All for a table.

Okay, so y'all may recall me talking about the fact that we got our security deposit refunded, except for $40 that they said was deducted because we left a table on our front porch that they had to dispose of. Okay, we didn't leave a table. We only have one table, and we have it with us. We don't even have a coffee table. So, I called the rental agency, and asked them if they could please describe the table that was left behind, because I was really at a loss as to what they were talking about.

Turns out, no one from the rental agency can remember anything about the table--not what type of table it was, not what material it was made out of, nothing. Rental girl says she'll call me back. In the meantime, I talk to some landlord friends of mine, who tell me that if a tenant leaves personal property behind when moving out, the landlord is required to notify the tenant of the personal property, and then the tenant has 8 days to come pick it up. If they don't, and the item is worth less than $500, then the company can destroy the property. So basically, even if we HAD left a table, the company would have had to have given us the opportunity to pick it up rather than just charging us $40 for disposing of it.

I called the company back to tell them this. Rental girl asks to put me on hold. She then gets back on the line and tells me that actually, it was only the LEAF of a table, and since it was such a small thing, she wasn't required to notify us. By this point, I was ticked. It was really starting to feel like I was getting scammed. We didn't leave a stupid table leaf either . We had Thanksgiving at our new house, and we used every one of our stupid table leaves.

I told rental girl that actually, I believed that they had to notify me regardless of the value of the property--it's only when it comes to the agency's ability to DISPOSE of the item that the vaule matters, and that furthermore, if it was of such inconsequential value that they felt comfortable disposing it without contacting me first, then SURELY it didn't cost $40 to dispose of. Then I cited a few relevant Oregon laws on the subject. Rental girl got all surly and said she'd have to call me back.

A few minutes later, I got a call asking if they should mail the check, or if I'd like to pick it up. That's right, don't mess with the law nerd biatch. So, I picked it up, and we used our additional $40 to go have pizza with Ryan and Renee (who I'm excited to report has started a blog of her own!) . Then J and I went to Wally World to pick out a couple of movies--Tomb Raider for J and Ghost Town for me. Good times.

I know, it was only $40. But seriously, when I started to feel like I was being scammed, and then thought about all the people who had already probably been scammed and didn't know their own rights as a tenant, it made me really mad, and I knew that I couldn't just let it go.

It Has Come To My Attention...

That the song I posted on Youtube sounds warbled. It doesn't when I play it on my computer, but it does on other computers. Why didn't you guys tell me it sounded funky?! Anyway, it's down. Sorry kiddos. Maybe eventually we'll figure it out.

So Justin going out of town may be off...still not sure.

My Gap pants arrived today, but I haven't had a chance to try them on yet, 'cause I came with J to his band practice. I also haven't had the chance to watch the new episode of Top Chef from last night. LOVE that show.

Anyway. I've been enjoying Post Secret a lot lately. It inspired me to make my own. My heart has been heavy about this one the last few days. Maybe posting this will make me feel better. I doubt it though. It's sort of one of those Catch 22 situations...if I don't say anything, it hurts me, but saves the other person from their feelings being hurt. If I do say something, it will hurt the other person, but make me feel better. So for now, I'll just kinda-sorta say it in an extremely vague manner.

103 and other Things

Bonus points if you get the reference.

I'm really tired. I feel like I just walked in the door and it's already 9 something. The good news is that we received our rent refund today--$610 of the $650, which isn't bad, though I did leave a message for the company because they said the $40 was for a "left behind table on the porch". Um, we have our table, and when I turned in the keys, there was nothing on the porch. Anyway, the moral of the story is that coupled with my paycheck, which was bigger than expected, and all the overtime Justin has gotten and will be getting this month, we'll likely be getting a DSLR camera this month! Yay!

I also have some other exciting news, but I'm not at liberty to share just yet. And no, it's not what you think.

Anyway, I was looking through some old band photos today...the band has been asked to allow a song of theirs to be on a CD that benefits a hospital in Uganda, which is pretty awesome. I wish that I could post it on here, but you can only do video. Maybe I'll figure something out. Anyway, I needed to submit a picture with the song for the CD booklet. Let me tell you, it is HARD to find a picture where at least one person isn't making a stupid face. Out of countless pictures I've taken, there were maybe two usable ones where every member was in the picture and looked normal. Anyway, I did come across a couple of good pictures though...

I think Ryan looks like a rockstar in this picture. Someday, if I ever do photography for real, this is so going in my portfolio.

This one was right before moving a concert inside due to weather. I've always thought it was kind of a cool picture.

Like I said...silly.

Cute Hubs. This one looks like a vintage action to me, but it's straight out of the camera.

