Less than a year ago....

Less than a year ago, we were looking for a house to buy, and had already seen the house we would eventually pick.

....

This year we've been at it again.  Not buying a house, but finding a new house to live in, and starting to pack boxes.

It's so bizarre.  When we bought this house, we knew the possibility of it not lasting long, but I'm think I wanted to not believe that.  I wanted to be set for a few more years.  The Realtor told us to think of this as our 'starter house', that we'd be here for 5 years or so.

When all is said and done, we'll have been here one year.

Sigh.

I'm a bit sad.  Partially because I had all these plans in my head for gardens, patios, parties, organized office space, re-done kitchen, hosting clients, etc.... and while I've done a few updates [okay, really all I've done is paint a few rooms that I thought needed it so the house mostly matched itself], it's sad those dreams won't manifest.  And I know that's how things work.  Some things come to fruition and some don't.  I'm still going to be a bit sad about it though.

So here's the the new people that will live in this amazing wonderful house.  Lucky.

-mrp-

poop

You guys.

Last time I was going to the bathroom [in the upstairs of our house], I came face to face with a mouse!!!!  [the first in this house].  I did what any good woman does, screamed, wiped, pulled my pants up and stood on the toilet.

Luckily Ronald came up because of the sound and wanted to know if "I had made a noise", then proceeded to not believe me, when I complained, "I'm the only one who ever sees the damn mouses!"

When he started shuffling things around though, the mouse jumped out of his hiding place and at him.  After screaming again, I laughed and laughed... from my toilet pedestal of course.

-mrp-

smarts

My day to day life consists of the following: talking with teachers [a bit], talking with, working with and teaching kids [a lot], doing photography stuff, and talking with the husband.

While I love all of this, most conversations I have in my day to day life just don't really require a ton of concentration to follow along and grasp a bulk of information not padded with at least a bit of fluff.  You know the professor who says two sentences at the beginning of class and if you missed one word or started bunny trailing your own thoughts, you'd have NO idea what he/she was saying 30 seconds later?  I remember feeling so overwhelmed with those professors.  A good overwhelmed, but definitely one of those situations where I have to sit in the front row of class, be properly caffeinated, and keep my eyes on him/her and my notes.

Today though, we had a psychologist in, and before he left I asked him if he tested for dyslexia.  He proceeded to talk in that exact way, and used words I didn't know and asked if I knew about so-and-so method, etc.... and it was lovely.  It was so refreshing to have that challenge [even amid some kids who needed copies, and other interruptions], be able to follow along, and probably also be able to recount it to someone else if I had to.

Anyway, it made me feel smart.  And it made me think, "If I were to do it again, maybe I would have double majored in psychology and art.  It's fascinating.

-mrp-

No, just no.

So my two friends and I went out to eat the other night:

friend number 1 = recently engaged, has a bunch of wedding magazines on the table, 23 years old
friend number 2 = recently [more or less] married, 26 years old
me = okay, the oldest, but not by much, 30 years old, professional wedding photographer

Here's how it went down, we sit, chat, waitress comes over.
Waitress: "Oh, is someone getting married" [smiles]
#2 and I point to #1 and smile.
Waitress to me: "Are you the mother?"
me: [smiles], "Nope, just friends."

I've been asked if I'm a mother before, but not for someone who is old enough to be getting married.

*sigh*

-mrp-

ps: you bet your ass I went home and did both my hair and make up for the following day. #iknowimnotyoungbut #30flirtyandoldlooking

hash tagging

The place I use hashtags the most... text messaging.

#imdoingthisright
#winner

shoe fund....

I told Ronald that I was going to use some money to buy some brown boots [I have brown cowboy boots, but have recently decided that maybe I would like to have some brown riding boots].

In any case.  Last week it snowed.

My 'brown boot fund' is now going to be a 'knee high snow boot fund'.

Why do I live here?!?!

-mrp-

taboo

I know it's taboo to say [especially as an educated, semi-patriotic american].... but I really don't care about politics.

What I do care about, is what I CAN control.  Where I donate my time and money.  Being able to see a need and fill it.  Loving people.  Living with integrity.

meh.

-mrp-

back-to-back...

Last Thurs = b session 2.5 hours
Friday = photoing friends 2 ish hours
Saturday = photo wedding 9 hours
Sunday = engagement session 2.5 hours
Monday = back hurts/pulled hip muscle while putting on my pants :/

So I sat down in front of the computer just now, after arranging the ice pack in my drawers just perfectly, and said to myself, "Ha ha. I'm going to win."

As if this is a competition. [laugh].

[shakes head].  [sigh].

If I'm not winning in the next hour, I'm going to just go ahead and book a massage for this week.  I've got a wedding and engagement session and loads of editing this week... I've got to win!

-mrp-

m+r = 4

Our marriage is now four years old :).

Something they don't tell you...

When Ronald is away and hasn't given specific information on when he'll be home, I freak out a bit inside when he doesn't answer my texts, and it's 9pm and dark out.

