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-

filed under "things I love"

I love it when I'm culling/editing wedding images from my second shooter and myself, and I come across an image I don't immidiately recognize as my own, and I'm like, "woah!  That image is GREAT!"... and then I look to see it's MINE!  And then I'm like, 'ya damn right! get it girl!'....

-mrp-

AK

Yup, I don't care what people say, Ashton Kutcher is freakin adorable.

[a fb friend apparently went and saw him give some sort talk or something, and said he was also very smart].

-mrp-

kiddos

Yesterday, I got to the day job a bit late [there was ice on my windshield, and I took 10 seconds to try to find the scraper, but had no luck, so instead I sat and waited for it to de-thaw (shrug)].  Anyway, generally no big deal, but as I walked in, one of the kids says, "hey, where's your tardy slip!".... :)

Then later, the same kid [who is pretty darn cute], is talking with another kid that goes to our church, and was asking him if he saw Mr. Pulliam.  Then they agreed that he should come to school some day.  Which I replied, "like for show-and-tell?"....

-mrp-

m + r = 3

2013

-mrp-

Today...

Today, I'm sort of over being nice, and generous.

-mrp-

God and War

So, I think I've mentioned I'm working part time at a Christian school in town.  It has been really really interesting lately.  Not only the things I remember about myself at that age, but also the things I see within the class community [the jock, the dork, the preppy girl, etc].

A few weeks ago I lead class since the lead teacher was absent for the day, and it was just easier than having the substitute try to lead.  We always start out with devotions, prayer requests and then the pledge.  Prayer requests in themselves are pretty interesting, to see what matters, and to see what trends [the other day, someone said something about teenagers ringing the doorbell at their house as a prank, and it was a request because the kids parents have a new job, and need sleep.  Anyway, totally trended, and all of the sudden everyone had hands raised in order to add that they had been pranked too].

The devotions I lead that day, had something to do with being far away from God, and the response questions were about imagining a world where there wasn't a God, and what it would look like.  I came up with things like, being lonely at times, and missing the comfort in knowing God has a plan and will take care of me.  These kiddos though, leaned much more towards things like, the world would be at war, and there would be a lot of murder and killing.

What I wanted to say, was something along the lines of, 1. God is here in the world, and there is still a lot of murder and killing and wars.  And 2. God actually was a big part of old testament wars.  He not only sent communities into war, but guided them in success or failure.

But you can't say that to a bunch of 4th and 5th graders.

They might get it....maybe.... but even so, they might also go home to their parents and ask questions about what Mrs. P said about God being around with wars and murder and killing.

I wonder if it's good to teach children black and white.  Because the older I get, and the more I study the bible, the more grey everything seems.  The more difficult it seams to hold onto the black and white truths most Christians sight in their politics, and morals.

I think that might have been the other thing that struck me.  Morals.  I had a friend [an atheist], who once said to another friend, "Just because I don't believe in any God, doesn't mean I don't have morals!"  And it's an interesting concept, because Christians often believe because they are Christians they have a higher moral calling than other people who don't believe in Christ.  When the truth is individuals from both Christians and unbelievers can hold moral values.... and individuals from both groups can also be amoral.

So likewise, I guess I have a bit of faith in humanity, that if God were to leave earth, things wouldn't all go to war and killing right away.  And I guess I also value more the personal connection I have with Christ.

Anyway, it was interesting to think about and hear them talk about.

-mrp-

ps: their bonus word on their spelling test today was "chagrin"... I looked at it, and thought, "seriously!?"... then we had a conversation about what it meant [I googled that shit to make sure I was right ;)].

Friday night...

Ronald is doing some sort of hack-a-thon thing this weekend, so tonight and most of tomorrow I'm flying solo.  Today, I volunteered signing people in for the Color Run that's happening tomorrow, and I have a few plans for tomorrow.

But here I sit at 8pm on a Friday night, and have been avoiding things on my to-do list [ie: catching up on Greys, and Scandal].  I have things like finish editing a wedding, and clean some dishes, clean the house.

So, while I was trying to give myself a pep talk, "you can do it, you need to do it", I also happened to be gazing into the refrigerator, and added, "you can have a glass of margarita while you edit!"... and suddenly there was much much more motivation to work on this Friday night.

