2K11 Recap

If you've followed my blog since the very beginning, then you know that this post is the third annual year recap post. It's a time for me to reflect on the previous year and embrace the new one. Wow, was 2011 eventful!!

January 2011
A beautiful baby girl was born.
I found out I achieved "Certified Health Education Specialist" status based on the exam I took the previous fall.
I interviewed for a phenomenal Health Educator position at HMR and a promising Administrative Specialist position for a living community at UNT.
Wedding planning was in full swing; we picked out first dance song, selected my wedding ring, joined bank accounts, and started our invitations.
A sudden and unexpected death of an acquaintance shook the heart of a dear friend of mine.

February 2011
More wedding planning: attire for the men, booked hotel for wedding night, met with the ballpark, started counseling, selected a cake topper and signed the cake contract.
I had the flu, which put me out of commission for quite some time.
One of the biggest snow/ice events ever rocked the area.
I lost out on both of my promising job prospects. At this point I realized I needed to start looking for something to pay the bills until I could find my "dream" job.

March 2011
I was blessed with a generous and beautiful bridal shower.
Our church cancelled on us with 3 months to spare. Panic mode ensued.
We found a new and improved church that we ended up loving more than the first.
We had to redo major parts of our invitations.
I got my passport.
I started working at Pluckers as a hostess.
We signed the lease on our apartment.

April 2011
Wedding planning really started to get crazy: ordered send-off items, sent out invitations, had my bridal portraits taken, and started boot camp to get rid of my excess weight.
I broke down at Pluckers and mom got me a new job at the bank - a position that would more-than pay the bills, let me have time off for the wedding, and transition me into the full-time working world.

May 2011
We moved into our first home!
Wedding planning exploded. Pretty much, we finished everything else on our list that month - and that's almost all we did that whole month.
I interviewed for (and did not get) an exciting position as a high school college advisor.

June 2011
We got married and went on an unforgettable honeymoon!

July 2011
Murphy Long, the adorable Border Collie, came into our lives.
Our lives really started slowing down in the wake of the previous six months - which was welcome with open arms.
Phillip turned 23!

August 2011
Phillip got his internship with FC Dallas!
I really started getting jaded from working at the bank and job hunting.

September 2011
I caught up to Phillip's age with my 22nd birthday.
I started applying to graduate school at Texas Wesleyan.

October 2011
Tiffany and Adrian got engaged! We started planning our great Cabo trip that will take place in July!
I finished applying to graduate school and started waiting for the results.

November 2011
I had not one but TWO job interviews - one in Kingman, AZ, and the other a position I could work from up here.
We traveled to Kingman, Arizona. The job was a good one, but the area not-so-much. It was a growth opportunity for us to consider.

December 2011
We celebrated our first Christmas together.
I bought a new car.
I turned down the Arizona position.
I accepted the position with Cypress ECG! Big girl dream job I have been wanting for quite some time!
Phillip graduated from UTA.


What a crazy 2011 with so many ups and not too many downs. Overall, everything worked out so well. I am so blessed. I'm a little fearful of what 2012 will bring, simply because 2011 was so good to me! It'll be a year for the record books, and hopefully the coming year will be a great one too.

Happy New Year!!!

I Got a New Car!!!

This was my present to myself from Phillip and me. Brand new 2011 Mazda Cx7. We got a great deal and did it all on our own. Now I have a fancy car to load tons of miles on when I drive all over the state of Texas for work. Hooray!

Reflection on a Merry LONG Christmas

We had a wonderful first Christmas - and we're still going!

Heather and her new boyfriend Kevin came in town Friday. We spent the day hanging out and being lazy. Saturday was with the Longs and Black for their Christmas celebration. Saturday night we had to ourselves. Sunday morning I made a yummy breakfast for just the two of us and we opened gifts. Then all day Sunday was spent with my family. Samantha and her little family came too!

Today was gingerbread house contest with my side of the family and spending time with friends.

I have loved our first Christmas. It was perfect for us and we had the perfect blend of family/friend time and us time. Opening gifts together and making new traditions was the highlight.

Loving life and loving those I have surrounded myself with.

Here I Sit

Typing out a new blog entry on my new MacBook Pro. Work bought it for me. Snazzy, no?

I have no clue what I'm doing on this thing, but I'm certain I will figure a lot of it out (with Phillip's help of course) by the time my training starts. I only have like 2 weeks to master this. Totally doable, right? We'll see. This thing is complicated.

Thank goodness for compatible wireless mouse attachments. This keypad is so complicated and every time I try to use it, something disappears or magnifies to take over the entire screen or somehow turns into a photo/video of yours truly. To say I am lost is an understatement at the moment.

But fear not bloggers, I will figure it all out - even if I have to get the Mac for Dummies book somewhere.

The Graduate

I sit here at my computer on a Sunday night. I went Christmas shopping and tonight I got to wrap a few of the gifts I’m giving Phillip. I still want to buy a few more things but only have a week to do so. I can’t believe our first Christmas is fast approaching.

It seems like a lifetime since the last time I wrote about my graduation – and other times it seems like seconds. It’s weird how time feels. It drags and flashes all at once. This year, especially, has felt that way.

Tonight my darling husband graduated from UTA. It’s been quite the trip for him. Starting at Mizzou and finishing at UTA. What a journey. I can’t believe we’re both finished and ready to move into the grown-up world. In the past year, we have both graduated and gotten married. So mature. So grown up. And yet, we still feel so young with the whole world ahead of us.

This time of year always makes me feel this way. I’m caught between the nostalgia of the previous year and the hope for the future year. I love spending time with the family and yet yearn for those moments to be alone and reflect on my own thoughts. A contradiction, I know. And trust me, I realize this post is making absolutely no sense at all.

Watching Phillip graduate made me think of all that we have gone through. Our relationship has always prided itself in allowing each other to pursue our dreams with no limitations or regrets. The biggest obstacle (yet biggest contributing factor)  in our relationship has ended – college. We did it!

When others said relationships couldn’t stand the test of time – we proved them wrong. When others said distance would be the death of us – we proved them wrong. When others said being a married student would end in failure – we proved them wrong. We proved them wrong every time and we still are.

But with our biggest challenge out of the way, we are now embarking on a relaxing time in our marriage – one focused on each other and our careers. Gone are the big challenges, and left are the small day-to-day challenges that strengthen our resolve and transition us into a stronger love. It’s kind of exciting.

Time for me to head off to bed. I swear, my mind is racing these days with so many thoughts and ideas. It’s hard to sleep at night. But until next time…

The End of An Era

Tomorrow is my last day of work at the bank. Who knew I’d be so excited about being let go from a position? Weird. I remember a month ago when they told us this day was coming, I thought things were going to be sad about this time. I’d have no job and be completely lost and worried – hence the sudden push for job searching that led to two offers. But anyway….

I’m excited and ready to move on. Talking with my new boss has made me even more excited and I’m ready to jump into this head-first. So many perks. So many rewards – especially the ones you can’t put a price on. So many great ways to change lives.

Can you tell I’m really loving this new job even before it has started?

P.S. Phillip graduates on Sunday. Yay!! This day has been years in the making and I can’t wait to see him walk across the stage and get his diploma. We have both worked really hard to make sure our relationship and our college plans can coexist. It’s good to know we’ve both made it. :)

One Year in the Making

That's right guys. For the post you have all been waiting for (besides the proposal and wedding posts)....

I HAVE A JOB!!!!

They formally offered me the position and I will start in January!!!! I get to work from home and make a difference in so many lives. Who could ask for more!?!?

I will be coordinating low cost EKG screening events for high school athletes!! How fun and exciting! It's the PERFECT combination of my health passion, student affairs experience, and allied health background.

Thank you for supporting me so much. It's been a really rough year in the job hunting world. I've paid the piper. I now get to bask in the happiness of a new job for the new year.

Too excited!!!!

When It Rains

It has rained every day of December up here - and has been steady rain for the past three days. I love it! The cold and wind are finally here an I'm really getting in the spirit of the holidays.

