I confess...

I confess that I enjoy hearing other people's stories of infertility.  Well, I guess "enjoy" really isn't the right word for the situation.  It's interesting to see and hear how others deal with the situation.  I've never really watched the show about Giuliana and Bill Rancic, but I am aware of their struggles to start a family.  I found this link today and I teared up reading it - especially the video  (Pathetic, I know).  It's nothing crazy special, but it was nice to see someone else say that their marriage is better and stronger because of their struggle.  I wholeheartedly believe that mine and my husband's marriage is stronger because of our journey which is important because so so many couples who struggle with infertility end in divorce.  I hope that their marriage continues to grow stronger in the face of adversity, just like ours has.

Video via Us Weekly

What to Do?

I hereby dedicate this entry to my wonderful husband (also known as my number one blog fan) who often asks that I post more and then complains when I post (too much) about things like the snow.  Well today dear husband, enjoy this entry and let me know what you think!

As I have said before, I have a new found love for YouTube beauty gurus.  I absolutely love watching the videos and learning how to do techniques, especially using products that I already own.  The down side to watching these videos, is that I often find myself wanting to buy everything under the sun (within reason).  While I am growing my love for all things makeup, I'm trying to be reasonable about it.  Would MAC makeup be better quality vs. other brands?  Yes, probably.  Do I have money to run out every other day and buy these products every time a guru raves about them?  No, I do not.  Possibly because I have to be "adult" and pay things like the "mortgage" and "bills".  And I know that these products will last longer because they are of better quality, etc, etc.  I just can't bring myself to spend big bucks on these products either.  (And as a side note, I am NOT judging people who buy these things.  Some people probably would not spend the money I do on purses.  It's just your preferences).  I believe that I can find great deals on drugstore items that work just as well or are good dupes for more expensive things. 

With that in mind, I visited the e.l.f. website tonight.  Which, ok.  That was a mistake.  I started looking around and finding items that I have seen reviewed or mentioned on YouTube.  I decided to put things in my shopping bag just to see how much everything would be.  When I hit checkout, I noticed they were running a deal on their makeup brushes - 50% off.  50% off people!!!  Do you know how much that is?!  That's half off!  So now, I'm sitting here torn.  I have a shopping bag full of 9 items that is totaling out at $18.95 (which includes shipping) and I just don't know if I should pull the trigger.  I don't know why I'm being so batty about it.  That's less than a dollar per item - for makeup!  I know it's not the best quality, but for less than a dollar an item, that's hard to pass up!  There's some cute things in there like this lipstick (shade is Nicely Nude):

via here

I know I sounds like a lunatic worrying about $18, but keep in mind that I started a new job and I won't get paid until February.  So that's a whole loooooooong month.  But this is a sale.  A 50% off sale.  Did I mention that?  Because it's definitely worth mentioning. 

So what say you, husband?  Should I take advantage of this awesome deal that ends on the 17th and who knows when it will ever come around again?  Or should I save my pennies like a good little girl?

And just so we're clear, I'm raving about this sale/products because I want to.  No one paid me or gave me anything.  From what I understand it's a big deal if you don't disclose this or if we don't disclose that you got paid, but because I don't want any scary government agencies coming after me, I'm just going to throw that out there!

Are We Getting Wiser, or Just Older

I'm pretty sure the universe is trying to tell me something, and that something is that I'm old.  Apparently a lot older than I always thought I was.  Allow me to explain...

About a week ago, I was looking at the ads on my Facebook page for funsies, you know just to see how well Facebook knew me.  There was an ad for Delta Zeta memorabilia and then this:

Yeah that's right.  Facebook targeted me for advertising on defective hip replacements.  WHAT?!  Aren't they supposed to use information from you profile to target advertise to you?  Hence the Delta Zeta ads and the fact that I get all kinds of pregnancy ads (because I'm a certain age and married I suppose).  But this?  I was just insulted.  I scoured my profile trying to figure out why I would get this, but the jury is still out on that one.

So life went on and all was well and I decided to write the whole thing off as a funny joke.  Until Saturday afternoon.  I came home from running errands and found the mail sitting on the counter.  I was going through it when I found an envelope with the following letters on it - AARP.  It was addressed to none other than yours truly.  WHAT THE BLEEPITY BLEEP?!  I ran down to the basement where my husband was watching TV and thrust it in his face.  

Me:  What the F is this??
Him: LOLOLOLOLOL Is your card in there too?

I frantically opened the envelope to find:

(Sorry for the crappy cell phone picture.  And don't be jealous of the mad photoshopping skillz.)

Yes, it's true.  I had  have my very own AARP card.   My husband's response?

Him: I have to Facebook this right now.

Thanks, honey.  

In the end, I put this picture on FB and someone suggested that I activate the card and then take it to restaurants and demand for a discount.  Not a bad idea.

What I find just as insulting as actually receiving the AARP card is that it is in my maiden name.  So now no only does AARP think I'm old, they think I'm an old maid.  So I got that going for me too.

Oh universe.  Whatever am I going to with you?

Redemption

So I feel like I should write another entry since my last entry was quite... emotional.  Ugh.  Sorry about that.  I just have a lot of feelings lately and I don't know what it is.  The holidays, maybe?  Whatever it is, it really needs to go away because I'm seriously watching an episode of One Tree Hill and TEARING UP.  I'm so pathetic right now!

MOVING ON

Last night I was in a bad place (clearly) and my husband, not really knowing why I was so crabby, fixed it without even knowing he was fixing my broken heart.  He had just picked up our wedding video that day and so we sat down to watch it together.  It was just what I needed to remind me of how lucky and blessed I really am, even I don't get everything I want. 

So let's back up.  Yes, I did get married three and a (halfish) years ago, and yes, I just saw my wedding video for the first time last night.  Allow me to explain.  Husband and I got married when we were fresh out of college.  I had graduated in December and he had graduated just two months before the big day.  We were quite young and had only been working in the professional world for a few months.  We didn't have tons o' money to be throwing around and neither did our parents.  Our parents really helped out, but we did have to cover a portion of the wedding ourselves.  One of they ways we saved money was by not having a videographer, which quite frankly, is still a decision I am ok with.  Even if we got married now and had tons of money to spend on the affair, I still don't think I would shell out the money to have a professional video.  Sure it's nice to have, but I just don't find it necessary.  Besides, I hate the way my recorded voice sounds. 

Anyway, that was a long drawn out way of saying that my uncle taped the ceremony and parts of the reception for us.  It was on a tape that we couldn't play.  For years, my husband has been begging me to get it converted to DVD and for his birthday I finally did.  So finally, we got to see ourselves get married.  It was sweet. 

After watching the video though I came to the following conclusions:

• I would like to get married again.  Because that?  Was a heck of a good time.
• I was a bit heavier back then.  Not much, but I notice it.  Yick.
• The colors were gorgeous, no?

•  I still hate the way my voice sounds on video.
• I don't recognize some of the people who were at my wedding.  Is that bad?
• I STILL love my wedding cake.

But overall, I noticed how happy and in love we were (and still are).  I was reminded of what it felt like to have our entire future stretch out in front of us and not worry about the good and the bad.  It was a single night in our long past and future - really just a moment in time.  And for that moment our world was perfect, and it still is because no matter what, we still have each other.

Yeah, I think that's just the reminder I needed. 

Better Together

Day Three - Your First Love

Day Three of the 30 Day Challenge is all about my first love.  Are you ready for some sappy corny stuff?  My first love is none other than:

That's right.  My husband is my first/only love.  Sure there were dates and crushes before I started dating my husband, but they all turned out to be... lackluster.  (I really wish that I could insert some few other choice words in that phrase there, but well "being a Christian woman, I can't say it"! )

As I mentioned in my previous post, my husband and I met our sophomore year in high school.  I went to an all girls Catholic high school and he went to the public school down the highway.  We met through mutual friends and I had no interest in him or any of his friends for that matter (sorry husband, but you know this to be true!!).  As time went on, our paths crossed several times and we slowly became the best of friends.  Or so I thought.  Turns out, he had feelings for me.  I continued on being his friend until one day in the summer before our senior year.  I don't know exactly what it was, but suddenly I saw him in a different way and I decided to give him a chance.  To give us a chance. Nine years (nine years???) later here we are. We are a happily married newlywed-ish couple that love spending time with each other.  We are best friends and partners and I really couldn't ask for anything better.

We have had an amazing relationship save for one blip in college where I broke up with him (can you say worst decision ever?).  There are some specifics about that blip that I would rather not delve in to, suffice to say, I made a poor decision, but I did learn where I was meant to be so it can't be all that bad right?  Sometimes I wonder if I should have had other loves in my life, but then I think of all the things I would have missed with my husband I know that things happened the way they were supposed to.  It's the Journey and the Destination, right?

Hopping Right On

In my effort to become a more diligent blogger, I have decided to take on a 30 Day Challenge via: Katie's Journey.  If you want to join it, head over there and let her know!  I think this is going to be fun and I am very excited about it.

The first challenge is to post a picture of yourself and give 15 interesting facts about moi.  Well I can give you 15 facts, but I can't claim that they'll all be interesting per se. 

Me!

Now on to those facts:

1. I got married three years ago on 07.07.07.  Everyone said I was crazy for getting married on "the most popular wedding day ever" but I really didn't have an issue with it.
2. Yes, I have been married for three years and no, I don't have any children.  I am what you would call reproductively challenged.  We are working on it albeit at a snail's pace.
3. I went to school for elementary education, but I don't teach.  And I learn a little bit more everyday that it was the best decision for me.
4. And in the next breath I'm going to tell you that I do actually teach CCD one night a week.  These are Catholic education classes for public school children.
5. I worry.  A lot.  About random things that no one should ever worry about.  Once something has resolved itself I move on to something else to worry about.  It can be quite stressful. 
6. I have an intense fear of vomit.  Enough said.
7. I love pop culture.  LOVE it.  I think this is why I quote movie/TV shows every chance I get. 
8. I am a trivia FREAK.  I know the most random things and I couldn't tell you where I pick it up. 
   Sometimes I think the random information takes up too much information in my brain.  
9. By nature I am shy, until I get comfortable and know you.  Then I don't shut up.  I'm just really bad at the whole small talk thing.  Being in a sorority really helped to bring me out of that shell though.  Who knows how socially awkward I might be otherwise. :-)
10. I spend WAY too much money on purses.  I should really learn to save my money and not buy a million cheap ones and buy one really nice one. 
11. I take a lot of things personally.  Like things that shouldn't be taken personally at all.  I guess I'm just sensitive and have a lot of feelings and emotions.
12. I really enjoy reading blogs - especially Kentucky bloggers, sorority bloggers and others struggling with infertility  (I cringe at how cliche I sound.)
13. I love reading.  There is just something about getting lost in a good book.
14. I met my now husband when I was a sophomore in high school.  We started dating right before our senior year and have been together ever since (let's just ignore that three week period we were broken up in college).
15. I work hard everyday to be just a little bit better of a person than I was the day before.

So there you have it, day one of the challenge is complete!