I married my Puppy!

Puppy and I got married!

Our 57-guest June wedding was perfect, fantastic and wonderful. 🙂 The wedding party, pictured above, was all family so everything felt very comfortable and loving from start to finish. Very Aho! And although it was difficult to trim the invitations to about a third of the original guest list, it was worth it because a) that’s what we could afford and b) it ended up being the perfect number. It wasn’t so large it became impersonal, not so small that it wasn’t fun and the perfect size for our venue.

Quote necklace from “Love you Forever” by Robert Munsch

Other than taking a bit longer than expected for hair and makeup (we had extra time in the schedule in case this happened) everything went perfectly. My makeup even stayed on all night even though Mom and I started crying almost immediately after getting our makeup done when I gave her a mother-of-the-bride present. It’s a quote from “Love you Forever” by Robert Munsch, which she used to read to my brothers and me when we were younger.

Then I continued the crying when Puppy and I had our first look before the wedding. I just saw him standing there looking all handsome and when he turned around and smiled at me I got overwhelmed. He’s such a good Puppy and I got to marry him!

And I continued tearing up at the altar and a little bit at the reception when the maids of honor and the best man gave their speeches. I seriously did not expect to turn into a water fountain but that’s what happened. Puppy thought it was cute and apparently I made other people tear up as well, notably my cousin who was getting married the next week. Puppy’s family and friends couldn’t remember her name and referred to her as the bridesmaid who cried during the entire ceremony. (She’s the one on the far left in the top photo)

We had fun with the music too:

• Grand entrance: Let the good Times Roll by Ray Charles
• First Dance: All I Want Is You by Barry Louis Polisar
• Cake Cutting: Count on Me by Bruno Mars
• Last Dance: Island in the Sun by Weezer

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The whole day was just one big happy and I was so excited that I could hardly sleep the night before, woke up at about 5 a.m. the morning after and still didn’t feel tired. But since Puppy was still asleep and my Clif Bar wrapper was bothering him, I waited a little bit and then went down the hall and woke up my mother and grandmother to hang out until Puppy was ready for breakfast.

Sorry if this post got a little long. I tried to reign myself in… but wedding! And I wanted to post more photos but my laptop has decided that discs are yummy and must be eaten and Puppy’s computer doesn’t have an optical disc drive… so we’ve got some things to figure out.

P.S. All these awesome wedding photos were taken by this guy.

BLTs and banana showers

A lot has happened in the four months since my last post: weddings, road trips, a move and a new job. But more on that later. Today I had a little fun around lunchtime via text messages with Puppy while looking at a bowl of fruit containing a whole pineapple, kiwis and bananas.

Me: I’m in the kitchen trying to figure out what to eat for lunch.

Me: And somehow the thought “I should take a banana shower” popped into my head.

Me: What the hell is a banana shower?

Puppy: Okie dokie, so what ya gonna have?

Me: Is it where you get in the shower and bananas fall on you?

Me: Because that wouldn’t get you very clean would it?

Me: Aaaand wouldn’t that just leave you with a bunch of bananas in the bathtub?

Me: What would people think if they came over and had to use the restroom and saw all the bananas in the tub?

Me: Or would it be taking a shower while eating a banana?

Me: That might get you clean but your banana would get soggy.

Me: If that were the case, could you not just eat the banana before or after?

Puppy: Unless you ate the banana with your back to the shower head.

Me: Lols. I guess that could work. But I feel like the water splashing would still get on your banana.

Me: I’m sure you’d get soap on your banana at some point. It’d be difficult to wash yourself with one hand holding a banana. 😀

Puppy: Why not just finish eating the banana before getting the soap out?

Me: If you ate it before soap it wouldn’t be a banana shower then, would it? 😉

Puppy: Maybe it doesn’t have to be a shower in the bathing meaning of the word but rather a party for or about bananas.

Me: Mega lols.

Me: Anyway. I just thought I’d give you a little insight into lenaland with what my brain does when I’m trying to feed myself. :*

In the end, I settled on a BLT. But I had a little problem with the B. It’s very hard to make enough bacon for a BLT because it’s so yummy it begs to be eaten before making it to the L and the T.

Inauspicious start

This week has gotten off with an inauspicious start. I apparently left my keys with my mother yesterday after spending the day with her for mother’s day and Puppy, who usually leaves after me but left early today, took his car key with him, leaving me without a key to the car. I didn’t realize until it was time to leave.