However, the rain has brought with it some unfortunate events.

1) Our roof is leaking. Tell me how exciting that is. It's a slow and steady leak and they should finally be fixing it today once the rain stops. Then will come the wall and ceiling repairs. I hope it's done soon. Thankfully there is no carpet damage and we moved our stuff before it got worse.

2) My car got hit face-on and the culprit left without so much as a sorry. Yep. A hit and run. Luckily it was all cosmetic but I'm on a mission to find out who did this. I don't want to have to pay a dime for the necessary repairs. (p.s. does this mean I need a new car even more!?!?)

So merry first Christmas to us so far. Hopefully the remaining memories will be good ones. At least we know our first one will be memorable.

King of Hearts

Phillip had chest pains today – well, as he says it is “chest tightness”. Whatever you call it, it made me very scared today.

Years ago, in high school, he was having an irregular heart beat. After begging him to go see a cardiologist, he did. He saw a pediatric cardiologist who proved to be of no use. Basically they said they didn’t observe anything abnormal and stopped seeing him. Pretty useless, huh?

So today his pains required him to get immediate attention. Instead of opting for the emergency room, I made a phone call to a close family friend who is a cardiac nurse and she was able to arrange for an appointment that second! She was such a lifesaver!!!

The cardiologist ran an EKG and found it to be normal. So the chest pains are nothing to worry about right this minute. However, records will be sent from the previous doctors, and more tests will be run to see if we can get to the bottom of this.

Side note: The pediatric cardiologist did suggest Phillip shouldn’t take any medications with decongestant in them. Phillip followed the advice thought he was skeptical. The other night when we were both feeling under the weather (see previous post), I gave him some of my over the counter meds to help… not even realizing there was DECONGESTANT in it! In a nutshell, I unintentionally poisoned my husband. Not a moment I’m proud of. That probably set all of this off.

At least he has a good cardiologist now to see that this doesn’t happen again.

That’s all I have for tonight.

P.S. Due to the immense response from my attempt to change my privacy settings and Blogger’s extremely inconvenient privacy settings, I have decided to leave my blog public. It’s just too complicated otherwise, and my background gets all messed up, and I don’t want you guys to all have to sign up for a blogger account. Just a mess. So ignore the emails that were automatically sent out to you. I’m keeping it public! Resume normal viewing activity. :)

The Longs Are Officially Sick

Sorry I have been rather absent in the past week or so. I have been sick - and still am!

The coughs, sinus headaches, congestion, sore throat, swollen lymph nodes, slight fever, sneezing, and just plain not feeling good have gotten the best of me.

Poor Phillip has braved this with me - only to find himself feeling a little bad starting this afternoon. Are we embarking on our first co-sick season? He NEVER gets sick. But leave it to me to test his limits. Poor guy had to stay up the whole night with me last night with my hourly coughing spells. Am I to return the favor soon?

Getting better every day but feeling like this is dragging on...

Growth, Opportunity, Love, Friendship, and Change

Today is a day celebrated across the country. Happy thanksgiving!!!

I live this holiday for many reasons. It's a time for family and reflection. It's when everyone across the country celebrates together with the same traditions (combine with the flare of their unique interpretations). I get to spend time with my loved ones and be thankful for all I have.

I am thankful for: growth, opportunity, love, friendship, and change.

Kingman is in the Past

EPCA told me today I was their top candidate for the position in Kingman. It was great to feel wanted.

And weird to turn them down.

Yes you read right. I have been painfully job searching for over a year now and have turned down a job. Who am I!?

We said no for many reasons. The job wasn't 100% what I had hoped for. There was a whole lot of travel required. Phillip would have hardly any opportunities. It is simply too far away.

Thank you for being so loyal to me throughout these passed couple weeks. It's been an interesting ride and I'm glad to have some of my future settled and less uncertain.

P.S. please continue emailing me if you want to keep following me. I'm going to change the settings December 1st.

Privacy Settings Change

After over 500 blog posts through this “open” website, I have decided to break down and make this blog more private. It will give me a chance to be more honest with you readers and have more freedom of expression.

All you need to do is send my an email to the following address. Let me know what email address you would like to use to read the entries, and I will “invite” you to continue to follow me.

ashleylong@swbell.net

Please everyone feel free to email me. I would love for any/all of you to keep up to date with our lives as newlyweds. Hope to hear from all of you soon!

Ashley (and Phillip and Murphy)

Home is Where Your Heart Is

You know that feeling you get when you have made a big decision? One that will change your path in life? It's relief mixed with sadness, anxiety, and excitement.

As I look out the window here in Kingman, those feelings surface.

We will not be moving here.

The reasons include a lot of things. The job doesn't seem like a great fit for me - a grueling interview felt more like an intervention than welcome committee. We can't justify moving this far from family. The town doesn't have enough to offer.

It's beautiful out here though. Life is simple and clean. There is definitely something refreshing about that. Makes you wish you could live your life like all the residents here do - one minute at a time.

But we will not be moving here. Pending details after thanksgiving, I will accept that new job and begin a new chapter. I will have to turn down the graduate program I was accepted into in order to pursue another direction with graduate school. We will leave behind the adventure of moving 1000 miles away in favor of happiness and love for the area we grew up in... The area we love... Home.

So that's the update folks. A long and crazy November came in like a lion and will go out like a lamb. I'm ok with this. I feel like we have made great progress as professionals and as a couple making big decisions on our own.

Thank you all for your continued support. :)

Updates from Kingman, Arizona

We just got checked in to our hotel in the city. Pretty soon we're heading out to explore the town. Tonight we're even going to try the wine bar. Sounds cultural, no?

For those of you wondering, the flight went well. I dosed up on Benadryl to help with the anxiety and it made the trip so much faster. Now I can breath until Saturday's flight home.

Today in Vegas was certainly interesting. The city is not at all like I had expected - although it WAS a week day morning. However, we ate at Bobby Flay's restaurant in Cesar's Palace and it was WONDERFUL!!

But back to my big update....


I'M PRETTY SURE I GOT AN UNOFFICIAL JOB OFFER YESTERDAY!!!

Yes you read right!! The Houston-based company said I'm their top candidate and we will meet after Thanksgiving to discuss details/questions/concerns. Isn't that so exciting!?!?!?

Now to wow the Arizona people tomorrow. It would be nice to have TWO offers after a cold year in the job hunting world.

Seasons of Change

Do you ever get the feeling that your life is about to take off but you're not sure how or precisely when? Yeah. I'm there.

With the interview in Arizona this week, results from last week's interview coming any day now, and my recent acceptance to grad school (yay!), I am thoroughly confused and not quite sure what direction my compass needs to be set to.

Yes, you read right. I got into Texas Wesleyan's Masters of Education program!! I am truly excited about it, but it is overshadowed by not knowing if I will accept it or not (it depends on what these interviews result in). I am one confused girl these days.

I've spent a lot of time lately talking with Phillip, family, and my closest friends about these prospects. Their responses have been perfect. I'm getting unbelievable support and genuine advice. Times like these make you realize who your true friends are and I am so grateful to have them - especially during the excitement, occasional freak outs, and constant uncertainty.

My life is moving forward and is about to go at a fast pace. Ready or not, I am growing every day and taking so much with me. Hang on for the ride, readers, because things are about to get interesting.

True Life: I Married a Full Time Student

So tonight, we got another small reminder that Phillip is still in school. You see, I love coming home and not having anything to do but “fun” stuff. Like tonight, we went grocery shopping.

But then we get home and Phillip realizes he has some homework to take care of. Homework!? Really!?

Oh yeah. I married a full time student.

But that will change in one month. He is graduating!! Then we’ll be able to have all nights to ourselves with no cares in the world. After all, that’s how the real world works, right? [Insert laughter from all of your readers out there.]

Now, we wait up for him to finish so we can go to bed. Yeah. I could go to bed already by myself, but I really have gotten used to sharing a bed. It gets lonely when he’s not there.

Another Phone Interview!

I have another one tomorrow morning! Isn’t that crazy!?

