Sunday, January 31, 2010

28 is great!

28 is great! I guess I'm partial because everyone has been telling me how young I look. I just feel good about 28. I'm probably the happiest I've been in a while. I'm married to the man of my dreams. I have two beautiful dogs. I have a wonderful life! I feel like everything is coming together as well. Mr. Soup is in grad school, so only one more year of being poor. He just got promoted to case manager at his job, so things are really looking up. I have an awesome student teacher and I love my students! I've just been enjoying life a lot lately. I'm really proud of myself for working out consistently. I don't go out much anymore, so it's not tempting to drink as much, but I've really cut down drinking wine. Mr. Soup and I have become Justin.tv addicts. I think we could watch The Office reruns on Justin.tv non-stop!
It's been an awesome birthday week! It's also been a very busy week. On Sunday I went to church and went out to lunch with the twenties n' thirties group (TNT). It was really fun to meet new people and feel more a part of my church. On Monday night, I attended my first ladies' Bible study. Again, another awesome experience. I'm really excited to be part of this amazing group of women. We have some exciting events coming up. Tuesday was my birthday. Mr. Soup had grad school, so I spent most of the evening opening gifts by myself (lame) and then I went to spin class with my friends Kristin and Melanie. Mr. Soup called me when spin ended because he got out of class early, so we went out to eat as we planned. So good to have time just to be out and enjoy each other's company.
Yesterday I went to dinner with some friends from work and my good friend Christina. There were supposed to be more people, but with the cold weather lots of people ended up sick. It was still awesome especially since KU beat K-State!!!!!
Okay, so I felt like Mr. Soup and I had talked the home-buying conversation to death. However, we have officially decided to start looking for homes and we *hope* to buy a house by May. We recently learned of some new homebuyer programs that we qualify for since I'm a teacher and he's in graduate school. We have been generously blessed with financial help for our down payment from family, so we hope to get everything worked out this week and start looking. Plus, our dream starter house was lowered by $5,000. so that's a sign, right? So, please keep us in your thoughts. This is all new to us, but so exciting.
This upcoming week will be busy as well. I am going out to eat with some friends on Tuesday night in Uptown, hopefully meeting with a realtor, and on Sunday we will root on the Saints (well I will root for the Saints and Mr. Soup will root for the Colts) in the superbowl! WHO DAT!

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Brad & Angelina break up and other world events....

Personal Updates first:
Murad has dropped 20 lbs. I went to the doctor on Monday and I've lost two pounds. Despite my crying about my weight gain, my doctor said my weight isn't a problem at all, but still. We all want to look better, right?
We found a really cute home for rent. It's perfect....4 bedrooms, 2 bath, 2 car garage, 2 living rooms. However, I'm thinking we shouldn't rent. I just think we'd be throwing away a ton of money when we could save for a house. Nevertheless, I won't hide my eagerness to get out of this apartment. I know next year is a better time to buy since Mr. Soup will be done with grad school and earning a full salary. Also, Mr. Soup is going to look for jobs in Kansas City and Dallas. Either one would be an ideal choice. We have friends and family in Kansas/Missouri and we've built a great life here in Dallas. So it's better to wait to know exactly where we'll be.
I know I have to be patient and continue to save $$$. One thing we have decided to do is expand our search in Dallas. Homes in Richardson are nice, but really small; some less than 2000 sq. feet. I worry that we'd outgrow it in a couple of years, especially since we want to have children soon. We decided to look north. McKinney is too far. Plano: hell no. We're considering Allen. It's far north, but it wouldn't be a bad commute. The homes are larger and compare in price to Richardson. So for now we have a couple of neighborhoods in Richardson/N. Dallas narrowed down and we'll add some in Allen to our list as well.
okay, so I chopped off inches yesterday. My hair had just gotten so long and unhealthy. I never really had a hair style and as a result my hair had no shape. I like the new hair cut, it's just hard to get used to right away. I'm used to running my fingers through long hair that falls past my shoulders. Now it's at my chin. I'm sure no one will mistake me for a sixteen year old anymore! That is okay. I'm learning to embrace getting older. I'm actually excited to turn 28 on Tuesday. My life is wonderful and I only have good things to look forward to as we grow older.
World Events:
Brad & Angelina? This doesn't really affect my life except for the fact that now Murad and I are America's cutest couple. We're eager for the paparazzi to start invading our lives, star in movies, earn millions, vacation all over the world, etc.
Conan? I can't believe all the drama that went along with that. I didn't watch his last episode (I wish I would've), but I'm sad to see him go.
Haiti- I watched part of the concert for charity on Friday. I am overwhelmed by the way Americans are pouring out support. I've even heard that some people are looking to adopt some of the orphaned children. What a blessing!! I urge everyone to lend their support in any way.
The Scott Roeder trial began this past week. It was very surreal watching members of my home congregation in Wichita, KS testify as witnesses. It was hard to watch them relive the day that evil man walked into our church and killed one of our parishoners. I saw glimpses of Dr. Tiller's family on television as well. The were crying and looking down as they replayed images of Dr. Tiller's body being taken from our church. I can only hope that God gives them the strength to get through the trial and that justice is served in this matter.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

