My high school reunion was last weekend.

I was actually looking forward to it. Not to the point that I was obsessing over every carrot stick I ate or getting a spray tan or considering an edgy new hairstyle or anything- but nonetheless I was looking forward to going and seeing everyone.

I can literally recall, as if it was yesterday, hugging all my classmates and jokingly saying, “See you in ten years!” thinking that would be forever away.

But here it was, this past weekend.

It’s a little hard for me to believe.

I had a great time in high school and made so many great memories. I was really looking forward to catching up with everyone.

Only- I didn’t go.

Not because I failed to invent Post-its (if you get the reference, you’re laughing right now), but because I just didn’t go.

Plain and simple.

And now I’m hoping I don’t regret it.

So here’s the story-

I don’t know about you guys, but it seems as though anytime there is a crucial event, holiday, or milestone in mine and Will’s life you can almost always put money on the fact that we’re going to get into a gigantic argument.

I have no idea why, but that’s pretty much our standard M.O.

Now- I should probably qualify (or quantify?… qualify? quantify?.. Which one is it? AHH!) that Will and I aren’t big argue-ers. For the most part we’ve been married for seven happy years and don’t get into doozy arguments all too often. In fact, we don’t really even argue all that often.

But when we do?

It’s on a day in which the whole day is devoted to being happy. For example- Thanksgiving. They don’t just say, “It’s Thanksgiving!” Nope. They say, ”HAPPY Thanksgiving!” It’s not “Hey it’s Christmas!” It’s MERRY Christmas!”

You get my point.

Which is really ironic.

Maybe it’s because there’s so much pressure on the day and you’re running around like a crazy trying to make everything absolutely perfect for you and your family? That’s what I’ve always thought to be a contributing factor. Why don’t Will and I fight on random Tuesdays? Because there are no expectations for a perfect Tuesday, that’s why!

Anyway- I think you know where I’m going with this.

I had gotten up, worked out, and returned home to shower and slowly get ready for the day.

Only Will and I got into a giant fight. You think I would have remembered that this was a possibility.

Yet- I didn’t.

Ugh.

Failure.

Had I remembered, perhaps I would have thrown a penny in a fountain or thrown salt over my shoulder.

Only I didn’t. 

Bummer.

So I ended up going over to my mom’s (oh- sorry, haven’t given an update in a while. She’s back from Kuwait right now. And I’ve seen my sister like three times in the last three weeks. How great, right?) and laid around and figured I’d go home and get ready after a few hours. Only, it turned to 3 and I didn’t get ready. Then hit 4. And I was still in a funk. Then 5… and then I figured eh- I don’t get to see my family much and we would have had to leave at 5:30 to get there in time- which wasn’t going to happen. So- no reunion.

Thankfully (Thankfully? Maybe not...) with the invention of Facebook I can still keep up with everyone so it’s not totally awful, but it still would have been good to go.

I guess I write all this because I figure most of those who (still) read this blog are married people. The point of this story is that it was really stupid of me not to get off my lazy butt and go to my reunion. So what that Will and I were grumpy? We would have been fine by the time we got to my reunion- and most importantly, in the grand scheme of our entire marriage we were perfectly fine. You know? Married people argue! So what. It happens and you get over it. I was really ridiculous to let it stop me from going to something so important, right? Ugh, Brittny, silly girl!

So the point of this post is that Will and I are a normal married couple (ha, as if you didn’t know that already) and we argue and do stupid stuff like not going to a high school reunion because of a grumpy mood. But I think the point of this post is also- just freaking do stuff, because if you don’t, well, it’s just silliness.

Oh- and one more point (points! lots and lots of points!)- go to your freaking reunion. Now I have to wait another 10 years. Geez-a-lou!

And having said that I also realize I owe you guys an update! I think I mentioned ages ago that my parents bought a house one door down?

Yes- I most definitely need my own reality show now. I joke that everyone has one these days. I just need to start baking cupcakes or selling pawn shop items or take on truck driving on dangerous roads… anyway- I most definitely owe you a life update soon. However, I’m currently in Colorado (ha- see? another confirmation to do an update) so I’ll do that very soon!

More to come…

I had set P’s last entry to auto post. Largely because- 1. I’m in school and knew I wouldn’t have time to put something thoughtful together the night before I had something due and was about to board a plane and 2. I’m lazy.

I was all geared up to go this whole week. My mind was focused on nothing but P and cupcakes and lots of fun.

And then I got the call Tuesday’s morning.

Will’s grandpa had passed away.

It was a crazy day which included having to rearrange my travel plans. That turned out to be a fun event (ha!). Not only does American Airlines not give benevolence rates, but they also charged me a freaking kidney and first born to change my flight.

Insert expletive here --->

Anyway, I felt so terrible for letting P down, but I also knew I had to be there for Will and our family. I just couldn’t have a good time knowing what was going on back home. I had focused my mind on fun and craziness and had to switch gears to focus on loving Will and just being “there.” Definitely not one of those weeks you plan for.

The funeral was yesterday. I’ve mentioned Will’s Grandma Bea in the past. She died a few years ago and wanted her ashes scattered at a pond where she and Bill went fishing. It was an intimate and special place for both of them.

Grandpa Bill had been sick for several months now, and we all knew he’d be passing soon but it was still sad to hear the news. He had spoken with his daughter the day before he died and had a special message for each of us which she shared yesterday. It was emotional and really special to hear.

After the service we went to the lake and scattered his ashes the same place where they scattered Bea’s. I had never known anyone who had been cremated, so it was a different experience.

It was so weird to see Bill’s ashes in the lake. He had lived 87 years and had so many adventures and stories and at the end was nothing but ashes sinking and falling on the sand below. I know death is something we all know will happen to us, but it’s so visceral to be reminded of it and actually see a life go by and disappear in an instant. It definitely makes me so thankful for the life God has given me. He has blessed me beyond anything I could ever deserve and so often I fail to thankful and truly stop to give myself over to him to have His way in my life. Yesterday was a good reminder of how I need to live my life to please God and not to be so caught up in worries and stressors and the vapor that is life. At the end all we are is a lump of bones, and what we do today is what matters. Life is short.

It’s sad that it takes a funeral to be reminded of what a blessing life is, but I’m thankful for how God spoke to me. I challenge you to do something today to make tomorrow better. I know I will be doing the same.

So- we “take two” on the Chicago trip. I’m headed out later this week. I promise to provide lots of pictures and updates!

So today is the day.

The day all these silly posts have led up to.

The day P turns 21.

The day where I feel pretty darn old.

It’s finally here.

I remember the day in 1989 when we were living in Germany and I got home from school and heard the news that I was going to have a baby brother or sister.

I remember walking down the stairs to see the light on in the kitchen and finding my mom eating potato salad- which is what she craved throughout her pregnancy with P.

Hmm- P? What are your thoughts on potato salad? Mom craved Suzy Qs with me and to this day whenever I can find them (which is very rare) I have this unexplainable impulse to buy three and eat them before I even leave the parking lot. For some reason I can’t see you doing the same with potato salad.

…

Moving on…

I remember the day when P was born- “way” back in 1990. It’s weird to think that I can actually remember that, but I do. I was in school and one of my mom’s friends came to pick me up because “it was time!” She was born with a low white blood cell count and had to stay in the hospital an extra few days and I clearly remember going to see her in that tiny little incubator. She had these little foiled heart-shaped warmers on her back to keep her temperature regulated. I remember having to scrub, scrub, scrub my hands at the hospital before I was able to touch her tiny back- and I remember being amazed that I had a little baby sister. I remember thinking how much I was going to love her and play with her and take care of her and be her best friend forever. When I look back I liken it to Elvira on Tiny Toons. Do you remember that? The girl was always on the lookout for a pet and always telling potential animals- in a scary high pitch shrill, mind you- that she would love them and squeeze them and hold them forever and ever and ever! Yep, I was pretty excited to have a little sister. Poor thing. She never had a chance.

I was like her second mom, she was always on my hip and with me all the time and I was fine with that. Granted, as you know from previous posts she drove me crazy sometimes, and I’m sure I did the same to her. We’ve fought. We’ve cried. We’ve laughed. And we’ve been mad. But who hasn’t when you’ve cared for someone? I’ve watched her make friends and change friends and change schools and change boyfriends, and she’s watched me do the same. We went from superficial closeness to a deeper friendship as we’ve gotten older. We don’t hold back and share everything, our fears, our deepest secrets, our insecurities, and our worries. And it’s okay.  Because we’re safe to share those things with one another because we know it’s okay. It’s home. And it always will be.

So here’s to the first 21 years with P- I’m really thankful for them and so blessed to have a sister than I can be unbelievably close to. Friends are overrated, right P (haha)? And here’s to 21 more. And 21 more after that. And 21 more after that! I want us to be in some nice retirement village drinking mimosas and sneaking peanut butter patties past the nurses one day.

So friends- today we tip our hats (ahem- and glasses. Big, big glasses) to miss P. She’s a big girl now. Cheers to her and cheers to what might possibly be one of the more fun weekends in our 21 years together.

Happy birthday P Dub. I love you.

Chicago here I come!!

As you may recall, Will and I made the move to Kuwait during the late spring of 2005. When we got there, we lived with my parents and sister in an apartment. Defintiely not ideal living situations for 5 people! Not to mention the fact that when we moved there, I was still unemployed. The summer of 2005 was interesting. At the time, it was a mix of fun and pain, but now that I’ve been removed from the situation for several years, I look back and think it was such a great time in my life. Something I needed and learned from and appreciated. Something I wouldn’t trade.

The summer of 2005 was full of a lot of navigating. Learning the ropes of living in Kuwait. Getting familiarized with the culture, the area, all the different cool things that existed in this new world…I learned about the dust storms and kitchen fans (check out this post), running out of water, and all sorts of other things. Seriously, if you get bored, you ought to check out the summer of 05 archives. Good times.

I learned a lot, and it was nice to get to learn it with my sister. Because I was unemployed and had no Kuwait license yet, P and I were homebound during the day. All day. For months. Literally- the only time we would get out of our apartment complex would be on the weekends with our family, and then at the bottom of our building to get bread from the bakery. So- it’s not like I need to tell you this, but- we didn’t get out much. I would shower and that’s about it. Poor Will. Literally days of no makeup or doing my hair. Sexy.

P and I became pretty good at staying home all day, everyday. We even had a system. Will would get up at like 4 in the morning to be able to leave for work, so I would get up with him, go back to sleep, we’d wake up, have breakfast and watch Home And Away- this incredibly porpular Austrailain show. I would clean the apartment. We’d have lunch- which often consisted of thin crust cheese pizza from Pizza Hut. Then we’d freak out over how much we were eating and go work out. Sometimes we would swim, but that ended quickly because the building owner would watch us and it would creep us out. We’d spend time on the patio outside too, looking at life go on while we were stuck inside. Then we’d make dinner. We tried to actually take time to make real meals for our family since we were home all day and they were at work for 11 hours straight.

I remember one time in particular we were having a bad day. I don’t remember why, but I remember being pretty bummed, mainly because I wasn’t able to find a job. I was on edge. I was irritable. I was not ready for anything to go remotely wrong. Plus I had just cleaned the house. We had decided to make homemade baked chicken strips with our own breading. So- we put the chicken in a big gallon size bag that had lots and lots of breadcrumbs in it. P was in charge of coating the chicken. She began coating the chicken, and then ended up just shaking the bag to try to coat it evenly. Only the bag wasn’t sealed. And chicken and breadcrumbs when every where. And I seriously freaked out. In fact, I think there was a time in which P and I actually named that day, “The Chicken Finger Freak Out.” Because I remember literally screaming. I don’t think I screamed a word- I just screamed and I think I totally terrified P.

It was one of those moments where I had just reached my limit and the breadcrumbs flying everywhere was more than I could handle. And P was there. She was there to help clean up the mess and she was there to laugh about it with me. She was there to make me realize it was going ot be okay. She was just always there when I needed her most. Somewhere around that same time, during the height of my frustration of living with my parents in a matchbox and being uneomployed me and P did something silly. I remember we had gone out with my family that night and it was sweltering outside. We were hangingout downstairs by the pool for some reason. P and I got restless and bored and were already in a goofy mood. Plus we were hot, so we ended up both getting a running start and jumping into the pool together, clothes and all! What a sight. That just helped keep things in perspective for me. Things don’t always go as planned, but you just hav eto dive in and go with the flow. And I was lucky enough to have my sister right there with me.

In the summer of 2002, the summer before I met Will, I broke up with my boyfriend of 2 ½ years.

It was a pretty rough time. I remember P was so great and was my best friend and we got so close that summer. All my friends had already gone off to college and so that summer aside from my church friends- who were also friends with this guy- it was really me and P.

We had a lot of fun that summer. We’d hang out at the pool, make late night Dunkin Donuts runs, I even recall eating ice cream out of the container and picking all the delicious toppings out with or hands (classy). Just a lot of silly fun.

There’s even a video floating around there somewhere which would most definitely seal my fate for never being able to run for public office. Nothing risqué, but pretty freaking hilarious.

We are just a lot of fun when we’re together and she will never know how much she helped me through that breakup. I know it seems silly to say that my 12 year old sister helped me- a 19 year old- get through that time, but she did. I think the glaring giant age difference between us made a lot people scratch their heads as to how we could be so very close. I mean, it’s practically a decade. When I was driving she was learning to write cursive. When I was going to college she had just started junior high. We were on entirely different planes, but it didn’t matter. We would still laugh and joke and kid and drive others around us crazy with all our inside jokes.

You know when you’re just made to be close with someone? That’s how it’s always been for me and P. We are like kindred spirits, two bodies linked by our one connection together, our “sisterhood.” It just can’t be explained sometimes, and anyone that is close to their sibling or a longtime friend definitely gets that. 

I posted this ages ago. It was about how P and my mom came all the way to Camp Arifjan, where I worked in Kuwait, and surprised me with a Johnny Carinos canolli and a crown for being “Employee of the Month.” It seems sort of silly when I look back on it now, but at the same time, when I look back on it now, it touches me even more.

For one, I hated my job experience in Kuwait for a long time. If any of you have read my blog from those days you know I had a hard time. It was so sweet when they came up to my work and surprised me with such a thoughtful gift just to show they loved me. Also, getting onto Camp Arifjan is a giant pain in the ass. Yes. I said it. Ass. Because it is. It really is, and there’s no way around not cussing because it’s THAT much of a pain. Anyway- it took a lot of time driving there, waiting to get to the gate, having your car searched, getting fondled in the 100 plus degree heat, and then getting to my office. That alone shows the thought behind the gift. What a nice gesture. I’m a really lucky girl. 

Hi!

Happy New Year!

Oh no, be warned- I’ve started this post with back to back exclamation points. I see more in the future of this post. Please do not let the cheeriness deter you. I will try to keep the exclamations to a minimum.

But I make no promises.

I hope you all had a great Christmas, and Saturday, and New Year’s Eve. The random Saturday insertion just seemed like the right thing to do… I have no idea why.

Our Christmas was good. We spent the morning with Will’s family and then travelled home late that afternoon. I took that following Monday off which was nice. We ended up going to the “big town” of El Reno, Oklahoma to eat at Sid’s diner. It was a place featured on Man Versus Food. The place was super tiny but the food was good, as we had expected. It was a nice day.

I had Friday off this week which was nice too. We spent a lot of the day shopping. How two people can spend a small fortune at Sam’s I will never know. We went to The Cheesecake Factory for dinner that night which was nice and spent the entire time reflecting on 2010 and talking about 2011. It was a good day!

Was all that boring?

Because I sort of feel like it was.

Sorry. The truth is- when Will and I were talking last night about some of the highlights of last year I couldn’t remember some of them and I realize I don’t really talk much about my life anymore here. Which is fine and what I have chosen to do, I suppose, but at the same time it’s sort of nice to be able to look back to my 2005 archives and actually recall a day after reading about it. So I was thinking that maybe once or twice a month I will try to capture more about what’s going on in my life. Mostly for me. I apologize in advance for the boringness.

Okay, enough about that.

Happy New Year!

Did I already say that?

Ah- yes. I did. And then went on and on about all! the! exclamation! points!

Are you a big resolution-er?

I’m not really per say. To a degree I suppose but nothing too extreme. Much like Angela , my goal is to never eat again or lose a million pounds. I never really take it seriously though. My other problem? I make about 15 of them and by mid January I’ve forgotten all of them!

“Wait- did I say I was NOT going to drink coffee and was going to drink more tequila?”

“Or was it not eating trans fats and drinking mroe coffee!?… Or was it tequila!? I know it that was in one of my resolutions somewhere...”

“This is so hard!”

I figure now that I’m another year older and wiser I should probably just suck it up and realize that I am going to have to eat. And losing a million pounds? Well that’s just silly, Brittny!

So this year is about sharing my goals and making them realistic. Also- not to make a dozen. Sure it’s nice to want to do things, I mean, I want to save the world! However, I realize I have to start somewhere. So that’s what I want to do.

Here goes.

1. Be a Failure

I want to fail in the gym this year.

Yes, you heard me right.

A big fat F.

For anyone that spends time in the weight room, you will know what I’m talking about. If you don’t- long story short is that in order to really see growth and really make progress you have to lift to failure which means you have to really exert and exhaust your muscles. I do that now… sort of… but I really take it easy on myself. I really want my time at the gym to be worthwhile, and it won’t be unless I put myself to the test mentally and physically.

My plan for meeting my resolution is to do it- to add the extra weight and document my progress. If I can only do four reps, well I can only do four reps. But with time it will grow to six and maybe even eight. Until I really start making things hard on myself, I won’t see the results I want to.

2. Be Squeaky Clean

The other day I was on the elliptical and a guy jumped on beside me and started working out. The second he walked past me, I gagged. No really- I did. And made a disgusting face.
,
The guy smelled as though he had sat in a 4x4 closet where 10 people crammed in there with him and smoked for eight hours straight. And then the 10 people left. But he decided to stay.So he could eat the cigarette butts.

No really- he did.

He ate them.

I’m pretty sure anyway…

As I continued on my second interval set I started to get mad.

Really guy!? Yeah- great plan. Go to the gym and work out but then go smoke six packs a day. That’s a way to be healthy!

How dumb.

I then spent my remaining 20 minutes on the elliptical gagging and turning my head away from The Ash Tray, thinking about how ridiculous this guy was.

I blame the high degree of my irritation on the workout. I think something about having my heart rate up and sweating tends to make me a little more intense than normal."Why bother showing up to the gym?! Your lungs are raisins.”

So as I started my cool down- and started to come back to earth- I realized it was wrong for me to feel the way I did. It’s that guy’s choice to smoke a carton a day. It’s on him. Granted, the second hand smoke is another issue- but let’s stay focused.

The second thing I started to think about was- “Wow pot! You’re calling the kettle black aren’t you!?”

Busted.

Guys- I live in a perpetual state of dissonance. I really do. I emphasize fitness so much in my life, and even go so far to say it’s my passion, yet not all of my lifestyle echos those words. I can go bust my tail at the gym and then go home and eat half a pizza and breadsticks.