It’s for a position with a non-profit organization that tries to reduce the instance of heart-related deaths in Texas high school athletes. It seems like a really good position for an organization that has its priorities straight.

We’ll see how it goes. Our flights have been booked to Las Vegas/Arizona. Graduate school materials have all been received and should be evaluated this week.

Basically, in the coming weeks, our lives might change drastically. Hold on to your socks, readers, we are in for an adventure!

The Grand Canyon State

This may come as a huge shock to all of you readers who have been following this through-and-through Texan… but I applied for a job in Arizona.

ARIZONA!

I randomly applied for it, thinking there would be no way in this world they would even schedule an interview. But they are the ones I interviewed with the other day.

Phillip and I are flying in to Las Vegas November 17, I will interview on November 18, and we will return November 19. It’s all happening so quickly.

The position is a “Health and Wellness Program Coordinator” for an insurance consulting company. It sounds like a lot of fun and I am so excited to learn more about the position and company. We’ll see. It may be a new adventure for us, or it may be an excellent learning opportunity.

Knowing my luck, they’ll probably turn me down anyway. But I’ll keep you posted.

Clarification/Update

So the last post was semi-misleading. The company I interviewed with didn't verbatim tell me I didn't get the job... I just assumed because they gave me the same speech the ones in the past have...

And on that note....

I HAVE A SECOND INTERVIEW!!! More details to come!!!

One Year Ago Today

One year ago today, I interviewed for a great job. It was the Health Educator position for SMU. I studied so hard for that, finished writing my Grant Proposal for class earlier than it was due, bought a new dress suit, and practiced what I would say. It was my first big interview for a dream job. I met the qualifications – and even some on the “preferred” list. The interview went really well.

Then I found out I didn’t get the job.

One year ago today, I was on a high from the idea of working in a great environment for an organization I could be truly passionate about – and fulfilled by. A great first interview for my first “big girl” job.

Then I found out I didn’t get the job.

One year ago, I made the mistake of getting excited over a simple interview. I thought it actually meant something – I thought it meant I had a chance. Interviews mean they’re considering you, right? Interviews mean you really are a good candidate for the position.

Then I found out I didn’t get the job.

 

 

I can pretty much use this post for every really good job I have gotten an interview for.

Today I interviewed for another position. I was revitalized by the idea of living in a new area and working for a job I could wake up passionately about. The phone interview went so well, until he got the part about me having no experience. They always say the same thing. Always. I am great at interviewing, would be a perfect fit for the company, have incredible passion, but lack enough experience to work for them. And they always add that someone will give me a chance one day – it just isn’t going to be me.

Oh well. Another one bites the dust and I can’t say I didn’t see it coming. I know I know I know. There is a plan for me, eventually I’ll get a great job better than this one ever could have been, the right company will give me a chance, and blah blah blah blah blah. Until then I will sulk in the fact that I spent a lot of money on an education that is currently getting me nowhere.

What, is this 4 great jobs now that I’ve had interviews for that haven’t hired me? Add it to my tally list.

Update on LOS CABOS!!

It looks like the whole family is making it happen! We’re going to Los Cabos, Mexico together to see Tiffany and Adrian get married! We are SO excited!

I love my family so much, and lately I’m becoming more and more grateful for them. It’s nice when you grow up and actually get to hang out with your family – and like them! I am very excited about having a whole week of time with them on the beach with complimentary drinks everywhere you turn.

Not to mention, we get to see Tiffany get married. We have wanted this for her for so long and it’s actually happening. Hearing her talk about the details this past weekend made me look forward to the trip even more and made me realize that she gets to marry the love of her life in an incredible place in front of everyone they love. How can you not get all gushy over that!?

We’re all talking to the travel agent now and thinking through all of the different options and prices. It’ll be pricey up front, but in the long run it’s not that expensive. We’ll look back on this week for years to come and fondly remember the wonderful trip to a wonderful place with wonderful people for a wonderful reason. :)

Perspective

That's what life is all about. I've lived by that motto for a whole now.

In life, you can't control much. Things are said. Things aren't. Things are done. Things aren't. It happens. All you can do is roll with it.

Lately this has been my lesson. My grandmother always sings "Que Sera" and it truly is a song to take to heart. What will be will be.

I don't know what the future holds. I don't even quite know what the present is doing at the moment. All I know is the following:

I am not shutting any doors.
I am tired of sweating the small stuff.
The best things in life require minimal work.
My family is beyond incredible and surprises me every day.
I am stronger than I think.
I always have my best interest at heart, which is what matters.

At the end of the day, I am surrounded by my family and friends that care so much about me. They are what matter. Everything else will fall into place.



Que sera sera
Whatever will be will be
The future's not ours to see
What will be will be

Eureka!

I finally got the app on my phone to work again (after many failed attempts) so I can get back to flooding the blogosphere. Thank you iOS 5! The main reason I haven't blogged as much lately is due to me never having my laptop in front of me anymore. This must mean I need an iPad.... Or at least this app working...

I sat in on a graduate school class this morning and have fallen in love. I have missed the challenge, the collegiate atmosphere, being around critical thinking conversations, and (dare I say it) studying. I need goals and tasks. That's what I've been missing at my current job.

So hopefully I will be accepted and start in the spring. I really think this is a solid opportunity and one I've been needing for a year now. Thank you Lord!!

Samantha gets in town today so the rest of my afternoon will consist of wine tasting in grapevine, pedicures, and maybe some shopping. Tonight is Bonnie's birthday shindig so we're off to downtown Fort Worth.

P.S. We're heading to Cabo June 30th to celebrate Tiffany and Adrian's wedding (and our wedding anniversary and Phillip's birthday) for an entire week!! Get excited because we sure are!! (and if you know me, you know how I like to plan and look forward to things so woohoo even more!)

Rainy Sundays

I love days like today. Mornings like this morning. Weekends like this weekend. You get the point.

It started raining last night right after dinner and has been raining ever since – and will continue well into tonight. Crazy for Texas, right!? Not to mention, the high temperature is in the 70s!! Does this mean fall and winter are finally making an appearance!?

This morning, as I drink my second cup of coffee and watch the rain outside while spending time with my little family (Phillip and Murphy), I am really thinking about how much I am loving life right now.

There are some great possibilities on the horizon. Some I can share, and some will have to wait to see if they pan out.

Tiffany and Adrian are engaged and having their wedding this next summer in Cabo!! That means we get a wonderful belated anniversary/Phillip’s birthday celebration in another country. Can you believe it!? We will have to save up, but it will be so worth it. I can’t wait!

I have officially finished my application for graduate school. I went to the wonderful open house yesterday and got so much information from them. This is really looking like a promising option. As soon as my last couple of recommendation letters are received, they will process my application and let me know. I’m trying not to get too excited since I’ve been let down so much in the past year, but this might really happen. I might actually achieve my short-term goal of becoming a college professor and be closer to my long-term goal of becoming a health professor with a doctoral degree.

Job hunting is still going. With the latest development of the grad school possibility, I’m beginning to look hard at temp positions instead of dream jobs. I just need a full-time income to get me through school. My dream job can wait. I’ve waited for a year so far, so what’s another two years. Of course all of this could change if I don’t get accepted into grad school. We’ll see.

In addition to these developments in my job and school areas, I am looking seriously at volunteer positions in health education. If I can’t get paid, at least I can brush up on my health skills and make a difference in the community. Not to mention, with the thought of not being able to get back into the professional health world for a few years, it would be nice to stay current. I’ll keep you posted on these exciting opportunities I’m researching.

So many open doors and different paths to go down. This is an exciting time to see where my life is heading. Take it from someone who has been stagnate for so long, this is so refreshing to have possibilities back in my life.

Open House

I’m ready. Today is a big day. I was invited to an Open House for Texas Wesleyan’s graduate admissions office. It’s for the Masters of Education program I am applying to. I will get to mix and mingle with admissions, financial aid, and current students/faculty. This is a huge opportunity for me to plead my case even more.

My application is only waiting for a few more sentences on my essay (need to make it perfect) and a couple of recommendation letters. That’s all! Then I will have officially applied and the decision will be in their hands.