Quick Update

Apparently, there's virtually no place in town that has free wi-fi anymore. What's with that?

So, I only have time for a quick update before I have to take Justin to work. I've been going to the gym between dropping him off at 7 and when I have to be at work at 9. I've also been catching up on some reading. I've gotta tell you though--after all those years of rowing, I am NOT a morning person. I know that waking up at 5:45am is not that early in the grand scheme of things, but it feels like torture to me.

The headache is back. Lucky me.

Bible Study was fantastic last night--though I'll be honest, I'm not sure that the content matters much at all. It's just nice to have hope that J and I might actually have friends our age again someday. It was hard to go--K ended up with strep throat, and James had a meeting for his India trip, so we had to walk into it all by ourselves. But everyone was very welcoming and kind. We knew two of the couples (James' brothers and their wives) so that helped. Next week, I'll probably go alone since Justin has to work, but you know what? I think I will.

I am so ready for it to be the weekend--but also so not, because it may mean not seeing Justin for awhile. Still, there are great opportunities for him, both monetarily, and in terms of a possible promotion, and so I'm absolutely trying to support him (and respect! I keep forgetting about the respect!) 100%, even if it isn't the thing that makes me most happy in the world.

Love & Memories

I've had that song stuck in my head all day...anyway...

- The migraine is finally mostly gone. Wahoo! If it weren't for the fear of waking up with a hangover headache, I'd go for celebratory drinks!

-Tonight, J and I are going with James and Karla to a Bible Study called Love & Respect. While I really love the Simply Faith Bible Study, Justin's band is practicing again on Thursday nights, AND Megan is moving in March--the last thing I need right now is to get attached to something else that's just going to be leaving/ending. I hear that this group is young married couples and young families. I'm totally excited for it.

-Sunday, J is going out of town for a week. On one hand, I HATE being home alone. Especially since I know none of our neighbors. On the other hand, he will be making some SERIOUS money while he's up in Washington, which will be fantastic in terms of contributing to the camera fund, among other things. And since he's given a per diem for food and such, it will actually cut down significantly on food costs.

-Went to the gym this morning, which will become a regular occurance this week since I'm dropping J off at work. Man, it still KILLS my knee to do much of anything. My dang coaches ingrained in my head during high school the idea that if you're not drop-dead tired after a work out, you didn't really work out. So I sort of have been feeling like my biking is pointless, since I can't go all out yet. But, my heart rate is still well up in the "Fat Burn" zone, so I'm just trying to stick with it for now.

Still goin....

I have been battling with a migriane with sinus headach features since about 3am on Sunday morning. I'm miserable. All I want is for a few hours of my head not pounding. Even my migraine meds haven't done a dang thing. To top it off, I feel totally congested, I've been hacking up a lung (which just makes the headache hurt more), and my neck is all achy. I had a HUGE list of things to get done today, but it doesn't look like I'll be accomplishing much of it at all.

I really should go into town and pick up my paycheck though.

Sunday Song

Today's Sunday song is apparently now an oldie--I was APPALLED to have heard it on the classic rock radio station on my way home from work the other day. Anyway, it's "Say It Ain't So" by Weezer. The very first time I ever met Justin was at a church camping trip. As we arrived, we heard a bunch of people playing this song, and it was one of my favorite songs at the time, so we went over and plopped ourselves on the picnic table to listen to them play the song. It turns out that it was Justin and his brother Ryan that were playing the song. I think they thought we were nuts, and basically didn't say a word to us the entire time. I'm not even sure that Justin even remembers me at that campout--his dad made him stay around for all the devotions and whatnot, and we were bad and spent most of our time wakeboarding. Nevertheless, I thought that both Justin and Ryan were completely cute, and they played the guitar, and so as soon as we got down to the boat, I called dibs on BOTH of them, because we weren't really sure who was my age (I actually thought Ryan was the one that was my age), or which one I'd like more once we actually got to talking.

After that meeting, I became friends with Stump. I already knew Stump's cousin James (yes, the one that's dating Justin's sister), so it just made sense. Pretty soon, Stump and Justin became best friends, and I started hanging out with Justin pretty frequently. We were friends for probably three years, and he displayed NO interest in being anything more than friends. Several months before we were set to go on a youth group trip to Orlando together, he emailed me out of the blue--I had given him my email address MONTHS ago, and he hadn't ever sent me anything. Not even forwards. I was so surprised about the email that I promptly proceeded to drop the black sharpie marker that I was holding in my mouth onto my white comforter. I remember one of my friends asking me why I couldn't get over this guy. I responded, "I don't know." And then was promptly shocked to hear my brain say, "Um, because you could marry this boy." I did NOT have any intention of getting married any time in the near future. I hadn't even had a really serious boyfriend. I tried to push Justin out of my head, accepted entry into a college out of state, and went along with graduating. I was terrified by the prospect that my mind already seemed to think Justin could be something serious--but what if he didn't like me back?

Anyway, on the plane on the way to Orlando, Justin and I were sitting by each other at one point, and he was bopping me or doing some other annoying thing that teenage boys do as a way of flirting, and I grabbed his hand to get him to stop, but neither of us let go, and I thought I was going to have a heart attack, because I SO never get the guy.

A few days later, after conferring with my sister and making sure she was okay with it (how sweet is that?), he asked me to officially be his girlfriend while we were on a carnival ride. I can remember not even a week later, us having a talk about how neither of us were looking for a summer fling--we were looking for something more serious. I cried and cried about going out of state to school, but Justin always promised that he'd wait until I came back home--whether it was after a term, a year, or all four years.

And this is the song that brings it all back.

Justin was acting oddly all day yesterday (he had the day off and I had to work). He finally told me that he was hoping to get the DSLR camera for me, but that the rent refund hadn't arrived, and the reason he was acting strange was that he wanted to surprise me with it. Sweet Justin.

Unfortunately, I'm not really sure that we'll be able to do it even if we do receive the full amount back from our rent deposit. Maybe at the end of the month. It's just that finances are going to be extremely tight this month--the beginning of the month is when almost all of our bills are due, and we'll be dangerously low just after paying bills--like having about $200 left in our checking account. And that's not including the expenses we'll have for gas and food. Luckily, we have a pretty stocked pantry right now, even though we don't have nearly as much meat in the freezer as Justin would like. We DO have a bit in savings, but it's not much, and I really don't want to tap into it unless absolutely necessary since we depleted it quite a bit buying the house.

It's funny though, because after I get paid on the 20th, we'll have plenty of $. Maybe we should just put a portion of the rent refund into savings and buy it at the end of the month when we will have a surplus. The other option would be to find a credit card that would allow no interest for 6 months. But, I'm not sure that we'd even qualify with the mortgage and our fridge, which is already on a no interest no payment Sears CC. Hmmm.

So, maybe no cat...

Tonight, Justin suggested that maybe instead of a cat, we should use the rent refund money to get a DSLR camera. I've been eying the Canon Rebel XS for quite some time. Justin actually wants me to get the next step up at Costco, but I'm not sure that the extra 2MP, 2 points of auto-focus, and half an inch of the LCD viewing screen are worth the extra $200.

I'm not sure how I feel about this--we all KNOW that I've been dying for a DSLR for quite some time. But I also know that things are going to be tight this month monetarily...and his offer to use the refund to get a DSLR is assuming we even receive the full refund. Who knows if we really will. Coming from someone who has a hard time buying things for herself unless they're on sale, it's a bit easier to accept something like a DSLR camera when you have a $10,000 tax refund coming, versus trying to make it work during a regular month. Using the rent refund to buy it makes me nervous. But it would also ensure that I have a DSLR for some upcoming events that would be really awesome to have it for--such as the benefit concert for Habitat for Humanity that Justin's band was asked to play in the next couple of months. I just don't know. I wish I had a money tree!

So moving on to actual photography, Renee is on board with the family pictures on the bed. I'm really excited for those. After we do the normal family shots, I think it might be fun to take a cue from The Pioneer Woman and string up some multi-colored Christmas lights on the windows, wall, or whatever, to get  BOKEH sort of effect:

I think that with the right styling, I could make it look not Christmassy, but I'm not sure. It's probably one of those things that would either look awesome, or be really cheesy :)

It's a new dawn, it's a new day...

Well, we began our New Year's with a tradition called the Polar Bear Swim at a local river. Justin has participated for the last 3 or 4 years--and VERY maturely decided to sit it out since he still hasn't recovered from his bronchitis. I told him on New Year's Eve that I would prefer that he didn't participate this year, but that the decision was his. Yay Justin!

Here's James and Ryan just prior to jumping in the freezing cold lake. I grew up with James, and he's also cousins with Justin's best friend. And as of two days ago when Justin's sister's divorce from her crazy ex-husband was finalized (it's been pending for about two years), I believe that she and James are officially dating.

Ryan apparently thought it was cold...I'm SURE it was.

Justin and I watching. Excuse the greasy gross hair...we crashed at J's parent's house the night before and didn't have clothes, hadn't showered, etc.

Logan has learned how to say "cheese" for the camera. And now he does it ANY time he sees a camera. Too cute.

After that, we headed home. What I SHOULD have done today (since I'm not lucky enough to have tomorrow off) is laundry. However, apparently doing laundry on New Years Day means that in the next year, I loved one will be "washed away"...i.e. killed. I'm not usually one for superstitions, but I just decided not to chance it. So instead, I finally went through my closet and took out all the things that didn't fit, J accidentally shrunk in the wash, etc. If you remember, I took two HUGE bags of clothes to Goodwill not too long ago, and I also gave away a box to a single mom that I work with. Today, I cleared out two more apple boxes worth of clothes. I called Renee to see if she wanted to look through them before I took them over to Goodwill. She's shorter than I am and also much skinnier, so she lucks out when J or I accidentally shrink my clothes. I think she ended up with about a box of stuff, and I'm excited--I LOVED a lot of the things, and I'm just happy that someone might actually get some use out of them instead of having them sit in my closet and never be worn. That said, I still have an almost full closet and probably five loads of laundry (obviously not all my clothes) to do. What I really think I need to do is to rotate out summer and winter stuff--I keep the same things in my closet all year round.

Anyway, despite all those clothes, I only have two pairs of dress pants for work. Even though money is extremely tight this month (it's our first month actually paying the mortgage payment), J and I were anticipating having to buy me a pair of dress pants at some point this month. When I saw that Gap was having 50% off their dress pants today, we decided to go ahead and do it today so that I could get two pairs out of the deal.

Tomorrow, I'm off to work (BOOOOOO!), and then to the gym afterwords. I went to the gym on Wednesday and did the bike (I'm not sure that I'm up for a spin class yet, but I AM supposed to be biking). It absolutely KILLED my knee. It hurt so bad, and I wasn't even going that hard. Nevertheless, I made it through 30 minutes. My goal for tomorrow is 45. We'll see.

I Heart Books

I'm a total bookworm. Always have been, always will be. Here's a list of what I've read these past few years, along with links to my reviews where applicable. You can find more about my current system for reviews here. I hope you find a book or two to try out, and I *ALWAYS* love to hear your recommendations!

What I Read in 2016

1. Written in My Own Heart's Blood by Diana Gabaldon 

2. Wonder by R.J. Palacio 

3. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah

4. The Family by Marissa Kennerson 

5. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant 

6. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield 

7. Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore 

8. The Love That Split the World by Emily Henry 

9. The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey 

10. All Fall Down by Jennifer Weiner 

11. Bread & Wine by Shauna Niequist 

12. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling 

13. Sweetwater by Roxana Robinson 

14. Swim Back to Me by Ann Packer 

15. For the Love by Jen Hatmaker 

16. Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff 

17. The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle 

18. My Name Is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout 

19. The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney 

20. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas 

21. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas 

22. Modern Lovers by Emma Straub 

23. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline 

24. Dark Matter by Blake Crouch 

25. The Vacationeers by Emma Straub 

26. Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng 

27. Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas 

28. Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas 

29. Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas 

30. Today Will Be Different by Maria Semple 

31. Truly, Madly, Guilty by Liane Moriarty 

32. Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas 

33. Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas 

34. The Hopefuls by Jennifer Close 

35. The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon 

What I Read in 2015

1. Revival by Stephen King 

2. The Children's Crusade by Ann Packer  

3. The Bullet by Mary Louise Kelly  

4. Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King  

5. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel  

6. Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty  

7. Life After Life by Kate Atkinson  

8. The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion  

9. Hugo & Rose by Bridget Foley  

10. Housebreaking by Dan Pope 

11. The Dinner by Herman Koch 

12. Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave 

13. Inked by Eric Smith 

14. Bright Side by Kim Holden 

15. The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood 

16. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins 

17. The Martian by Andy Weir 

18. Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll

 What I Read in 2014
1. Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Solan  
2. A Million Little Ways by Emily P. Freeman  
3. Sisterland by Curtis Sittenfeld  
4. The Butterfly Sister by Amy Gail Hansen  
5. The Engagements by J. Courtney Sullivan
6. The Here and Now by Ann Brashares  
7. The House at the End of Hope Street by Meena van Praag
8. The Secret Lives of Dresses by Erin McKean  
9. Cutting Teeth by Julia Fierro  
10. The Book of Jonah by Joshua Max Feldman  
11. We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler
12. The Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
13. The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout  
14. The Circle by Dave Eggers
15. What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
16. The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion

What I Read in 2013

1. The Wife's Tale by Lori Lansens

2. The Silent Land by Graham Joyce 

3. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L'Engle 

4. Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay  

5. The Giver by Lois Lowry 

6. What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman 

7. Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn  

8. And When She Was Good by Laura Lippman  

9. Wicked Girls by Alex Marwood  

10. Stella Bain by Anita Shreve 

11. The Deepest Secret by Carla Buckley  

12. The Book of Secrets by Elizabeth Joy Arnold  

13. The Bear by Claire Cameron 

14. Where'd You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple  

15. The Lover's Dictionary by David Levithan 

16. The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

17. The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton

What I Read in 2012
#1- What Women Fear: Walking in Faith that Transforms by Angie Smith
#2- The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
#3- Legend by Marie Lu
#4- Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
#5- The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown
#6- Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs
#7- Maine: A Novel by J. Courtney Sullivan
#8- House Rules by Jodi Picoult
#9- Diary of A Mad Fat Girl by Stephanie McAfee
#10- The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
#11- The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
#12- Pure by Julianna Baggott
#13- You're Already Amazing by Holley Gerth
#14- Once Upon A Time, There Was You by Elizabeth Berg
#15- The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
#16- The Replacement Wife by Eileen Goudge
#17- You Have No Idea by Vanessa Williams and Helen Williams
#18- The Passage by Justin Cronin
#19-The First Husband by Laura Dave
#20- The Last Policeman by Ben H. Winters
#21 Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James
#22- 11/22/63 by Stephen King
#23-Insurgent by Veronica Roth
#24- Gold by Chris Cleave
#25- The Understory by Pamela Erens
#26- Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
#27- Bee Season by Myla Goldberg
#28- Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Stout

What I Read in 2011
#1- Voyager by Diana Gabaldon
#2- The Unnamed by Joshua Ferris
#3- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
#4- Master Your Metabolism by Jillian Michaels
#5- The Story Jar by Deborah Bedford, Angela Elwell Hunt, and Robin Lee Hatcher
#6- Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon
#7-The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson
#8- Heaven Is For Real by Todd Burpo
#9- The Freak Observer by Blythe Woolston
#10- The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson
#11- The Last Time I Saw You by Elizabeth Berg
#12-Under the Dome by Stephen King
#13- Midwives by Chris Bohjalian
#14- The Fiery Cross by Diana Gabaldon
#15- Posh by Lucy Jackson
#16- Rescue by Anita Shreve
#17- A Jane Austen Education by William Deresiewicz
#18- The Fates Will Find Their Way by Hannah Pittard
#19- Little Bee by Chris Cleave
#20- If I Stay by Gayle Forman
#21- Man of My Dreams by Curtis Sittenfeld
#22- A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
#23- Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
#24- Belong to Me by Marisa de los Santos
#25- What Happened To Goodbye by Sarah Dessen
#26- A Breath of Snow and Ashes by Diana Gabaldon
#27- Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
#28-The Kid by Sapphire
#29- Pretties by Scott Westerfeld
#30-The Girl Who Fell From The Sky by Heidi Durrow
#31- These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf
#32- Room by Emma Donoghue
#33- Bitter in the Mouth by Monique Truong
#34- Slow Love by Dominique Browning
#35-An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon
#36- The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood
#37- 31 Days to Clean- Having a Martha House the Mary Way by Sarah Mae
#38-The Bake-Off by Beth Kendrick
#39- The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
#40-Food Rules by Michael Pollan
#41 Sweethearts by Sara Zarr
#42- Friendship Bread by Darien Gee
#43-Dogs of Babel by Carolyn Parkhurst
#44-Love at First Bark by Julie Klam
#45- In the Woods by Tana French
#46- The Likeness by Tana French
#47-Faithful Place by Tana French
#48-Little Face by Sophie Hannah
#49-Girls in White Dresses by Jennifer Close
#50- Matched by Allyson Condie
#51- Divergent by Veronica Roth
#52- Lunch Wars by Amy Kalafa

What I Read in 2010
#1- A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
#2- The Weight of Water by Anita Shreve
#3- The Myth of You and Me by Leah Stewart
#4- The Pilot's Wife by Anita Shreve
#5- Talk Before Sleep By Elizabeth Berg
#6- The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingslover
#7- Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
#8- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
#9-Island of Lost Girls by Jennifer McMahon
#10- The Boy In The Striped Pajamas by John Boyne
#11- The Next Thing On My List by Jill Smolinski
#12- Blue Shoe by Anne Lamott
#13- The Help by Kathryn Stockett
#14- The Girls by Lori Lansens
#15-Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
#16- Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger
#17- Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
#18- A Wedding in December by Anita Shreve
#19- Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
#20 The Host by Stephenie Meyer
#21- Never Tell Our Business to Strangers: A Memoir by Jennifer Mascia
#22- Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
#23- Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
#24- The Wednesday Sisters by Meg Waite Clayton
#25- Dragonfly In Amber by Diana Gabaldon
#26- Hector and the Search For Happiness by Fracois Lelord