Maybe I'm the only one, but when you get married, they don't tell you that when you care for someone so much, and depend on that someone for socialization, and dinner conversation, and a hug, that you will freak the hell out and imagine crazy scenarios in your head about what could be happening/has happened, and you don't know about it because you're not listed under 'ice' in his phone... not to mention no one would be able to get into his freakin phone because it has a lock code.

meh.  I just have a husband to love and care for.  I don't now how you people with tiny humans do it.

-mrp-

Conversations in our house...

R: "Okay crazy lady"
M: "Okay husband"

For whatever reason, when he calls me crazy lady, it's not offensive ;)

-mrp-

New House!

On April 16th, our offer for a house was accepted.  Then on May 16th, we signed our name 8 billion times on so much paperwork with phrases I had no clue what the actual meaning was, and got some keys [like 11 of them for the front door lock].

And on June 16th, I thought I would post this picture, but then forgot... so it's here now!  on June 27th instead :).

We're slowly but surely getting things on the walls, and arranging the furniture just so, and my goal is to get the front room painted in on color [it currently has 8], before my parents come visit at the end of July.  The other rooms will be painted eventually too, but I'm bad at making decisions, so it might be a while... and another 8 sample paints later ;).

It's a two bedroom, two full bath, michigian-style basement, with a HUGE back yard [we have plans for an apple tree, strawberry patch and raspberries].  It's not as close to downtown as we initially wanted, but it's close to the water and within walking distance to a cool park.

And we're very excited to live here and be able to make changes to the house that we want to [all within budget of course, can't be spending more money than the house is worth via debt].

Eventually I'll get some more photos up of the interiors :).

-mrp-

tears...

There are certain things that make me tear up.... Marriage equality is one of them.... Way to go Indiana.

-mrp-

Duvets... and other things.

So last year I mentioned we were considering buying a house [which was ridiculous, because we just really didn't have the cash for the down payment [Dave says NO; no cash saved up, wait a bit longer], and we tend to be anti-committal.

We're still commitment phobe's BUT we're going to buy a house.  Our lease ends May 30th, and it's just time to pour our money into something a bit more permanent [who knows what exactly that means, but ya].

In any case, this past few weeks, instead of making decisions on houses, I've been obsessively looking at duvet covers on-line instead.  Seriously.  Obsessing.  Like, I've looked on pinterest, and pretty much every store you can think of [including etsy], to brows and pin duvets that I might like.

The avoidance makes sense when you think about it.  A duvet cover will probably run me $75-150; a big enough amount of money to think about and research into, and decide on a favorite.  A house will run me $57,000 to $90,000, and a mortgage that will last for as many years as I've been alive.

I can change a duvet after a few years, if it tears, or has stains, or whatnot.  A house is a bit harder to change, since you have to sell off the old one before investing in a new one technically.

No one is going to break into my duvet and steal my comforter.

The value of my duvet isn't going to go down depending on what kind of shit happens in the neighborhood.

I don't have to worry about resale value, because I'm probably not ever going to need to sell my new duvet cover.

All that to say, I'm much more into buying the duvet cover than I am the house.  We've narrowed it down to 4 but my head is going to explode trying to weigh all the options [price, location, bathrooms, age, air conditioning, yard, blah, blah, blah].

-mrp-

ps: I feel like I need a good algorithm to solve my 'which house should you buy' crisis.  Something where I can answer on a 1-10 scale about each house, and it will tell me which is the best fit.

A Bridget Jones Morning

Seriously.

I woke up [15 minutes later than I should have, of course], look outside, scream "Noooo!" [there was more snow, I mean, c'mon, it's March 25th!].  I rush to get myself together, slip slide my way to work on the barely snowed on roads, when I realize I have not finished my outfit with the desired infinity scarf.  So I'm left wearing black pants, and a simple grey shirt.  Looks very ordinary.  10 minutes later, I take a sip of my hot apple cider in my nifty camera lens cup [hooray for remembering it and not leaving it on the counter at home!], only to spill it all over my front.  I realize [too late obviously], I didn't properly screw the lid on.

Meh.

-mrp-

"Well, there's good news and bad news"

Last night, after dinner I was in our bedroom reading.  I had been in there a good long while, and heard Ronald walk back and forth, and outside and in, before he finally came into our room.

He said, "Well, there's good news and bad news."

I looked over and said, "What's the good news?"

"We caught a mouse."

"Awesome.  What mouse, I mean, which trap?"

After he made fun of me for apparently naming the mouses, he said, "Well, the bad news is, we no longer have any Oreo Cookies."

I'd had a mostly empty Oreo Cookie bag with the flippy lid on the counter from a dish I made this past weekend.  Apparently, the mouse got in there, and when Ronald heard it, he set his phone on top of the flap so the mouse couldn't get out.  And then took it outside and dumped it.

I have 4 traps around my kitchen waiting to catch that bastard, so giving up the three left over cookies, was COMPLETELY worth it.

-mrp-

"Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow" <- just kidding... STOP THE SNOW!

Growing up in New Mexico, snow has, for the most part been pretty magical to me.  Once, when we were really little, it snowed in the middle of the night, and so my mom went out and built a snowman at like 2am [she's so cool].