I have my questions ready. I’ve read all I can online about the program so I’m ready to have some discussions. I looked up directions and found the building on the campus map. Now I just need to get ready, eat lunch, and go.

Big day. Pray I impress them. I really want to be accepted into this program.

Fall is in Full Swing

Here at the Long apartment, it is starting to look and smell festive! We have a couple of candles, the beginnings of some fall-themed decor , and I am about to dive into some great fall cooking.

As you can imagine, this is my favorite time of year. Between now and New Years, I get to decorate and cook to my heart’s content! I get to try so many new recipes and get to spend so much time with loved ones. This is also my first “real” holiday season at home. No moving. Full on decorating. No packing to drive home. This is it.

I am in love with this thought. I am in love with this season. It is, afterall, the most wonderful time of the year.

P.S. Happy one year anniversary to my sister and brother-in-law. Can’t believe it’s already been a year. Time sure has flown!

Rounding out a Great Weekend

Today is the last day of my birthday extravaganza. I’m kind of sad that tomorrow it’s back to the real world. Back to work. Back to laundry. Back to cleaning.

But for today, I’m going to enjoy a lazy day. Did some shopping yesterday and bought our first round of fall decorations – a centerpiece, some bowl filler, and an iron wreath for the door. This is in addition to our monogrammed pumpkin Phillip’s mom gave us. Later I might go try to find some small inexpensive decorations to round out our first Halloween/Thanksgiving collection.

It’s time to start thinking about fall baking. I make a fantastic made-from-scratch pumpkin cheese cake and my pumpkin bread pudding is to die for as well. This year I might crack into some new recipes that Phillip might even like. Although I wouldn’t get your hopes up. He’s kind of a picky eater.

HAPPY FALL!!

Happy Birthday To Me!

This has been by far the best birthday I have ever had. And the best part is that I have another two days to continue celebrating!

Wednesday night I got to relax with episodes of Felicity (old school, I know… but I’m watching it for the first time and can really identify with a lot that the characters are going through. I’m really enjoying it!) and a perfect bubble bath. Phillip came home late so I got to hang out with Murphy before heading to bed to sleep in yesterday.

Yesterday was a perfect day. I got to sleep in, for one, since I took yesterday and today off from work. I woke up to a dozen roses, a sweet card, and some donuts Phillip had left for me! Too sweet!! I got to enjoy more episodes of Felicity with all of that and two cups of coffee with Biscotti. Hey, don’t judge… it was my birthday!

1:00 was my hour long massage (care/of my mother-in-law). Afterwards was the most ridiculous pedicure I have ever had in my life (complete with hot towels, hot stone massage, and paraffin wax). Then was a hair cut and style from Shelton’s. Can you tell my theme was relaxation and me?

Last night Phillip took me to a surprise dinner at a wonderful little Italian bistro and wine bar in Frisco – Josephine’s. It was delicious and the wine was superb! He did such a great job! We had a “staycation” out there complete with a hotel reservation down the street. My present from him was an iPhone docking station that goes mobile so I can take it in the bathroom when I have baths – so thoughtful. I am too lucky to have him!

Today was some shopping before Phillip made me a wonderful dinner. And now we are going to watch The Timetraveler’s Wife. I suppose I will also test out my new docking station with a bubble bath and glass of wine with a Cosmo magazine. Too perfect. :)

Statement of Purpose

I have written an entry about this before. Remember? The first time I applied for (and got rejected) for graduate school? I didn’t forget….

Right now I sit at the Starbucks down the street from our house. I am trying to finish up the application I reluctantly started a few weeks ago. I say reluctantly because I am reluctant to be rejected again. It’s not a great feeling and I sure have had a lot of it in the past year. But anyway…

I applying to Texas Wesleyan University in Fort Worth. They seem like a really good university and have a masters program for a Masters in Science Education. That’s what I’ve decided I want to do. I want to be a health professor. I think I can make the most of that career and it perfectly blends my love of health information dissemination and student affairs. I think I’d be really good at it and really enjoy it. So here goes nothing!

This statement of purpose is already filled with more heart and more passion than the previous one I wrote. This one sounds more like a blog entry I’d write on here, rather than a resume listing all of my strengths and work experience. That sure says something about this program as opposed to the other one, don’t you think?

I’m putting it all out there and not holding back. I pray my passionate essay is good enough for the admissions office and that they see how badly I want (and need) this.

Turning the Pity Party into the Motivation Party

It has been one awful week, that’s for sure. Actually, it’s been an awful few weeks if you want me to be honest. I’ve been in a funk for quite some time and I’m ready to get out of it.

I am going to start moving forward, starting today. No more wallowing in self-pity. It’s time to fix it and move on. Time to amp up the job hunting more than I ever have. Time to put aside any work drama and do my job to the best of my ability. Time to get out there and find more friends to socialize with. Time to get my grad school application turned in (I wasn’t going to say anything since I’m tired of sharing my loads of rejection with all of you. But nevertheless, I need to tell all of you since you are important parts of my life. I am applying to Texas Wesleyan for a Masters in Science Education so I can become a health professor. Yes. I’ve realized that this might be my real goal in life. I’ll keep you posted as always.). Time to make something out of this big-girl-married-college-graduate thing.

I am exhausted but it’s time to turn that into motivation. Exhausted from trying. Exhausted emotionally. Exhausted from worrying. Exhausted from working so hard to accomplish nothing. But I am turning all of that around. I’m turning exhaustion from trying into fuel to fire my passions. Exhaustion from my emotions and worrying into strength and appreciation for what I do have. Exhaustion from working so hard to remember where I am going.

Please stand by me. This is going to be a bumpy ride. I need friends and family and so much support.

I Promise I Wrote 2 Full Entries…

Before my phone decided it didn’t like my blog username and password and deleted the entries. Hence my lack of writing for nearly ten days.

Basically, I haven’t done too much. I love the patio on the increasingly cool days (yes, guys, Texas is dipping below 100 some days!!) even though we got back up to 107 today.

Puppy day care for Murphy is going so well! He loves it and we love how calm he is during the evenings. Not to mention, this place loves him too. He’s spoiled. Everyone knows it. But we don’t care. We love him and treat him like our first child. Doesn’t every newlywed couple do this?

Phillip’s internship is going well too! He has had an interesting and unconventional first week but tomorrow is his first game and this week has been his first full week. He is definitely loving it and I am definitely loving that he is loving it.

Tonight we visited a new wine bar/bistro here in Bedford. What??? Bedford has class?? We thought the same thing. When we visited, it was a great surprise. The food is semi-pricey like you would expect from a wine establishment and the variety wasn’t all too impressive. But the food was delicious and the wine selection was pretty good. Not too shabby for a local venue!

Also, my birthday planning is already beginning. I am ready for this one to be the best and most relaxing birthday yet. Am I doing anything outlandish or super over the top? Absolutely not. But I am only doing things I want to do. I am taking off Thursday and Friday from work. Thursday I fully plan on sleeping in, having a good breakfast accompanied by a cup of coffee or two or three and laying around the apartment while catching up on the Netflix instant queue. Thursday night, Phillip will be creating a surprise home-cooked meal for me and I can finally watch my birthday present that is currently taunting me on our tv stand since it came in a week early (Time Traveler’s Wife on blue ray… Phillip won’t let me watch it until it’s actually my birthday). Friday will be more of whatever I want to do with sleeping in and breakfast. I might decide to actually get some things done that day but we’ll see. Did I mention that Murphy will be going to day care both days so I will have the entire place to myself with no responsibilities!? This might get out of hand with the amount of freedom I will have. That weekend we don’t have huge plans or anything but I’m leaving it open for anyone that wants to do anything. I will still be celebrating all weekend, but it’ll be more of the spontaneous it’s-my-birthday-weekend activities. I’ll let you know what that means when I know.

Alright, back to job hunting (more intense now since I’m about ready to move on from the bank) before an early night to bed. I need my rest if I have any hope of making it through the rest of this week.

Five Hundred

Happy 500th post!!

I can’t believe we’re already up to that large of a number. Can you believe it!? It seems like just yesterday I was starting this thing up.

My posts have changed so much over time and I think you will agree. From being in a relationship to being engaged to, now, being married with our first puppy. It’s crazy how much our lives have changed in 500 blog posts.

Here are some of my favorite (and most memorable) posts:

"The Story of Us" February 3, 2009 (First Post!)

"I Said YES" September 14, 2009 (The Post After Phillip Proposed)

"Success!" January 7, 2010 (Officially Booked the Ballpark)

"News! :D" January 21, 2010 (I Found Out I Was Graduating Early)

"So Loved" April 25, 2010 (Engagement Party Recap)

"THE Dress" July 17, 2010 (I Found My Wedding Dress)

"Engagement Pictures!!!" September 1, 2010

"And NOW, For The Moment We've All Been Waiting For..." September 15, 2010 (We Found Out Our Wedding Date!!!!)

"Does It Have to End?" September 19, 2010 (I Got my Aggie Ring!!!)

"Honeymoon!" September 20, 2010 (We Booked our Cruise!)

"Beautiful Wedding" October 3, 2010 (Samantha and Gary Got Married)

"Decisions, Decisions, Decisions" October 15, 2010 (I Decided My Future Career)

"Mission Bridesmaid Dresses: COMPLETE" October 25, 2010

"Back in Bedford" December 19, 2010 (The Long-Distance Relationship Was Officially Over)

"The World Has a New Princess!" January 19, 2011 (Jaquelyn Maria Regalado Was Born!)

"Hate Mail" March 8, 2011 (The Day Our Church Cancelled On Us - 3 Months Before the Wedding)

"Bridal Shower Pictures" March 28, 2011

"The Long Apartment" May 21, 2011

"Twas the Night Before Wedding" June 10, 2011

"Honeymoon Breakdown" June 20, 2011

"We Got a Puppy!!!" July 29, 2011 (Welcome, Murphy!)

Economic Depression

So lately I have been in quite the funk. Well, that kind of puts it mildly. Basically, I’m going crazy over here!!

Poor Phillip has gotten the brute of it, but to those of you caught in my line of fire here recently, I do apologize. The fact of the matter is, I am not meaning to be a complete and total nutcase.

I’m beginning to realize that I need a different job. I am so grateful for where I work and the nice paychecks I get. However, I am suddenly feeling like I am wasting my degree away to nothing. I paid too much money for this degree to end up hopping from temp job to temp job for the foreseeable future.

I wake up super early to drive a super long distance for a super irrelevant-to-my-field jobs to drive a super long distance home to have a miniscule amount of time to do things during the week before heading to bed so I can get at least a little sleep before starting the whole routine over again. It is getting so monotonous.

Before the wedding, I was able to focus so much attention on planning and avoid the thoughts I am thinking now. Will I quit this job? No. That’s not an option. I need this job. It’s better than other opportunities available.

So what is my solution? Well, I am stepping up the job hunting even more than I have recently. I am applying to several jobs a day now in hopes of landing something more relevant closer to home.

All I ask of all of you readers is to be patient. I am trying to give myself an attitude adjustment but it’s hard when the majority of your day centers on the one thing that needs the most improvement.

We’ll see how this goes…

Vet Check. Eye Check.

Yesterday we took Murphy to the vet to get his second round of puppy vaccines. Success!! He is all ready to go until we go back in a month for the third round and the rabies vaccine (if we don’t take him sooner). He is now on heartworm prevention and has a Bordatella (kennel cough) vaccine. The vet kept saying he is “absolutely perfect” and “handsome”. Like a spiffy puppy!

Today I missed work because I woke up with excruciating eye pain. Yesterday it was bothering me all day and watering. Last night it got a little pink. This morning I couldn’t open it without being in pain.

Turns out I scratched my iris (the colored part). This is not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s painful and could potentially get worse and/or infected. So I’m just on the lookout for any changes. Plus, I have a cool eye patch on right now and have to go back to the doctor tomorrow morning. Sounds traumatic, doesn’t it? It’s not too bad. Just painful.

FC Dallas!!

Blowing up the bloggosphere this morning. Blame it on the big things that have happened in our lives this week or the fact that I am on my second cup of coffee this morning, but updates are coming!

Phillip was offered an incredible internship this week! I am so proud of him! This is HUGE NEWS!

He will be working for FC Dallas (a major league soccer team up here) starting on September 1st. He will be interning in their digital media department doing basically what he was doing for UTA’s athletic department. This will give him a HUGE resume boost and will hopefully turn into a job in December. Wouldn’t that be awesome!?

He is going to love it and everything that goes with it. He will be on a full-time work schedule with occasional night game commitments. So I get to have him here instead of working nights at CVS! Yeah. Another perk. He gets to quit CVS!

He got an iPad this week to help him with the job and because he wanted one anyway. I think it’ll give him an edge that will impress the team. Again, so hopefully he can get offered a permanent position after school.

Tonight we are going to a game (c/o the department) and get to tour the press box. It’ll be loads of fun and so exciting!

I am way too excited about this opportunity!

Puppy Woahs

Wow. Two entries in a row!? I can’t believe it! [I am even about to post a third one right after this!] There is just too much going on an instead of boring you with a really long entry, I’m going to post a few.

Many of you are probably wondering how our little bundle of joy is doing. Well, we are still trying to break his puppy habits (which is exhausting), but he is doing pretty great! Still as adorable as ever.

1. He knows his name. Well. Kind of. Sometimes I feel like he thinks his name is “NoMurphy” because we get on to him all of the time for chewing on this and playing with that and jumping up on something else. But it’s a victory when you call him and he comes.

2. We have new tricks! We can now shake, fetch just about everything including shoes, and we’re currently working on sit. He has so much energy!

3. House training is progressing with slight regressions here and there. We go days without having accidents in the house, and then we have two nights in a row of crate accidents. It’s a never-ending battle. We have to keep reminding ourselves that he is still a puppy and our victories are outweighing the relapses. The biggest issue we have is cleaning up constantly and giving him a million baths. But at least we have yet to have a #2 accident in the house! (I am currently knocking on wood. And yes, I just went there with that overshare.)

4. Puppy day care is starting in a couple of weeks. Yep everyone, we are spoiling him with this! Judge us all you want, but when living in an apartment and having both of us with full-time responsibilities (again, more to come in the next entry about this one), he needs a place to go during the day. And we need to have him without pent-up energy when we get home at night. We found a place that will do it for really inexpensive!

5. He swims. We have gone to the pool a few times and he loves it. He won’t jump in on his own yet, but he will swim with little assistance and sit on the first step on his own. Hopefully he will be a great water dog!

I think that’s all the updates in the puppy world for now. He requires so much of our attention but we love him more and more each day. And when we have kids one day, they will love him too.

Overtime? Over it.

So sorry bloggers! I feel like every entry I write these days starts with an apology about not posting in a while. I am thinking hopefully this time will truly be the last hiatus from writing.

This week I put in nearly ten hours of overtime at work. That doesn’t seem like a lot, considering my goal was 15 hours, but it was still an exhausting week! I did nothing else but work for hours on end. So glad it’s over.

Why was I working so much, you may ask? Well, for two reasons. One is that work had a deadline and my boss asked for any overtime we could give. Given the awesome employee I am, I took her up on her offer – and it looks like we’ll meet the deadline with lots to spare! The other reason was for spending money for our trip to Austin/New Braunfels next weekend.

That’s right, guys, we’re going to the river!! Friday we will drive down to Austin once I get off work and spend the night there at Heather’s. Then we’ll be driving to New Braunfels the next morning to float the river with Samantha and possible Ryan. We’ll spend the night there, and go shopping at the outlet mall down there on Sunday. So naturally, we need tons of spending money!

Oh and Phillip got an iPad this week! How fancy! More about that in one of my next entries.

So glad next week returns to a normal schedule with a vacation to follow and labor day weekend coming up. A much needed reward for this tough week.

“Friends”

Warning: Vent Session

Lately I have realized that I have less and less in common with my current friends. I don’t know if it’s because I’m married now, have a full time job, or what. But things are starting to become really apparent.

I love friends that want to spend time with me. I am tired of these every-once-in-a-while hangouts where we talk for a couple of hours and then part ways for months on end. I need more than that out of my friendships.

Call me high maintenance, but I would love to have friendships that have weekly hangouts and/or phone calls. Lately I have realized how little my friends care about my every day life. I mean, if I really needed them, they would all be there. But, if I didn’t really need them, they wouldn’t come.

It has really put things into perspective and I have decided that I will be trying to find new friends. I will still keep the old ones, but I need people who actually want to do things besides sit around the house or going out late on week nights. I need some grown-up friends.

2 Months

Tomorrow is our 2 month wedding anniversary.

For those of you old married couples, this seems like a small victory to take lightly. But for us, every day is a celebration! It has been a mere 2 months since the best day of our lives. I still get chills thinking about that day and about the life that we have now.

So much has happened in 2 months and I’m so glad that things are the way they are. I love being married. I love living together. I love getting to make our home into our home and I love raising our puppy. I love getting to see Phillip every single day and getting to sleep in on the weekends together.

I love him and I love being married. Happy 2 months!

Winding Down

Finally, after a couple of weeks of craziness (thanks to a new puppy and having two weekends out of town in a row) things are settling down.

I am so excited to see where this life is heading. I’m already so pleased with where it has already gone. Things are really looking great.

Phillip is closing in on the end of his summer semester – and about to begin his last semester in college! We finally found all of the wedding presents a home and are about to have everything hung on the walls. Murphy is starting to develop quite a nice routine with us. And we are finding time to crack open the cook books and experiment with our new kitchen gadgets.

I am still on the hunt for a job I can be passionate about. This week I will be looking harder than ever. It’s time for me to find something that makes me feel like I haven’t wasted all of my money on an education that leaves me without a related job. Here’s hoping…

Lazy Sunday

Today we officially reclaimed our second bathroom from Murphy. This is no small feat. He stayed there his first night here and has occasionally been fed in there. Basically, it has been puppy-proofed and unusable for the past 5 days in case we’ve needed it. But now that he has a cage and is used to it, we’re taking the training wheels (I mean bathroom) away. This is quite the victory in the Long house.

We are also mastering the art of house training already. Murphy is so smart (living up to his breed’s expectations) and already knows what to do. We don’t have to wait on him. He doesn’t mess around playing instead of doing his business. He’s pretty much great. Although, this being apt to house train faster could be because it is so hot outside and he doesn’t want to be out there longer than he should… but we’re going to keep going with our “he’s so smart” theory.

In other news, not much is going on. I’m still working and Phillip’s still working and going to school. He will definitely be graduating in December! It’ll be nice to have a husband that’s on a more full-time schedule with me so we don’t have to keep missing each other in the evenings. He’ll also be going back to his skimmed down work schedule soon to coincide with his school schedule. It’ll mean a little less money to spend but more time with him. I like that tradeoff.

Oh! And my grandparents on my dad’s side are moving up to Bedford! Isn’t that great!? I’m excited to have them around and in a place they’ll love. I feel like they are going into a super fancy and snazzy retirement community that is all about their residents having fun. They might have such a good time they won’t have time for us.

Tomorrow starts a new work week. And next weekend Samantha’s crew is coming up to celebrate Jeremy’s birthday. I foresee a weekend of sister time and laying out by the pool. Definitely looking forward to it.

I’ll end with pictures of our wonderful addition to our family. He really is a wonderful dog and doing so well as an apartment dog. We love him like a child already and consider him as part of our family. I can’t wait to see how he grows up and to see our future kids love on him. And him being just two days older than our marriage makes him even more special to us.

We Got a Puppy!!!

Murphey is a 7 week old border collie. We got him Wednesday night and our lives have been different ever since.

We weren’t in the market for puppy, really, until Phillip mentioned something Tuesday night. We have always wanted a dog and knew they would play into our life for years to come. Wednesday, however, it all came together too perfectly for us to pass up on him.

He is certainly a challenge already. But man is he fun. And tonight, while Phillip is working, I get to have someone to play with! No more being lonely and bored. I at least I can talk to him. I’ll post pictures asap.

Far Too Long

Oh my goodness. I can’t believe it’s been almost two and a half weeks since my last entry! How lazy am I for not updating!?

Here is the updates in a nutshell…

The wedding was beautiful and had such special touches to it. Congrats to the new Garcias!

The next weekend we spent in Austin with Heather and other friends. It was a blast and served as a much needed vacation for us. We got to see Samantha too! Plus, I got the new iPhone 4! Finally!!!

This past weekend I went to College Station to celebrate Grace’s birthday and to officially move out of the apartment down there. It was bittersweet to leave that place I’ve been staying at for two years. I’m not good at nostalgia, so it also felt really weird.

Things are so busy around here without us really doing much of anything at all. I have been working extremely hard so when I get home, all I want to do is sleep. And as you can see, our weekends have been rather busy as well.

Other random things: We finally finished our thank-yous and they should be in the mail tomorrow! There are so many possibilities for our future floating around and it is so exciting to see where it will all go. My car battery died this morning when I was trying to go to work. We are in the midst of uploading wedding pictures to facebook. I’ll post some here too!

Enough with the random and scatter-brained thoughts. More will come. I promise I will not stay away this long ever again. I feel like I have let all you followers down. Hmph.

We Still Do

Tonight we are going to the wedding of Ben Garcia and Brittany Nichols. Ben and Phillip knew each other growing up but got closer while playing softball together the past couple of years. Brittany and Ben both came to our wedding and we are excited to return the favor by attending theirs.

I have decided that I love weddings. Tonight I get to sit next to Phillip and witness two people taking the most important step of their lives together just like we did. Reliving the vows, the love, the sacredness of the ceremony, and all of that. How moving. I am getting all excited just thinking about it.

 

Oh and I cut my hair off! I’ll post pictures soon. I love love love love it! Phillip is going to need some time to embrace the new do but I am keeping it. I also might add some highlights/lowlights this week some time! So many great changes!

Heaven in the Form of Feathers and Threads

Tonight, we bought some great things from Macy’s with our gift cards. A few weeks ago, we walked around the store aimlessly looking for something – anything – to spend our generous amount of gift cards on. We found nothing. Blame it on the loads of shopping we did that day or lack of zest for what Macy’s had to offer, but we decided to hold on to the money and see what would come up.

Since we have been less-than-pleased with our savvy Ross purchase of nice sheets, we started with finding a great set of sheets – 700 thread count to be exact! Great soft sheets that are advertised as wrinkle free. They are currently in the washing machine with our free sample of Downy given to us by Macy’s for buying a set of sheets from them. Cute huh?

Our next purchase was a feather down pillow for me. Phillip has two already that are way beyond their years in use and in appearance even though he says it adds to their comfort. But I have none – until we walked into Macy’s with gift cards to spend. So I got one! It’s so comfy and I can’t wait to use it tonight!

And our last and final purchase is my favorite of the night. The Macy’s closest to us was actually out of the one we needed, so Phillip drove me all the way to south Arlington’s Macy’s to buy it tonight. We bought a feather down mattress topper! It is the next best (and next cheapest) thing to a real feather bed. We already put it on the bed and almost instantly fell asleep without the sheets even being on the bed.

Basically, tonight is going to be one great night’s sleep. It’ll probably be one for the record books, readers. I get to sleep in, after an exhausting day and week at work, surrounded by so much comfort. I can hardly wait! But I will have to since the sheets are still in the washing machine.

P.S. I am getting my hair cut at 11 tomorrow morning!!

In Desperate Need of a Hair Cut

Now that the wedding festivities are all done and the actual wedding day hair situation is no longer a concern, I am ready to chop it all off!

I’m thinking of making it shoulder length with some sort of cool color job. What do you think? I’m ready to have hair that is easier to take care of, doesn’t use shampoo as fast, and makes me feel like a younger hipper newlywed.

I’m seriously considering making appointment for next Saturday. It makes me nervous. I have had the same hairstyles all of my life until Heather has changed hers and I ultimately followed suit. This would be the first big hair change that I’ve ever done by myself. I’ll keep you posted. Wish me luck!

Still Job Hunting

Yep, I’m still trying to break into my dream career field. I kind of took a little break when wedding planning got crazy, but I’m back at it. I am determined to find something at least more relevant than the banking industry – don’t get me wrong, I am so thankful for this job and it is a whole lot better than other things I could possibly be doing, but I would love something a little more relevant to my passion.

I have decided something big though. I am definitely going to graduate school no matter what – and maybe even get my doctorate some day. Crazy huh!? Well, all of this is coming about because I’m pretty sure I have decided my ultimate career goal is to be a college professor of health courses. And I even want to write a textbook one day!

Dream big, right? Well, I love student affairs and I love health education, so why not combine the two into a solid career with great hours and holidays? I really think this is what I want to do with my life – well, what I think I want to do right now anyway…

I just need to see what to do to get there. I need to research graduate schools.

So the plan is to keep job hunting for a great job. If I get a great job, I will rethink the timing of this huge plan of mine. If I don’t get a “great” job but instead stay with the bank or find another semi-related but not ideal job, I will apply to graduate school and be a student while working. Sounds like a plan, no?

Hand Cramps + Pita Chips + Birthdays

Tonight we started writing thank you notes for the millions of gifts we got the week of the wedding and on our wedding day. There are so many to write! Please, if you don’t get yours right away, consider that we are writing 60+ and have just started today. :)

Tonight I made a huge batch of pita chips. They turned out great! Our toaster oven, the food processor, and my Keurig are pretty much the three best appliances in the kitchen. If I were trapped on a desert island, I’d bring all three of those items.

I am so ready for the three day weekend and to celebrate Phillip’s birthday. No plans for the 4th as of yet (any offers?) but Friday and Saturday are already planned. Friday we have Mikey’s birthday shindig to go to since his birthday was yesterday.

Saturday, we are starting the day with me bringing breakfast to my love to celebrate his 23rd birthday! Most likely it will be Whataburger, but donuts are also a possibility. (Special note: “Whataburger” seems to be  recognized word in this spell check… interesting…) Then Saturday night we are eating at JR’s Steakhouse with Phillip’s parents. How fancy and fun!! I have to find something to wear! Phillip and I went for Valentine’s day 2010 and really enjoyed it. It’s a once-in-a-blue-moon kind of place since it’s pretty expensive. So yay!

Let us know if you want to do something with us this weekend. We have new outdoor dishes and accessories ready to use!

P.S. Happy birthday to Samantha, the best big sister in the whole wide world!

Ode to Bubble Baths

It’s been a while since my last ode. For a while there, I was oding every day. Is that even a word?

For those of you who know me, you know how much I love love love love baths. I honestly think when we start house hunting some day, that a lack of a good bath tub would be a deal-breaker for me. I’m serious about my baths. I take one at least every other night.

Tonight will be no different. There’s something about grabbing a glass of wine, turning on the radio, and sinking down into a pool of bubble and warm water. It kind of dissolves the day and puts me in a great mood to sleep.

Random. I know. Just thought I’d share. Remember, I’m on this whole little things kick…

In other news, Manda and Bonnie are moving into our complex! They (along with baby Jaquelyn) will be in the building across the parking lot from us! How fun will it be to have neighbors I know once again!? It’ll be like college all over again.

 

Also, our wedding photographer posted some wedding pictures to his blog. You should check them out if you have free time. If we don’t pop-up right away, just scroll down until you find ours. He did such an awesome job!!! www.ryangladstonephoto.com

The Little Things

Since the big huge wedding of the century, things have really slowed down here. I love that feeling. We had our first free weekend in ages, and it was so nice to relax.

I’ve learned to really enjoy the little things in life, like…

• Spending a date night with my wonderful husband on Friday.
• Our newly installed ceiling fan that really makes the living room and summer days cooler.
• Visiting with my big sister who dropped in this morning on her way home from a wedding.
• Small loads of laundry done each week instead of massive piles resulting from avoiding the dreaded laundry task.
• A clean apartment that was scrubbed from top to bottom this morning.
• Crate & Barrel shopping sprees. I seriously love that place now.
• An evening that ends with a good glass of wine, pandora playing on the snazzy TV, and sitting on the comfy couch next to my love who is reading his book.

Yes bloggers, life is good. It’s actually better than good – it is great. I could really get used to this marriage thing and slow-paced summer days/nights.

Get Back to Work!

Yesterday Phillip went back to work, and today I returned. It has already come back with a vengeance!

Phillip is having to work really late this week to help the store catch up – almost reaching overtime! Last night he didn’t get home until about midnight, today he went in early, and tonight I expect a late return as well.

Today was my first day back. It was fun to see everyone but my chit-chatting didn’t last long before diving into more files. I forgot how quickly the day goes by when I work there. I think that’s a good thing…right?

Side Note: I love love love love love love our food processor! I made a delicious completely homemade (and home shredded) asian slaw salad last night. Wonderful! More to come from this cooking diva since I’ve been brushing up on food network recipes on TV. Yum!

Honeymoon Breakdown

As promised, here is a rundown of our honeymoon. It’s a very brief snapshot. If you want to see more, just visit my facebook album (for all 153 photos).

I know, I know, I know. How is that a “brief snapshot”? Well, I had a lot of favorite pictures! We had a great time and we’re finally finished unpacking!

Gifts are almost all swapped now and we’re slowly but surely finding places for everything. I’ll end on a list I was making in my head throughout the entire cruise:

 

Things I Learned On The Cruise

1. Not every single noise is the sound of the ship hitting an iceberg. I was not prepared for all of the unusual noises and creaks that ships make. The most bizarre of noises was actually people moving their balcony furniture from one end of the balcony to the other – and it was a horrendous noise heard almost constantly.

2. Carnival loves having diverse employees. There was on person we heard of in the entire staff that was from America – and he was from Chicago. Carnival apparently hires all over the world and flies their employees to various ships whenever they need them. It was fun hearing all of the accents of our wait staff, stateroom staff, and even directors and entertainers.

3. Not everyone is equally yoked when it comes to manners. For the most part, everyone was cordial. But every once in a while, you had the parent ignoring their screaming child, the impatient lady that doesn’t even have time to wait for herself, the smoker that thinks the whole ship is a smoking area, the noisy neighbors, new acquaintances that overshare, inconsiderate shoppers, and more. It was pretty pleasant, but I guess even on vacations you interact with ‘different’ people.

4. My husband is a world champion in suitcase lifting. Our suitcases are massive – so massive that we each only had to bring one suitcase and a garment bag between us. That’s how big they were. Phillip carried the full and heavy (from shopping) bags by himself from the 7th floor to the 3rd using only stairs. He’s pretty much awesome.

5. Liquor is so cheap in other countries. No taxes, no duty, and tons of sales. We got two bottles of rum, a bottle of gin, two bottles of tequila, a bottle of kahlua, a bottle of jack daniels, a bottle of vodka, and a bottle of lemonade vodka all for less than $125! All but one of the bottles of rum were each a liter. Do you realize how cheap that is!?!?

6.Cozumel shopping was all about bartering. We ended up getting a souvenir for someone for $68 less than the original asking price! Every where we went, the sales people were yelling prices and bids and begging us to come in. It was insane.

These Gifts We Have Received

Last night, after returning from our honeymoon, we went to Phillip’s parents’ house for dinner. My parents and brother met us over there for honeymoon stories, visiting, fathers day, souvenir handing out, and opening of wedding gifts.

We are so blessed by the many gifts we received from those who came – and even from some that didn’t.

And now, we are so overwhelmed. Where are we going to put everything? When will all of these thank-yous be finished? And how in the world are we going to get that car load up to the third floor? See how this can get to be a bit much? Exciting still, but consuming nonetheless.

It can all wait for later today, right? I’m ready to enjoy the rest of my days off. I don’t work until Wednesday so I have a second great sleep-in-with-coffee morning in my future.

P.S. Josh and Tristan got Phillip an xbox for a wedding gift. So long honeymooning couple, hello video games. I don’t mind sharing, though. :)

Welcome Back!!

What a great wedding and fantastic honeymoon!! You will get to hear all about it in the coming days - so I don't have to write a really long post today.

Last weekend was magical. I have never felt that much love from Phillip and seeing him tear up at seeing me walk down the aisle was so moving.

The honeymoon was great too!! So many great memories and life experiences. The rundown of the ports will take an entire post on their own.

We also already got one great stand-out picture from our photographer. He is pretty much incredible.

More updates to come this week. Driving back from Galveston as we speak - we'll be back home between lunch and dinner.

Thank you everyone for blessing us with your support through the wedding experience and into our future. You are awesome.

Love,
Ashley Nicole Long :)

Twas the Night Before Wedding

And all through the house... Not a creature was stirring, not even the bride.

Bloggers, tomorrow is the day we have all been waiting for. It's six and a half years in the making.

I GET TO MARRY MY SOULMATE.

What God put together, let no man put asunder.

Good night everyone. See some of you tomorrow and I'll be back to blogging in a little over a week.

This is too exciting!!!

15 hours, 45 minutes!!!!

Ready for a Slow Down

Things are winding down here. Almost all of the to-dos have been completed and we’re just ready to relax the rest of the week and enjoy every second of the coming days. The suitcases are almost all packed. The apartment is pretty much cleaned. I am ready.

Today at work, my coworkers surprised me with a yummy lunch in my honor. They also gave me a gift card so Phillip and I can use it on anything we want. So thoughtful! My big boss and my mom’s coworkers (since my mom and I share our boss) all got us a gift card too!

I’m already feeling so blessed. The outpour of love, support, and gifts to start our married life together has been so incredible. People have surprised me and it makes me feel so unbelievably loved.

Tomorrow is more miscellaneous errands and waiting for the big sister to come in town tomorrow night! I will also be getting my bangs trimmed, eyebrows done, and go in for a wonderfully relaxing massage. I get my ring back too! (Though I can’t wear it until after the I-dos on Saturday.)

Time to relax with a glass of wine and sleeping in tomorrow.

3 days, 15 hours, 10 minutes CRAZY!

Last Day of Work Tomorrow

I get two weeks off from work and I am so ready for it. I am ready to have a few days off to relax before the wedding festivities, as well as a couple days after the honeymoon to unpack and recuperate. I am so fortunate to have a job that allows me to do this. I guess things do happen for a reason.

Things are getting so exciting and time is going by faster and faster. I want to hold on to these next two weeks for as long as I can and feel this way for the rest of my life. I am already on cloud nine.

4 days, 16 hours, 35 minutes

One Week

Well bloggers. The time is coming closer. One week from this very minute, I will be sleeping in a honeymoon suite with my new husband and anxiously awaiting the early departure for our honeymoon cruise the next morning.

Yes. In one week I will be Mrs. Ashley Nicole Long. And two weeks from tomorrow, we will return from our honeymoon to live our lives together forever.

I know it sounds sappy, but I can’t wait. The wedding emotions set in this week and I have a feeling I will be crying tears of joy – I mean I practically am already when thinking about it. And for those of you who really know me, you know I never cry. But it’s Phillip and he's always had that affect on me. I can’t help it.

Heather came in town tonight to help me this week, which will be nice when all of those little things pop up out of nowhere. All we have left to do is print/assemble the seating chart and finish tieing ribbons on the programs. Then we can call this wedding done after planning for 1.75 years.

I can’t wait to marry the love of my life!

6 days, 14 hours, 40 minutes

Wedding Explosion Weekend

Memorial Day weekend is typically filled with BBQs, pool time, and relaxation. Well my weekend has been much different. It has been filled with wedding planning festivities. Luckily, though, we are almost done!

All that’s left to do is buy the candy and print/assemble the remaining paper items (program, menu cards, table numbers, seating chart). But that’s all! Next weekend will be perfect for honeymoon packing and cleaning. Then it’ll be smooth sailing for the rest of the wedding week. It will be nice to be able to relax and celebrate that week instead of running last minute errands or assembling programs.

Isn’t it great to see how a long engagement can make the week of the wedding less stressful? So glad I planned when everyone said we had plenty of time. So glad I didn’t listen to all that talk.

Another day of planning lies ahead, but it’s not crazy.

12 days, 4 hours, 15 minutes!!! It’s getting so close!

Wedding Planning Weekend Status Update

Marriage license: check
Ballpark floorplan: check
Menu: check
RSVP count: check (250 guests!)
Bachelorette party dress: check
Wedding day getting ready outfit: check
Luncheon gifts: 75% check
Floral order/balance: check
Cake order/balance: check
Dj meeting and finalization: check
Attendant gifts: 90% check
Cookie cake order: check
Menu card drafted: check
Program wording and design: check
Seating chart: 75% check
Photography shot list: check
Ceremony music: check
Wedding day timeline: check

Man I did a lot yesterday and this week when you put it like that. Props to mom, Phillip, and Heather for the help this week!

Now for today, tomorrow, and Monday's
Plan...

Unity candles
Finishing up above items that aren't
Complete
Wrap gifts
Candy buffet
Meet with uncle Jerry
Register for a couple more items
Print and assemble programs
Print and assemble menu cards
Write thank-yous

There's so much to do! Thank you memorial day weekend for showing up just in time. :)

14 days, 5 hours, 45 minutes!!! So close!!!!

My World is Getting Crazy

The wedding is fast approaching – like at lightening speed. Every second of every day is filled with wedding talk and adding to my once short to-do list.

Seating chart is done. Program is drafted. Ceremony music is selected. Hand clappers are ready to go.

This weekend’s Agenda: meeting with the ballpark, meeting with the DJ, marriage license, assembling programs, and more.

I’m sorry this post is so scattered. My brain is kind of scattered too.

16 days, 17 hours, 30 minutes

The LONG Apartment!! :)

As promised, here are pictures of our new home. Every day I walk into the front door, I remember how much I love this cute place. It has the perfect amount of space for us and things are beginning to find their new homes in all of the nooks and crannies. This place really looks like it was made for us.

The Kitchen! It’s smaller than my last place but still barely fits all of our things.

The Office! It holds all of Phillip’s sports memorabilia, our books, a desk, and a futon for guests (like Heather when she comes in tomorrow)!

The Guest Bathroom! This is the one all of you visitors will be seeing. Garden tubs in both bathrooms. This one is our monogrammed bathroom with monogrammed towels and a color scheme of shades of champagne.

The Dining Room! Samantha gave us her wonderful table that fits perfectly in our dining nook with our new bar/buffet. Yes, that is a wall of mirrors on the back wall. This is the only thing I would change about the apartment. It’s only from the chair rail up. We are going to convince ourselves to embrace this detail.

The Living Room! I love this space! We were worried about our furniture fitting in this arrangement but I actually think we couldn’t have had a better fit. I love the beautiful fireplace with cement sturdy mantle. We also have a three pane glass door that goes out onto our spacious balcony (pictures to come when we finish decorating it). I can already see our first Christmas here. We do need to purchase a chair and ottoman for each of the corners on the sides of the fireplace and some more artwork. This place is still a work in progress, you know!

The Master Bathroom! Small picture, but it’s hard to take a picture of due to the angles. It looks pretty much exactly like the guest bathroom, with one door instead of two.

The Master Bedroom! This is really spacious for an apartment. We will eventually get a piece of furniture for the corner by the dresser and hang up tons more artwork. Again, work in progress.

Isn’t it just lovely!? I want all of you to come see it in person – especially once we get all of the finishing touches done. I can’t believe this is going to be our first home. We will remember this place forever and I know when it’s time to leave, we’ll be pretty sad.

Here’s to many great memories in our first home!

21 days, 2 hours, 40 minutes