Brief Reviews prior to 2010:
The Year of Pleasures by Elizabeth Berg
Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
Confessions of a Counterfeit Farm Girl by Susan McCorkindale
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
A Blessed Event by Jean Reynolds Page

The Kiddos

{A go-to, one-stop shop for all things pregnancy, baby, postpartum, and kiddo related}

Lizzy's Pregnancy

The Baby Question Post  |14 weeks | 15 weeks | 16 weeks | 17 weeks|  A scare | 18 weeks | 19 weeks  | 20 weeks | 21 weeks | 22 weeks  | 23 weeks  | 24 weeks | 25 weeks  | 26 weeks | 27 weeks | 28 weeks | 29 weeks | 30 weeks | 31 weeks | 32 weeks | 33 weeks | 34 weeks | 35 weeks | 36 weeks | 37 weeks | 38 weeks | 39 weeks | Elizabeth Grace | More Lizzy | One Week After  |Adventures with Sleeping Justin | Four Weeks Postpartum | Six Weeks Postpartum | Eight Weeks Postpartum | One Year Postpartum | After Insanity

Letters to Lizzy

One Month | Two Months | Three Months | Four Months | Five Months | Six Months | Seven Months | Photo A Week: 1-32 | Eight Months | Nine Months | Ten Months | Eleven Months | Twelve Months | Thirteen Months | Fourteen Months | Fifteen Months | Sixteen Months | Seventeen Months | Eighteen Months | Nineteen Months | Twenty & Twenty-One Months | Twenty-Two & Twenty-Three Months | Twenty Four Months

Pregnancy #2

Blessed & Thankful | 9 weeks | 10 weeks | 11 weeks | 12 & 13 weeks | 14 weeks | 15 weeks | 16 weeks | 17 weeks | 18 weeks | 19 weeks | 20 weeks | 21 weeks | 22 & 23 weeks | 24 weeks | 25 & 26 weeks | 27 weeks | 28 weeks | 29 weeks | 30 & 31 weeks | Thinking About Having A Baby...Again | 32 weeks |

PR

I'm thrilled that you're potentially interested in advertising or partnering with La Buena Vida! 

My little corner of the internet may not be breaking any records for monthly page views, but it does have a loyal following of amazing men and women who come here because of the real conversations and the community--don't miss out on them!

In the past, I have been blessed to be able to work with a select few brands to produce occasional reviews and giveaways here on my blog. If you're looking for a guaranteed good review, I'm not your girl. But if you're looking for thoughtful and honest reviews that your buyers can trust, let's talk. Email me any time at labuenavidablog@gmail.com

Sample Reviews, Giveaways, and Sponsored Posts

Dove Conditioner

Fairhaven Health Belly Butter

Dayspring Love Came Down Products

Lee Jeans

I especially love to review books! Here's just two examples:

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Better Homes & Gardens New Decorating Book

 For a complete list of book reviews, please click {here}. 

Photography

The fall of my junior year in high school, I wanted to take yearbook as an elective, but my last name was at the end of the alphabet, and by the time it was my turn to register for classes, it was full. Like always. The only electives left? Metal Shop and Photography. I had zero desire to be in photography--who wanted to mess around with chemicals and be in the dark room? Not me....but I didn't have a choice. 

Much to my surprise, I loved everything about it. I loved the ancient old Pentax camera with film that I had to wind myself. I loved spending hours at a time in the darkroom, watching the images slowly develop before my eyes. So, for every semester after that until I graduated, I became the photography TA.

Then, I went to college. I'd mentioned to my advisor that I was thinking of minoring in photography, and somehow he pulled some strings and got me into a full upper division photography class. And then, I somehow acquired a work-study job running the darkroom. And the rest is history...

I still love film photography, and have almost a complete darkroom stashed out in our garage...but I just don't have the time for it anymore, and have almost exclusively made the switch to digital. 

I'm not a pro, and I don't have a fancy $5000 camera, but I love taking photos all the same. It helps me remember the beauty and blessings, even in the mundane. I don't think YOU need to be a pro or have a super-fancy camera to take great photos either...let's learn together. 

{Note: Photography has taken a bit of a backseat in my life lately, which I'm really bummed about! I'm hoping to start re-introducing photography tutorials here on my blog soon, but in the meantime, here's a few to get you started...}

Tips, Tricks, and Tutorials

The Starter Camera Bag

Choosing a Photographer for Your Family
The 50mm Lens & Portraits
This Will Rock Your Socks: Using Your 50mm Lens as a Makeshift Macro Lens

Lens Flare/Backlit Photo Tutorial

Year in Review...

Well, 2008 has been quite a year, so I thought that maybe I'd do a Pictorial Year in Review.

