Dad's a streaker.
My dad started running before I was born. So, he's always been a runner to me. However, beginning on April 1, 2001, my dad established a very specific goal - to run a minimum of three miles every day. And he did it. On March 31, 2011, my dad successfully ran each day for TEN YEARS. Seriously impressive. And for the record, he didn't stop there. Now he's working on year 11.

2. My husband finished the Palmetto 200.
The Palmetto 200 is a 200-mile relay race that starts outside of Columbia, SC, and ends in Folly Beach, SC. The hubs and 11 other people  (including two women) from his office ran as team "Anchors Aweigh." They covered 200 miles in 29 hours and some change. I'm a proud wife.

Here we are at the finish line, waiting for the last guy on their team to cross.

3. My new favorite food is cheesy.

(image via)

Publix should never make it a BOGO deal again. It's too dangerous.

4. My jeans have holes.
And I need to replace them. I have to be honest. I used to save my pennies and buy Citizens of Humanity jeans in Bootcut Dita style. (As in "for my birthday," please.) One pair has been fantastic. The second pair I bought hasn't held up nearly as well. (I'm quite disappointed.) The hubs has budgeted a (more modest) amount for me to buy new ones. But, I don't know which ones to buy. I always need petite or short. Help.

5. My weekend flew by.
B was gone Friday evening for the race, I relaxed at home. I met B at the finish line on Saturday, and then we went to our friend Harold's birthday celebration. We played Jokers and Marbles - my favorite. Today was church and then we came home to clean inside and out (yardwork), because tomorrow my small group is bringing their families with them, and we're cooking out. I'm so excited. (Although I gave up my original plan of making burgers from "scratch" in favor of Bubba burgers.) We even made a quick trip to Lowe's, so now we have an umbrella for our Craigslist-purchased patio set. I think it "makes" our patio.

Happy Monday.

Miscellaneous Thoughts for Monday

This morning, I'm drinking my tea, and joining up with Carissa's Miscellany Monday.



1) Rango


We saw it on Friday. My husband is a big fan of cartoon movies (and they are definitely growing on me). I found this one pretty disappointing. Apparently, it got some decent reviews, but I seemed to be straddling the line between movie for grown-ups and movie for kids. It definitely seemed more appropriate for the adults in the theater, with the use of language and the naunces of some of the jokes, but, as with most cartoon movies, we were surrounded by lots of children. We're definitely going to have to do more homework before we go see a movie once we have kiddos.

2) Lamb's ear
We just planted some in one of the small beds in our backyard. I know some people don't like it because it spreads fast (and some varieties have strange flowers), but I think it's charming. Its leaves are soft and almost furry. If you ever come over, please let me introduce you to it.


(image via)

(Please note that this is not my backyard. Sigh.)

My husband says I like soft plants. I guess I do. I'm a weirdo.

3) The Furminator!!
We took our dog to PetSmart last week to get a treatment called the "Furminator". It's basically a headcore bath and brushing with a specific shed-reducing line of products, and they claim it reduces shedding by as much as 90 percent. So far, we're impressed. His shedding really does seem lessened (as evidenced by the almost non-existent number of fur tumbleweeds in the corners), and if you sniff the fur on his back (which I do) it still smells good (and it's been five days!). We think we might put this treatment on regular rotation. Fair warning, it cost a few dollars (We're going to have to specifically plan and budget for it.)

4) Baby names
If you want to kill some time, check out this blog. It's quite unassuming, but I can get caught up reading about what names people are considering for their children. I especially love the "update" posts.

5) HomeGoods

(image via)

I went for the first time. I wasn't as impressed as I expected to be, but everyone raves about it, so I will give it another go, I know. Any recommendations about shopping there? What kinds of things to buy or what day to go?

I know one thing for sure, I will not take my husband with me the next time I go. At one point, I was perusing the aisle of pillows, and I hear him say, "One."

"What are you counting?" I asked him.

"The number of guys in this store that don't work here. I just counted myself."

My husband - ever the comedian.