We RARELY got full snow days.

We SOMETIMES got a 2 hour delay [by that time, the sun had shown it's beautiful face and the white fluffy stuff had melted away].

But now that I live in northern Indiana, I find the snow is my nemisis.  There's seriously like, 4 feet of snow drift/pile in my front yard, and all together, it's snowed probably a good foot and a half in the rest of the yard.  Friday school was canceled [where I teachers aid], yesterday Ronald didn't think I should drive in it [he walked to a gamers thing he's participating in this weekend], and today, considering our road is still not plowed, and I'm pretty sure I'd get stuck just getting out of my parking spot on the road, I went ahead and skipped church.

But here's the thing.  While I enjoy the occasional snow day, I HATE being trapped in my house for 3 solid days!

Tomorrow Ronald leaves for Las Vegas for work [seriously, why does he get all the fun!], and he's thinking that there's a good chance school will be canceled again... and then it's going to be -15* at some point in the next few days, so I probably need to get my ass to the grocery store so I can actually survive not only being alone the next few days, but also eating.

The best snow day I can remember was when I lived on Broadway with 3 others, and 2 other friends just down the road.  I don't remember all the details of the day, but we didn't go to work, and instead walked to the grocery store across the street, built an igloo in the backyard, and just generally had a kick ass day.

As I was reminiscing this morning, it got me to thinking why I was so not happy this weekend.  And really, it's because I've been alone for so many hours.  I don't do good with alone.  I hope that the next place we live is somewhere within walking distance to a friend... or that we make friends with neighbors, that'd be swell too.  I just do so much better when people are in my day.

BUT, I have accomplished many tasks in the hours and hours I've spent cooped up in this small house:
-vacuumed [okay, only half the house, cause the freakin vacuum crapped out]
-dyed some clothes
-finished editing a wedding
-packaged disks up to mail out
-packaged albums up to mail out
-watched like, 8 episodes of Girls
-dusted
-did 3 loads of laundry
-watched Parenthood
-blogged photos

So at least I feel somewhat accomplished.  I do think, however, we might need to budget in a January/February trip to see my parents or Ronald's mom next year... and probably every year following that we're living in the north.  This lack of sun, isolation, and cold weather just doesn't do me good :(.

I am doing everything I know though, to keep me going.  Working out [when I can freaking get there], tanning [at the workout facility], and taking vitamins and trying to plan hang outs with friends.

And when I actually think about it, I do have some amazing things planned in the next few months: Avetts in Springfield in February, and we just booked a trip to Phoenix mid March, and then in April I'm headed down to Indy for a BBMK workshop pt 2.  So all good things to keep me going.  Just gotta keep putting one foot in front of the other, and remembering that this too shall pass.

-mrp-

#6/30

Considering I only have 3 months left to get 24 more images, I sort of sucked at this 30 before 30 thing... I still have hope though!

So here's number 6.  Not photoshopped [I'll talk more about that eventually ;)].

Christmas Slump

So yesterday was Christmas.  And it was lovely.

My fantastic husband bought me a beautiful purse [which I had found months earlier], and filled it with all sorts of 'purse things' [a compact mirror, and umbrella, chocolate, nail file, bottle opener].  It was lovely.  My FAVORITE thing though, was that he took my old broken key fob and FIXED IT!!!!!

Seriously.  I was so excited and shocked.  I now have remote control start again [hooray!].

After a great morning together, where he used his new french press and I ate the pistachio muffin he had bought for me the night before, we headed out the his aunt's house to eat and play games with the family.

But today, I find myself in a slump.  Ronald has gone back to work, I slept in, facebooked, read the huffington, and just interrupted my blog writing to take a look at postsecret.com.

I'm not necessarily feeling bad... but I'm just way unenthusiastic about getting anything done... which I have a ton to do.

Things I need to do:
-edit december weddings [x2]
-edit boudoir session
-edit family session
-blog wedding
-blog family
-clean kitchen
-vacuum
-file papers
-go shopping for M.Rinaye disks, etc.
-get ready for bridal show
-exchange some pants at the mall
-go to the post office to ship a couple late x-mas presents [the recipients are all traveling, so I'm not just a slacker].
-the list
-goes on
-and on!

Things I want to do instead:
-blog [obviously]
-read
-be lazy
-craft
-yoga class at noon :)

Anyway, I'm determined to get some things checked off my list today, since my extra days before X-mas, I was basically buying gifts, wrapping gifts and doing other random stuff [okay, so really it was catching up on Scandal and Greys].

Anyway, morning slump.  But hopefully I can get out of it by going to the yoga class at noon [please God let it not be canceled!].

So, I leave you with this, a joke from Bentley!

-mrp-

halloween

Most of you know that I really dig halloween.  I just like costumes... and creativity.

I have to admit, it makes me really happy to see all of my friends who have kids, and are posting their awesome halloween costumes and outfits on the fb.

Which makes me sort of wish we had kids to dress up.  Unfortunately, I only have Bentley and Ronald.

-mrp-