Luckily there is a bus that runs from our apartment to school. Now, more than an hour later, I have the key and am on my way back to my car.

Whew. I only hope the rest of the day goes better.

Yummy breakfast

It’s been really busy but I’m glad I’ve taken the time out to cut up fruit for my breakfast the next day. It’s a yummy, energizing way to start each day… Even if I don’t have time to enjoy it at home and have to eat it at my desk.

It’s been a busy few months!

It’s been an award-winning week

This has been a really good week. Unexpectedly so.

Yesterday, I won the Area 74 Tall Tales Toastmasters Speech contest and got a shiny trophy. On Thursday, my boss came back from the 2014 Texas School Public Relations Association Annual Conference with 39 awards, 11 of which were mine! One of them was a Best of Category! Two more were group efforts in which I was included.

Wow. What a week!

SF to Dallas road trip: Junebug in Los Angeles

After Hearst Castle, Puppy and I stayed a night in Los Angeles to spend some time with Junebug.

I think the way he’s living his life is awesome. He’s discovered the things he loves to do that make him happy-acting and yoga- and he’s pursuing them with gusto. In just the past few weeks he’s gotten his first IMBD credit and his yoga teacher certification. All while working his day job in a law firm. Crazy, crazy busy that is.

A child’s outlook

While hosting a sleepover for my 11-year-old cousin and 10-year-old brother over the weekend, I realized a few things. 

1. Wow. Kids can and will push you as far as you’re willing to let them, and they’ll do it without even realizing it. After dropping them off, I was exhausted and my late afternoon nap turned into a half day coma.

2. I now have little patience for obnoxious behavior. They’re good kids, but even the best ones can misbehave, and these two have a tendency to be unsatisfied with what they have and to negotiate (read argue) for what they want next. Considering they are both middle class, privileged children with caring parents/grandparents and extended family who adore them, this trait strikes me as particularly unappealing.

3. This was the first time I really noticed that the kiddos talk a lot in negatives. What they don’t like, what they think is incredulous and how they know better than whatever thing it is they don’t like. While driving them around, all I could hear from the back seat was a steady stream of conversations along those lines.

This. Drove. Me. Nuts!

4. My outlook greatly improves as I become a happier person. Before beginning daily meditation, I didn’t notice all these things as much. I guess I was a negative person so I didn’t notice their negativity. I thought it was something that crept up on me as I got older but these two are so young and they’re already exhibiting the traits I’m working to overcome. It never would have occurred to me that children so young would have the same issues. It’s crazy how early a negative or positive disposition can develop.

5. The final, and probably most useful, lesson I learned is that the kids behaved much better and seemed happier as I became more strict. Not yelling or threatening, but making my opinion, rules and expectations clear in a firm and serious voice instead of joking and laughing with them while trying to modify their behavior. They seemed genuinely more grateful for everything I was doing for them, giving me heartfelt, unsolicited hugs, kisses and appreciation.

Living life purposefully has really given me a lot of insight. I love finding little nuggets of inspiration and wisdom hidden in my everyday life. Wisdom and inspiration I missed while living in a disconnected state. I can’t wait to discover more, and am thrilled with the idea that this could just be skimming the surface of a deep ocean.

Doodle of the Day June 27, 2013

 

I’m a doodler. I doodle almost daily. It can be while talking on the phone, waiting for video to render, even while cooking. And for yesterday’s doodle of the day, I doodled how I wanted to be feeling – peaceful, serene and energized because I was actually feeling a bit run down and sluggish.

Now I’m off to pick up my little brother for a weekend sleepover with my little cousin. I’ve got the whole weekend planned. Friday: just dinner and playing around; Saturday is for the Dallas World Aquarium and Assassination City Roller Derby; Sunday is for a relaxed breakfast and possibly a swim before I drop them off and hang out with my Dad for a belated Father’s Day.

I hope this doodle helps you start your weekend off on the right foot.

Nerdy wedding guests, part Two

Puppy wore a tweed jacket with leather elbow patches, and a bow tie! Bonus points for matching it the belt of my dress.

The wedding was a blast. Of course the bride looked beautiful, and happy. I’d never met her husband, but if she picked him, he had to be great.

I think Puppy and I were definitely at the nerd table. It consisted of us, a recent grad from his Ph.D program, two math professors and their spouses, who I think also have doctorates. It was a fantastic experience to see all of them dancing to songs like Thrift Shop by Macklemore!