Here's hoping your Friday night is more exciting than mine!

-mrp-

guns and babies

I was in speech and debate in high school, and one of the things Mr. G always reminded us was to try to work in babies, or people dying... the best of course being babies dying.  Winners win with dead baby facts.

Only somewhat related, I often come across some gun/weapon/freedom-to-bear arms clip-art share with a gazillion likes on facebook..... and am always caught off guard when I look to see who posted it [mostly to roll my eyes towards*], and find myself shaking my head.  Inevitably it is the same person who three posts prior shared with the facebook world some alien baby photo** with a pro-life slogan plastered across in big bold letters.

And the thing I just can't wrap my head around, is the notion that babies are innocent, and free from sin and should have a chance in this seriously messed up and broken world to live, BUT if you are a thief, or a gang-banger, or a general bad-decision maker, you shouldn't get that same chance.  Nope, you should probably get shot with my gun.

I guess I also sort of get stuck on the nature versus nurture thing too.  Because if you believe an individual is a bad person/criminal/asshole by nature, then you believe when they were in their mothers belly, they were also bad then.  If you believe an individual is a bad/person/criminal/no-gooder by nurture, then shouldn't you also believe said no-gooder might have a chance to change and become better, since her nasty ways were learned behaviors?

Anyway, I know people don't agree on this, and probably never will.  And I get that.  But it does bother me.  Especially when it's other Christians, and they are spewing hate instead of love.  I really think if Jesus where here now, he wouldn't have time for a facebook account, but if he did, it'd be to encourage people and love people.  Did he speak truth to people?  Absolutely.  But did he slam it in their faces with disturbing photographs?  No way.  He loved.  He forgave.  And then he helped guide our poor broken human-kind to be a bit better than we were before we met him.

-mrp-

*if there was an emoticon for this, I would want to use it all the time.
**To clarify: I think we should have the right to bear arms.  Totally.  I also think there should be limits and restrictions on how fast those arms we're bearing can kill a multitude of people.  I don't see anything wrong with having those rules.  This is why fireworks are okay, but bombs are not.  I also, am against abortions.  But, I am pro-choice.  Confusing I know... I think it probably has something to do with my idea's about the division of church and state.

#5/30

Last Saturday Ronald and I went to a couple wineries with Meg's and Cam for a picnic which was lovely... then, Ronald and I went to the dollar theater, where I switched my normal low-ish pony tail to a side pony... and then sort of liked the result, so decided to play around a bit with my new camera and a sweet lens...

Which brings us to #5/30 [which some of you might have already seen on fb... I like it a lot... and I REALLY like how my profile page looks together now :).  The blue paint peeling wall behind as my banner, and then the sharp black and white portrait in front... it's totally my style, so I believe it will probably stay that way for a while :).

extreme...

Working with 4th and 5th graders part time [in the mornings as a teachers aid], creates extreme polar's for me... today that polar was, "I never want to have kids, they are exhausting".

whew.

I had a kiddo today break down because life was too tough, and his mom requires too much from him.... I might have told him he was acting like the victim and that he was NOT a victim.

He doesn't seem to get that the choices HE makes have consequences.  It's not her fault he didn't get an A on the spelling test, or that he didn't finish his homework... [sigh]... sheesh.

On the other hand, parents that aren't involved also need to step up, especially the first few weeks of school as kids are developing habits.

-mrp-

Back in School...

So, I've found myself officially back in school.  Okay, that doesn't exactly mean what it says there :).  As part of our pay-off-the-damn-debt-plan, I've taken on a few extra jobs recently.

This summer, as most of you know, I have been working in the box office at The Cove, the baseball park here in town, selling tickets for a couple hours most games.  Which has been great, and fun, and well... just cool to say that I worked in baseball for a summer.  Will I do it again next year?  Ya, Ronald and I haven't talked about it, but probably.

In addition to that, I've also started being a teachers assistant at a local Christian school... hence the 'finding myself back in school' part.

All that to say, I'm now back in the realm of kids, and listening to them talk.  This year it's 4th and 5th graders, which is quite different from my normal 4 and 5 year old's, but still sort of cool.