everything is coming into place...sorta

okay, so I'll update the resolutions first. Mr. Soup has lost 9 lbs and counting. He's been running 5 days a week and consuming delicious, nutritious meals from mwa! I haven't weighed myself, but Mr. Soup told me that my butt is a lot firmer. "It's not as jiggly as it usually is." Thanks! I've worked out twice this week which means I need to fit in a work-out today. This week we ate soup, chicken croissant casserole, turkey tacos and salads. However, I did go to Happy Hour, so that day as a loss.

We are kind of behind on planning our cruise. We both have to get new passports. I'm lucky that I can just send my old one end with my marriage certificate. We were kind of relaxed on getting passports because you technically don't need one for a cruise, but in the event of an emergency it would be best to have one. So at first we werent' going to get passports, but then we decided (like yesterday) to get them.

Mr. Soup has two job offers! This is awesome because it will allow him to still go to school full-time, do his practicum, and not work weekends. Either one will be a huge pay raise as well. He hopes to be able to go visit Abby at least once a month now. I think this will have a huge effect on her. She will be so excited to see her daddy more regularly.

So, everything seems to be coming in place....but his graduate school still has not received his transcript from undergrad. So, right now he's not eligible for financial aid. I'm confident everything will work out for the best. They haven't dropped him from his classes and he's done everything else like he should've. I hate how everything is not in his hands, but what can he do?

Monday, January 11, 2010

New Year's Resolutions

Okay, so I did pretty well last week.
-I worked out 4 times last week
-we didn't eat a Veggie meal last week, but we did have two extremely veggie-filled meals:
--turkey-spinach meatloaf
--ground turkey spaghetti with zuchini, red pepper and red onions
We did treat ourselves this past weekend. We went to a watch party at my friend Christina's house and pigged out. We also had McDonald's yesterday (there goes our fast food for the month!). I haven't weighed myself, but I doubt I lost any weight. In fact, I know I didn't. My legs still feel huge even though my stomach and arms are more tone. I guess I need to work on my legs more. I've been doing the stairs and elliptical everyday in addition to some light arm weights, so we'll see!
Okay so this week:
I made Chicken-Spinach Pesto Soup yesterday. Today we had Chicken Croissant Casserole (low-fat mayo, lite sour cream, fat-free cream of chicken soup, reduced fat crescent rolls, canned chicken, and whatever veggies you want (I usually use mixed veggies and add broccoli) Still need to figure out what we're going to eat the rest of the week and we need a veggie dish this week! Didn't go to the gym today, but I still plan to go Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

half..what does it mean?

I am always intrigued by blended families. I sort of got to be a part of one, but not fully. My grandparents on my mom's side divorced and remarried and my paternal grandmother remarried after my grandfather passed away. As a result, I have more cousins than most people do. In fact, I have quite a few aunts and uncles who have divorced and remarried, so you can imagine how large my family is. I have cousins that I've never even met!! I always felt closer to my "bio" or "natural"(if you're into labeling things) family, than my step, partly because it was easier to see that we were related. However, I'm closer to some of my step family members than my natural family members.
At home though, it was just me in my nuclear family. I had my dad, mom, brother and dog. I was secretly envious of my friends who got two Christmases and two birthday parties. However, as a teacher who sees how messy blended families (and some nuclear families) can be, I am grateful that I got to wade in the pond of blended families.
However, I am entering into the deep end of blended families. As Mr. Soup and I prepare for a family our own, I wonder what the relationship will be like between our children and Abby. So far, my family has welcomed her with open arms. My parents love being grandparents. Tonight, I began reading some articles online about "half-sibling" relationships. It is interesting to read about half-siblings. They have such a unique bond. Some are as close as full-siblings (usually those that share a mother) and some are complete strangers (usually those that share a father). My dad had a sister (on his dad's side) who was thirty years older than him. He didn't interact with her until his father died. They kept in touch somewhat, but I don't think my dad ever really thought of her as his "sister." Whereas, Abby and her sister (on her mom's side) are very close. They are three years a part and even though they do not look anything alike, their bond is very apparent. It isn't surprising that those who share a mother are closer than those who share a father. Most children reside with their mother. I just hope this isn't an indicator of our family.
And while we will never make the distinction between full and half siblings in our family, there will be some notable differences: at least a ten-year age gap and different residences. I wonder what Mr. Soup and I can do to nurture the relationship? I have to accept that their relationship may not be exactly what I envision, but I hope there is a bond. Okay, I'll say it. I want there to be a STRONG bond!
I know there will be family vacations, holidays, etc., but what about the everday sibling relationship building? My brother and I are close because we both share common experiences: being nagged at by our mom, breaking important home decorations, unloading the dishes together, fighting over the phone, etc... These things may not be possible with such a large age gap and different addresses.
I guess I'm looking for a model of some sort or instruction guide, but as with life there is none.I do have a glimmer of hope. Mr. Soup has a younger brother (on his mom's side). There is a thirteen year age difference and they did not grow up together. However, they definitely have a strong, brotherly bond. Mr. Soup said when he was younger, he would take his brother with him places (probably to pick up girls =), and he would attend important events for his brother. However, they could bond over playing video games and engage in sibling rivalry when things didn't go in one's favor.
Anyways, I'm including a link to an article I read about half-siblings. It was very insightful. I think this is an area in which psychologists and sociologists could gain more information. Our country is full of blended families and not just from divorce. If we can nurture these relationships and creative positive, healthy family dynamics, we can have such an impact on society. Imagine: emotionally healthy people? ahhh! http://http//www.guardian.co.uk/family/story/0,,2254676,00.html

Saturday, January 2, 2010

Resolutions

Okay, so before I go into my resolution, I want to focus on the things I did well in 2009!
1. Organization - I maintained some very good organization as I taught, planned a wedding and completed graduate school! I also organized our apartment so well that it feels LARGE! Okay, not large, but not tiny!
2. Wedding - uh, need I say more? Our wedding was absolutely the best wedding of the decade!
3. Marriage - Unlike most celebrities (not saying I'm a celebrity!), I've been happily married for 9 months!
4. eating well - in the summer I did an excellent job of preparing more veggie meals into our diet, eliminating fast food and eating smaller portions
Okay, so here it is for the New Year's resolutions:
1. Buy a house! Mr. Soup found a house that we really want to buy. In fact, I'd call it our dream starter house. He's looking for a better job in hopes that we can before the Obama credit expires. However, if we don't, our goal is to have the money for a down payment saved so that we can officially start house-hunting in December 2010. We may not get the dream starter home before April, but I have no doubt that we can find a great home.
2. Eat Well - We will eat two exclusively Vegetarian meals per month. I would say once a week, but I know my husband. I'll start out with two vegetarian meals per month, but try to shoot for four. And when I say vegetarian, I don't mean pasta with no beef or a whole bunch of McDonald's french fries. I mean a meal full of veggies!
3. Eat Well part 2 - eat fast food only once a month
4. Get Fit - I really want to prepare my body for pregnancy. I want to work out 3 + times per week and lose five pounds by December 2010. I know this seems ridiculous, but I need to drop those last few pounds before getting pregnant.
5. Communicate - One issue Mr. Soup and I have in our marriage is communication. We need to communicate better. If we work on this issue, it will help our marriage remain solid. I'm so proud to have a loving, supportive husband who would do anything for me and makes me feel sexy. This one issue can severely hinder our marriage and I would like to nip it in the bud.