And then complain about it for the next 2 hours.

But then repeat the same action the very next weekend.

My point is- I’ll never know how good I can be and what I’m capable of until I put.the.pizza.down!

Just put it down, Brittny.

Down.

I really love food.

I eat healthy just about every week day and then blow it on the weekend. Did I say blow it? What I mean is, calorically I eat enough for two people on the weekends. Maybe even three. Yikes! How awful is that to type!?

I decided that if I want to be my best and see what I’m capable of in the gym, which I claim is my passion, part of my success has to start in the kitchen!

So with all that being said my goal for this year is to eat a clean diet six days a week during 2011 and allow myself one “cheat” day. And when I say cheat day I don’t mean eating an entire box of cereal and washing it down with a double cheeseburger with fries. I mean eating things I enjoy but in much smaller portions.

Moderation Brittny!

So here’s how I plan on meeting this tough goal. I already made my menu for January and February because I know if I write it down and have a plan it will make it a lot easier on my life. I won’t have to spend time thinking about what I’m going to eat- because I’ll already know. This will be particularly handy when I’m start back to school this month.

3. Get Connected

I don’t think I ever told you guys about my funny story of the group we joined at church and then left. It’s too long to tell it here, but trust me, when Will tells the story it has people in tears. Pretty funny.

Anyway, we’re not connected in any sort of small Bible study group and we really need to be. Church is good but it’s also important to be around people our age and have that small group interaction, you know? We’ve become sort of discouraged by our journey in this area, so my hope is that this year we will find a group and get connected.

4. Do well in school.

My plan? Is to just freaking do it, darn it! To read, pay attention, and stay on top of stuff.

5. Be a Better Wife, Friend, and Employee

This girl right here can tell you I’m not always the best at keeping up with communcation. She and Retired Blogger Sarah will have exchanged about five emails to my one sometimes! Granted, there’s going to be times where life is busy, but friends are important and I need to remember that. I have lots of “friends” but very few real true friends and they’re very precious to me and I want them to know that by my actions.

I also want to be the wife to Will that I need to be. We’re a solid team, but I think after almost seven years of marriage (! when did that happen!?) we’ve sort of gotten comfortable with each other and have settled into our life. That’s good and all, but this year I wanted to be mindful of being “nice” and “thoughtful” and more of a “girlfriend” to Will (I have no idea why I put all that in quotations).

You think I’m crazy right?

Trust me, it all makes sense in my head.

Anyway- I went into my calendar and put random things on random days as reminders to do something nice for Will. I know it seems pathetic that I actually have to remind myself to do thoughtful things for Will or surprise him with something, but hey- I’m trying and this is a good way to make sure I’m staying on target!

6. Put it Away: The 2011 Laundry List

I really want to put my laundry away immediately after doing a load. I also don’t want to leave dishes in the sink. I’m pretty sure this is a resolution for me every.single.year. And every.single.year. I don’t follow through. Sure, I do for a few weeks- but before I know it I look at the chest in our bedroom and see a laundry pile the size of a small SUV stacked high. I don’t know why. I also don’t know how two people can generate so much laundry. But it happens. So, let’s hope I actually keep the pile manageable this year. I have a load sitting in there right now- which means I need to get off this computer and start folding! Hey-Rome wasn’t built in a day. I’m on it!

So there you have it. My goals for 2011. Knowing I have an action plan and a goal and am drawing a line in the sand by telling you guys, my friends, makes it seem more real.

Here’s to a solid 2011 for all of us.

I think there’s something about getting older that seems to squeeze the fun spontaneity and creativity out of a person. I was convinced that would never be me. Ha! Let a mortgage and responsibilities turn me into a boring old tool? Never! Well- here I am at home on a Friday night blogging. I might as well be drinking Metamucil and reading an AARP magazine. Perhaps the lack of creativity and the pain I experience trying to squeeze some amount of pithiness on this screen has kept me from blogging- oh, you know, for like a YEAR now.

Did you guys know that when I started blogging, way back in 2005, when my posts were actually pretty funny (and annoying. I went back and read some the other day and wow- I found a way to add a smiley face to freaking EVERYTHING. It really annoyed me. A lot. In fact I contemplated going in and removing the thousands-yes thousands- of smileys that occurred from 2005 to about 2007 but I refrained) that it was mostly right after I moved to Kuwait and wasn’t working? Translation- I had hours upon hours of time on my hands to create brilliant works of art (okay- I’m kidding, but you get the point). I would spend a ridiculous amount of time phrasing each post. Putting a lot of thought and love into every smiley face I placed (haha).

Then I started working. I use that term loosely. My boss once told me to shop online for work. Yes. No lie. Your tax dollars hard at work. Which meant once again I had plenty of time to blog and pontificate and create smiley works of art (again- kidding with the works of art stuff).

And then I changed jobs. And was actually busy. However, I still had access to my blog at work which meant I could type a few sentences (with smileys of course ) here and there and by the end of the day have a full fledge post ready to go.

And then we moved to America. Where I had tons of time on my hands all of a sudden. What a weird feeling. I should have been a blogging machine! Yet I wasn’t. When I look back at the decline of my posting it all started when we moved back, which is sort of weird. I’ve contemplated it before and there are a lot of reasons. Don’t worry. We won’t explore them. I guess I thought being back here would make me more consistent and it did the total opposite.

So lately I’ve wondered if I actually still like blogging anymore. And I haven’t come up with an answer. I hope it’s okay to be this honest with you. I really don’t know if I like posting anymore. I used to love it. It was my “passion.” My “thing.” Wow! Getting a little crazy with the quotations. They may be the new smileys.

That’s me being honest. I don’t know how I feel about blogging anymore and honestly it sort of makes me feel sad. It makes me feel sad that something so important to me could possibly not be important to me anymore. I know it sounds silly to feel sadness when I think about it, but I do. How is it that you can feel so strongly and so resolved about something at some point in time only to change your mind? I mean, I know that sometimes circumstances change the way you feel about something, but my blog didn’t change. I didn’t really change… I just sort of stopped caring. Why do you think that happens? I mean, I still enjoy writing. In fact I’m willingly freaking enrolling myself in school to pursue my masters- where I will be writing and writing and writing until I might want to die. Yet, again, I enjoy writing. It’s something I like. So why the blog lapse? I know that’s what you’re thinking.

Anyway, I’ve thought about a few options if I’m going to keep this thing active. I think I will try them and see how it works. Don’t worry, I will not now go into some long drawn out vow to post. Scouts honor.

Wow. You guys got like this whole long blog history. Definitely more than you wanted or bargained for. I will say, though, I have this feeling few people are reading my blog these days and the crazy thing about that is that it makes me SO HAPPY. I know I said I wouldn’t get into the reasons why I went “dark” (Ahh! Again with the quotations!), but I will say that very issue is definitely one of the reasons. I went from being a blog attention sleaze- pay attention to me! Read my blog!- to really resenting the fact that people I knew personally were reading my blog and judging me and that the potential for running into them at Walmart was all of a sudden a real possibility. That is one thing that I really hate. Which can be remedied I suppose…

Okay. Enough of the blogging talk. I’m annoying myself which means you- assuming you’re still reading- are VERY annoyed. Oh, sorry, I mean “very annoyed.”

So there’s actually been some things going on in my life. Where should I start?

Let’s not waste time elaborating on crap. I’ll just give you the high points.

I got a promotion this year! I now how a fancy, shiny “Sr.” in my title. Something about being a senior- a S-R-period- is so exciting to me. I was pretty excited about it.

I decided to get my Masters. Mainly because I’m a glutton for punishment and obviously don’t like myself very much. I’m going to study Organizational Communication. I tried, really tried to make myself get my MBA- because really, isn’t every other Masters a waste?- but the more I looked at everything and considered the whole package I wanted to drive a stake in my left eye, so I decided if I was going to willingly go back I should study something I would like- hence the degree choice.

Will and I are the same. Actually, we’re pretty darn good. We went through a rough patch over the last few months, which was the first one we’ve had in our 6 years of marriage, which I guess is pretty good? I don’t know. I guess it’s normal, which is what I had to realize. For so long I was used to us having this picture perfect life and marriage and then to go through a period where I was frustrated all the time was sort of like a reality check- like “Hello!! You’re freaking NORMAL. It happens sometimes.” You know? Anyway, it was sort of like- “Ahh, okay- so this is what that whole for better for worse stuff means.” (Wow. Again with the quotations. Sorry! I will now supplement with a smiley. Because we all agree they’re so darn great, right? )

I turned 27 this April. Which isn’t old, yet in some ways it seems as though it sort of is. My 20s are starting to come to a close and I’m a big fat grownup. I have been for quite some time now, but turning 27 really hit me. Not necessarily in a bad way.

Will turns 30 on the 27th. Which may hit me harder than it hits him. We shall see. Will’s dad turns 60 this year and we’re going to do a weekend a Branson (a quick whirlwind weekend full of lots of driving there and back) to celebrate. Will and I hope to take a trip for his big day but it will be postponed.

Still no babies. Which makes our families sad. But it’s just not something we’re talking about yet.

Speaking of families, I did mention to you that my parents are moving two doors down from me, right? If THAT’S not enough to thrust me back into the blog world quite honestly, I don’t know what is.

I still eat like crap most of the time. I don’t think there’s any need to elaborate on that. Besides, there’s like a daily story about it.

I got a personal trainer for a month and it was so freaking great and I loved every painful, sweaty, drippy, yell-y minute of it. I only wish I could afford him all the time. Plus I’m pretty sure it would allow me to justify a calorie increase. Bummer I can’t really justify it now.

We have a wedding tomorrow and Will gets to dress up again which is exciting since I never see him in a tux. In fact that’s one of the reasons that I’m still awake.  I couldn’t take off work today, so he went to the rehearsal by himself and I stayed here. He’s on his way home (it’s a 2 hour drive) but I figure by the time I get to sleep he’ll come in and wake me up so I might as well just stay awake. And possibly eat something terrible. I rarely stay up past 10 but I’ve been told that people that stay up late snack. I believe it’s called a “midnight snack?” (AHH! Attack of the quotations). Yes… a midnight snack sounds great.

So I think that’s the recent highlights since my last post. I guess in a sense, the highlights were of themselves a bit of a snack. Tiny pieces of information totally unhealthy for you yet necessary at midnight.

Help me to remember to tell you guys the life group story. It’s pretty funny and worth telling but I think I’ve written enough for tonight.

And it feels good to just get on here and unload. Really good.

Thank you blog, for putting up with my crap and just being here.

Thank you friends, for reading and understanding.

Hi!

So it’s somewhat late, I’ve had a long day, and I’m sleepy (read: boring). However, I wanted my first “real” post in half a year to be a little different so I made a few boring videos!

My face is hilarious in this one.

And because I feel really bad for being such a terrible blogger and friend I wanted to embarrass myself as a peace offering. Please excuse the fly-aways, sausage fingers, and giant zit.

Hi guys.

Guys?

Guy?

Anyone?

Probably not- not that I would blame you. At all. At all times a million.

The answer to your question is- I have no idea why.

The other answer is yes, I am going to post soon. A real one. Because I’m a “blogger” and that’s what bloggers do. Even if they don’t blog for oh- like four months.

Yikes.

We’ll talk about all that later.

Not that there’s much to discuss really.

But I do feel like we should talk anyway.

About anything.

And everything.

Welcome back, Brittny. You’re home again.

More to come (soon)…