So I thought I'd share.  Last Friday, they were talking about what their parents do for a living [to fully understand the word "livelihood"].  And most of them were like, "my dad does this", or "my dad does that", but then there were two kids [one boy and one girl], and the one said, "My dad works at Notre Dame and my mom is an exterminator"... the other said, "My mom fixes computers"....

...

And I wanted to high five both those awesome momma's.  First, for showing their kids that if they want, they can be more than a stay-at-home parent.  And then also, for pushing into a career role mostly set aside for men.  Rock on ladies.  I think it's awesome.  Breaking the gender barriers.

-mrp-

them jeans...

Today I slipped [okay, this is not the right verb; it was more like, 'squirmed my way into'], a pair of jeans I hadn't put on for probably a year or so.

And the experience made it clear that one of two things are true.

1. I used to wear jeans MUCH tighter than I currently do.

or

2.  Hip's don't lie... or the thighs, or the calf's for that matter.

Meh.

I don't actually care too much EXCEPT for the difficulty it takes to get in the damn things.

-mrp-

“The miracle isn't that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.” ― John Bingham

So I have some updates!

1. last year around this time, I started running [remember this?].  I remember being really excited about running a full mile without stopping [I texted Ronald when it happened :) and then blogged about it later HERE].

UPDATE -> I'm still running.  Not as often as I was when I was getting ready for the Color Run, but probably once a week at least [I mix in yoga, since there is free yoga Monday, Wednesday and Fridays in the park nearby].  Ronald, Keira and I ran the 5K at the Sunburst, which is a local run from downtown South Bend, to Notre Dame University Football Stadium on June 1st.  And, although I didn't keep up with either of the other two, I'm happy to announce that I didn't stop/walk at all either :).  My official stats are as follows:
Overall Place: 1796 of 3256
Gender Place: 735 of 1749
Female 25-29: 89 of 220
Total Time: 33:32:79
Total Pace: 10:30/M

2. last year also around this time, I was talking about how we paid off the car!

UPDATE -> We've now officially paid off our line of credit!  Hooray! Now onto saving, before paying off school loans :).

3. a few months ago, I talked about goals, and new patterns, etc. [HERE].

UPDATE -> Turns out 3 things each day is sort of hard.  I've since switched to do yearly things.  This year it will be reading the bible, since that's the one that I've continued to do, in a somewhat consistent way [I'm only 2 days behind now, and since the old testament part has been reading names/daddies/mothers/etc in Hosea, I should be able to catch up today or tomorrow (uhm, ya 'cause I don't actually read all the names, that just seems silly to me)].  Next year perhaps I'll do the German for a year and see what I can learn :).

ALL TOGETHER:

It's sometimes fun to see where you were a year ago and where you are now.  On a recent run with Ronald, he asked what I felt was different last year (when I was rejoicing over running a full mile without stopping), and this year, although sometimes I have to stop, I know I CAN keep going for 3 miles.  After thinking about it a bit, I answered with I thought my mind was stronger.... and my lungs.  I didn't think I would actually die/pass out now.... [okay, some days I still do, but whatever].

In comparing the debt list, while we still have a lot of debt to pay off, it's sort of awesome to see what all we've paid off so far [we've paid off a total of $19,000 in 2.5 years].  And to know that more opportunities will be open in the future.  If we paid that much off in two and a half years, in a few years we could be traveling the world without using a credit card.  Which is definitely a goal of mine.

Bible reading.  I'm almost half way through [since I started in March].  Which is pretty great.  Since I've never read the entire bible before, I keep coming across things that are cool/crazy [yeah, and definitely some things that pastors leave out of Sunday morning sermons].  And I think I'm getting a better understanding of history versus now.  People on the internet are always like, "What's this world coming to that this is happening"... and sometimes, depending on what "this" is, I think to myself, "actually, crazy shit has been happening for centuries. you think it's crazy that there's this dude eating someone else zombie style on the side of the road (and it is, totally), but have you read the part in the bible where the two women agree to eat their kids to survive?!?" [they were in the middle of a famine, you can read it HERE].

In any case.  There you have it, my updates.  And now I've got to get back to my job and edit some more wedding photos :).  Wedding down in Indy this weekend!

-mrp-

#4/30

It's been a while, sorry about that... summer = fun stuff = not a lot of extra time = more photography!.. [well, the paid photography that is :)].

So here's numero cuatro: