Am I the only one who gets Usher's Confessions playing in their head whenever you see or hear the word? The end of the work week is a good time to air out some confessions from the last 5 days. Confessing clears the soul, right?
1. I confess that I am giving serious consideration to not renewing my teaching certificate next year. The more I think about it, the less I see myself ever returning to a classroom. I just think I'm done on that front.
2. I confess that I don't like mayo or mustard on my sandwiches. Yep, I like them plain. That might be why I love the computer order system at Wawa, no weird looks when I ask for a plain sandwich.
3. I confess that as much as I'm getting into thrift store shopping I just can't get myself to buy used shoes.
4. I confess that I took off the Facebook app on my phone and I don't even miss going on FB.
5. I confess that I have been in the mood to switch up my hair. I cut it short again this week and bought semi permanent hair dye to do this weekend. I'm wanting to add a touch of red to my hair.
Currently Thinking: Our house has been on the market now for a little over 30 days and we have received no offers. Apparently it has been a slow month in the area, so it is not just our house. I'm already over the stress of selling a house and ready to move to the DC area. I thought buying a house was stressful (and it is) but so is selling a house.
Enjoying: I have been watching True Detectives on HBO and wow what a show. HBO knows how to put out good shows, first they hooked me with Sex and the City, then Game of Thrones and Newsroom. Good job cable.
Annoyed: Our lawnmower is literally being held hostage by Sears right now. We bought it with a warranty and this is the second time we have had issues with the mower while it is covered. When Ty went to pick it up Saturday morning we were told that we had to pay $20 to get our mower back. The warranty said it covered any needed repairs with no charges, so why are we now being asked to pay just to get our mower back? The person at the store says that I said a waiver when I dropped off the mower that allowed the charges. Wait, what? I was not given a single thing to sign the day I dropped i off. I was merely asked to verify my information and then went on my merry way. When I asked for them to produce this supposed waiver I signed, they said they didn't have it and gave a phone number to call. Funny when I called the number they said the store must have the paper and swore I must have signed it. So basically Sears is calling me a liar. Great customer service Sears. I'm done giving you any business.
I was inspired to join Taylor and Bonnie in their Why we work link up on this lovely Valentine's Day. If you are one of the many snowed in people across the country, this Florida girl is weirdly envious of all those snow days. Another thing to look forward to when we make the move to the DC metro area later this year.
Anyways I thought this would be a great way to focus on all the things I am grateful in my marriage on this hallmark declared day of love.
We work because:
Ty and I really bring out the best in each other. He motivates me to continually strive to be the best version of myself and I do the same for him.
He brings me my favorite candy bar if I am having a tough day.
We share a mutual wanderlust that has more interested in exploring new places than just settling for a life that does not fit us.
I still get excited to come home to him and share my day even after 6 years of togetherness.
We accept each other for who we are. I don't try to change his comic book loving ways and he doesn't try to change my love of trashy reality tv and random dancing around the house.
We both realize how lucky we are to have rescued our sweet dog Kavalier and how he has truly made us a family of 3.
When one of us is feeling down and out, the other holds the other person up without question.
I tend to be a saver who sometimes needs a reminder that its ok to splurge on myself from time to time. He is happy to provide that.
We both prefer a quiet night in than a crazy night out of the town.
We make our marriage a priority and work on our relationship. Marriage is definitely not always a bowl of cherries but we are in it for the long haul.
This time last year I was in the middle of the most emotionally draining school year of my teaching career. I was dreading the work week on Sunday nights and the stress was physically manifesting into panic attacks. In short, I was a mess and probably not the most pleasant person to live with. I knew I no longer could shoulder the stress that comes with the profession, but I felt stuck. What else was I qualified to do after teaching for 6 years?
Today I saw one of my old teaching buddies post her frustration with the job on Facebook and my first thought was how I was glad I was no longer dealing with that stuff. Almost a year from the day I nervously walked into my principal's office to deliver my resignation letter, here I am working in a new job and feeling like a new side of me has come to life. I can't lie and say the road to employment outside of the classroom has been easy and smooth. I had to take some leaps and chances to get to this point. My post on what prompted my decision to leave teaching is one of my most popular and I have actually received emails from current teachers wanting advice on how to get out. I don't claim to have all the answers but if you are willing to take some risks it can be done.
Bromance. My husband cringes whenever I teasingly call his friendships bromances. To say he dislikes that newly coined term is an understatement. If you are a fan of the show Scrubs then you can relate to my many times of feeling like Carla with Turk and JD, minus all the gay jokes. T's best friend was my high school friend who I feel out of touch with and later reconnected on Myspace (remember Myspace?). They met and became best buds after high school, now they are inseparable. Seriously, when we told family and friends that we plan to move to Washington DC later this year the common response was how is JD (let's call him JD) going to take it? Now granted this was all mention in humor, but you can see why I might sometimes pick on my husband's bromance. During T's 30th birthday festivities I couldn't help but notice the positives of strong male friendships. It got me thinking about how instead of mocking our man's bromance, women could actually take some notes and learn from how the other gender defines friendship.
1. Lifestyle changes don't automatically mean the end of the friendship.
As a child free woman in her early 30's I have experienced the demise of some of my female friendships from new moms who maybe felt they had nothing in common with me anymore. I don't have any problems being friends with women who have kids, just because I don't plan on having them myself doesn't mean I wouldn't want moms in my social circle. I will gladly go to your kids birthday parties and everything, but I think for some women it is easier for them to compartmentalize. This does not appear to be the case in male friendships. My husband has unmarried friends with kids, single ones, and married ones that all still find ways to make time for their friends. They don't seem to care about their lifestyle differences or throw friends away when they are no longer in the same lifestyle.
2. No need for movers, that's what friends are there for.
In the six years I have been with my husband we have moved several times and his friends don't wait to be asked to help us move. They just show up. I just think that is awesome.
3. Don't hold grudges. Have it out and then get over it.
Women have a reputation of holding onto to grudges for far too long. I'm not even going to pretend that I'm haven't been guilty of this in the past. Now guys on the other hand have appeared to not share the same trouble in letting go of old issues. Guys can get into fist fights with their best friend and not have it permanently damage the friendship. I'm in awe of how they do that. Men you must teach us ladies how to do this.
I just discovered Lake street Dive this week from their performance on The Colbert Show and I'm already obsessed with them.
Some weekends are lazy ones where my hours consist of playing with the dog and catching up on my Bravo t.v. shows, but not this past weekend. T turned the big 30 on Friday and thus his special weekend just happened to fall on Super Bowl time. So we definitely crammed a lot of celebrating into the last 3 days.
Friday night: We made the trek out to Sanford to an authentic German restaurant that people rave about throughout Central Florida. T has been wanting to check this place out for months now, so what better time than his birthday? If you have ever seen the movie Beerfest then you can correctly visualize what it was like at The Willow Tree. The mix of the live polka musicians and free flowing German beer made it more of an experience than just a dinner.
Saturday night: We celebrated at our favorite hole in the wall bar that even let us bring in red velvet cupcakes for the occasion. I took a few photos that unfortunately came out super dark. Oh well.
Sunday night: Super Bowl! The game was definitely not the most exciting but Bruno Mars rocked the halftime show. I have seen Red Hot Chili Peppers in concert before and I knew they would not disappoint. My favorite commercial was the Hometown Hero one that was filmed in my hometown of Winter Park, FL. It was nice to see good old WP on national television.