In January, Payton was very excited by the snow

In February, we took my parent's German exchange student to the beach, taught her to play softball on the sand, and went to a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant that served the biggest bacon cheeseburger known to man. I ordered the "small".

In March, Renee and I showed up to hang out wearing EXACTLY the same outfit.

In April, J and I finally went on our very belated Honeymoon.

In May, we had a reunion with Kait and Jesse. We went out to dinner at our usual spot. Justin and Kait like the same desserts and Jesse and I like the same desserts, so we swap spouses for dessert (no Lisa, not like THAT). The waitress had no idea how to split the bill because she didn't know who was married to who. That's how you know you have good friends. And PS--I hated my hair at this in-between length most of all!

In June, we drove to Table Rock and hiked it. I didn't think about the fact that I might DIE because of my allergies. Still, pretty incredible.

In July, Lisa and I were reunited at a Mariner's game. And I met Lars. And I totally approve.

In August, we finally got the chance to wakeboard.

In September, we discovered a BBQ place that's to DIE for. And cheap, and they have live music!

In October, I had my first photography gig, and I got to do Kelsey's senior pictures.
In November, we bought our first house. Here we are looking like scrubs after painting all day.

In December, Megan, Kaitlin, and I sang the "Squirrley, Squirrley, Shake your bushy tail" song.

Overall, it was a great year. But as always, I'm sure the best is yet to come! Have a happy and safe New Year's everyone!

My lovely knee.

Is now in a huge freaking brace. As you can see, even my lounge pants don't really fit over the damn brace. My work slacks DEFINITELY don't fit over the brace (lucky me, they're letting me wear nicer yoga pants while I have to wear the brace). And it freaking hurts more to wear the brace than it did before I went it.

The injury isn't likely fixable by surgery. The doctor commented, "I've never seen anything like this before!" If only I had a dollar for every time a doctor had uttered that phrase to me. Appendix in the wrong place, scar tissue where I hadn't had surgery, strange reaction to anesthesia, incurable cough. Doctors always seem puzzled by me.

To add insult to injury, the doctor also said, "While I've never seen anything pop like yours does, even in a brace, the overall injury is common in rather large girls with wide hips." I seriously almost cried. I think he probably was referring more to height with the "rather large" comment, as he then said that this is the injury that female basketball players over 5'10" have 9 times out of 10 (and I am over 5'10"), no girl likes to be called "rather large". Additionally, I'm a little sensitive to the weight that I've gained in the last 3-4 months since I haven't been able to move much with the knee injury. However, the doctor gave me the okay to go spinning again (though I don't know that I'd be able to wear the brace while I'm spinning--it doesn't give much range of motion), so hopefully I'll do that tomorrow.

Just Another Manic Monday

Wooooaaaahhhh oh Woaaaaaahhhhh.

-1 I learned a new knitting stitch. It's called horizontal herringbone. I'm making a scarf for my momma out of it right now, and I have to say, my yarn (purple, blues, and teal) is much prettier. I just must figure out how to do a border on the next one, since the edges are a little uneven for my liking. Anyway, this is a big accomplishment for me because it's the first thing I've done that isn't just some variation of knit, purl. It's the first stitch I've done that made me bust out a knitting dictionary to find out what s1, wyif, kftb meant. It's like learning texting language all over.

2- I got up way too early for my ortho appointment. I can't go back to sleep though because if I set my alarm for 8am, it won't go off until TOMORROW at 8am, even though it isn't 8am yet today. Once it's gone off once in a day, it won't go off until the next day. Unless you're my hubby hitting snooze 100 times.

3- Ryan told me yesterday that he doesn't think I want a cat, he thinks I want a baby, and I'm just hoping that a cat may tide me over. He thinks this because I haven't ever talked about wanting a cat before, which I haven't, though I have wanted one since we've been in the apartment. Still, his assertion may have some merit of truth in it. But the fact of the matter is that we can't afford to live on Justin's salary alone, and judging by the history of really difficult pregnancies in my family, I feel like we can't consider being put on bedrest a remote possibility like most couples would--it's a REAL likelihood. I know, as J always tells me, if we wait until we can afford to have kids, we'll never have kids. But, I'd still like to go into it having some sort of a plan where income minus expenses might realistically allow us to break even.

4- My allergies SUCK today. BAH HUMBUG!

Thoughts & Sunday Song

J and I watched the documentary "Jesus Camp" tonight. I had watched part of it in my Sociology of Religion class, but had never finished watching it. I found it on YouTube, so I decided to finish it. I asked Justin to watch it with me because I wanted some feedback from him about the movie. At first, he had a few comments about how "that's kind of cool". I remember having the same feelings. But soon, he started having the intensely negative reaction that I remember having when I saw the movie for the first time. It's just so ODD to watch a group of people who classify themselves as being the same religion that I would classify myself (albeit different sects), behave so completely differently than I would. To say things, justifying them through faith, that I would never say. Personally, I have strong feelings about evangelism, and do not believe that evangelism should happen the way that it does in this movie. I also believe that just because I'm a Christian, I don't have to denounce the idea of global warming, as individuals in this movie suggest. They CAN co-exist. I do not believe that CHILDREN (nor anyone for that matter) should be forced to publicly confess their sins. Yes, confess your sins, but confess them in your heart, not publicly. And I'm sorry, but I absolutely do not believe that praying over and then compelling a bowling ball to make a strike before bowling is necessary.

Towards the end of the movie (the part that I had missed), they show Ted Haggard giving a sermon regarding the evils of homosexuality off his Palm Treo at his home church. He made several completely inappropriate comments during his sermon to the camera-man, including, "I know what you did last night. Give me $1000, and I promise not to tell your wife." Justin didn't immediately pick up on the irony of those comments, but when I told him that Ted Haggard has since admitted to his own homosexuality AND purchasing crystal meth (I know that he claims he didn't actually use it, but judging by the change in his facial structure, I'd beg to differ), J became pretty irate.

For me, the part that's so difficult about this whole thing is that for many, this movie is a portrayal of Christians, as a whole. I know that many people in my Soc. of Religion class didn't know or understand that the people profiled in the movie were a fairly extremist, though growing, sect of Christianity. And I'm sure that this movie repelled many a person from Christianity. Hell, it repelled ME, and I AM a Christian. Ugh.

So, without further adieu, the Sunday Song for this week is "Instead of A Show", by Jon Foreman. Now, I know that I just did a song by Switchfoot last week, and that's kind of ironic since I haven't been listening to Jon Foreman (who is the lead singer for Switchfoot) OR Switchfoot much recently. But, the lyrics to this one particular song kept popping into my head while watching "Jesus Camp". Taken from Isaiah 1:11-17 (A Message for Rebellious Judah), the lyrics say, "I hate all your show. Away with your noisy worship. Away with your noisy praise. I stop up my ears when you're singing them, I hate all your show. Instead, let there be a flood of justice."

This particular sentiment flies right in the face of what those in the movie portrayed. In fact, one little girl who appeared to be 9 or 10 suggested that God doesn't like to visit quiet churches. He only likes to visit churches where the worshipers are loud and 'on fire'--where people lift up their hands to praise Him. Sigh.

I might throw up.

J is currently cooking eggs, and it is the most gawd-awful smell I have ever smelled in my life. I seriously want to throw up. I was going to go in and cook some rice for dinner, but I think I might have to wait awhile.

Justin said that if the Twilight Cat is still available for adoption when we receive our rent refund, I can adopt her. I should really contact the shelter and find out what the cost of the adoption is for her. My only concern is where I'd put the litter box...there isn't really room in any of the bathrooms, and we don't have a pantry or utility room or anything like that. My parents don't even have a litter box because the cat wanders in and outdoors so often. I always worry that the cat will get outside and just try to go back to its old home.

I feel terrible today. Serious sinus and allergy crap going on. I just want to go to sleep...but that's already what I've been doing on and off all day.

I think that I might fast tomorrow. I feel like my stomach was stretched over the holiday, and I'm eating more than I really need to because I don't feel FULL otherwise. I remember doing the 30-hour famine for church, and I was always amazed at how in-tune it made me to the different stages of hunger--hunger twinges don't necessarily mean that I need to feast. It's okay if I let myself get really hungry before I eat. I also remember how much smaller my stomach seemed the day after the 30-hour famine. Suddenly, the "correct" portion sizes actually satisfied me. Still, I don't want to deprive my body of important nutrients, so I may consume some V8 Splash in the morning or eat Emergen-C packets through the day. I don't know...maybe I'll wait until Tuesday. In a lot of ways, I find it much easier to fast during the work week, opposed to the weekend.

Oh, and also...

I am SERIOUSLY trying to convince J to let me adopt this sweetie. He said that he almost got me a kitten for Christmas, but I don't want ANY kitten, I want THIS kitten. Who is adorably named Twilight, and is just waiting to be brought home from the shelter. Seriously, I am in love with this darling sweetie.




I'm still wishin', hoping, and praying for our rent refund check to arrive soon--though I know it probably won't arrive until the last possible day they have to return it to us--the 10th of January. Especially since they haven't re-rented our unit. But it would be an AWFULLY nice late Christmas present if it were to arrive early.