Green Thumbs?

So, when you buy a house in the fall and move in during the winter guess what remains a total mystery? The yard. The now-overgrown, not well maintained, chaotic mess of a yard.

Lest this get too rant-y, here are the things we really like about our outdoor space:

1. We have a nice deck. It's big enough to accommodate our patio furniture and grill with a little room to spare. It's in pretty decent condition too. A power-washing and re-staining should be all we need to do in the near future. 

2. The flower beds in our front yard. We have two well-established (albeit, overgrown) flower beds on either side of our front stoop (I have a love/hate relationship with that word, btw...stoop. stoop. stoop.) which are currently a disorderly mess of tiger lilies and crazed ground cover. What's great is that they're a good size, plenty of potential for changing up the layout in there and the boundaries are already well-established by pretty classic brick paving stones. 

3. We have a shed. We love our shed. Our shed loves us. Seriously though, we don't have to keep the lawn mower or the smoker or the grill in the garage. Win.

4. Lots of space! For a pretty typical neighborhood lot, we have plenty of open green space. For now, it's main purpose is as room for Arley to roam. We have dreams of a picnic table or even a fire pit, though.  

Here's what we're up against in our battle to achieve yard zen:

1. Random flowers everywhere. It's great that the previous owners planted a ton of perennials. It's not as awesome that they pop up next to the shed, along the fence, in the garden, next to the house, aaaaannnd in the flower beds. 

2. Weeds on weeds on weeds. No one was diligently keeping these rowdy little buggers in their place. We've been waging a weak uphill battle since the spring. It doesn't help that our opponents can grow about a foot overnight. 

3. Dead things. As far as we can tell we don't have zombies (whew). What we do have is a large dead bush in our front yard. I managed to hack the smaller limbs off so we can mow near it, but it still looms are gray and sad at the front of our yard. It's got a date with a chainsaw eventually. 

4. Bald patches. We're not yet old enough to experience these personally. Our yard is not as fortunate, though. Some of them seem to be of the long-term variety while others we acquired when someone else's movers may or may not have backed into our yard as they turned their truck around. Ugh.

This summer hasn't seen a lot of progress in the yard, but now we know what we're up to for next year! Any yard care secrets are very welcome : )

EAPEA #4

Yes, that's right! It's time for another addition of Exceptionally Awesome People of Exceptional Awesomeness!

This time we're singing the praises of fellow Hoosier, John Green. John Green is a social media rock star and a best-selling author. He is half of the massively popular YouTube series, VlogBrothers where he and his brother, Hank make jokes, discuss universal issues of humanness, and support general nerd culture. He will also be seeing his best-selling young adult novel, The Fault in Our Stars (TFIOS, to those in the know) turned into a film! The book was excellent, a great mix of thought provoking questions and teenage sarcasm. While I have unresolved feelings about books (especially those I've enjoyed) being turned into movies, Green has been very vocal on social media about his involvement and approval of this adaptation of his book. He has written several other popular books as well.

But what makes John Green worthy of EAPEA honors? He's a smart, clever, non-obnoxious presence on the internet. As I become more and more removed from teenage culture, I become more and more baffled at who and what are popular in the young people corner of the internet. The only frustration I have with Green is that he didn't have a YouTube channel when I was a teenager. Check him out all over the internet.

A List!

We're currently in Indianapolis for our annual weekend of Indy 500 festivities. Today, the rest of the crew is watching the greatest spectacle in racing while I get some veg time in the hotel giving the blog some much needed attention. First up, a little update on our new house.

So, we've lived in the new place for a few months now and of course, the ideas for making it our own are abundant. Right now changes have been limited to hanging our own pictures, replacing the kitchen appliances, and painting Eric's pale pink office a more studious blue. But what big plans (dream? delusions?) we have! Inspired by one of my favorite blogs, Young House Love, I've made my own personal list of things we'd like to do to this house of ours. Clearly, this is more for my reference than yours, but if you're looking for an explanation when I'm staring off into space. These are likely the things I'm plotting.

Without further ado, here is THE LIST:

Living room:
paint
find art/make something to hang above the couch
add curtains to windows
reface fireplace
add mantle to fireplace
replace light/fan fixture

Dining room:
change light fixture/add one with a ceiling fan
replace screens on windows

Kitchen:
repaint/stain cabinets
paint walls
replace laminate floors with ceramic tile
add an electrical outlet to the island
move the island back a few inches
revamp shelving in pantry cabinets

Hall Bath:
replace linoleum with ceramic tile
paint?
frame in mirror
replace light fixture

Entry:
paint
replace light fixture
paint/stain bannister
replace carpet on stairs

Guest Room:
replace window coverings
fix one window from slamming

Second Bath:
frame in mirror
change light fixture

Offices:
paint
add blinds

Master Bedroom:
paint
change window coverings

Master Bathroom:
take out shelving in closet
install towel hook rack in closet
paint
tile around shower
frame in mirror
replace light fixtures

There you have it. The list we may never finish! I hope to update this as we make progress.

New House Tour Part 2: Less Chaos

So...this is way overdue. Better super late than never? I hope so! Here is what our house is looking like these days. We've lived here a little over a month now and have managed to get a few little things done.

Our individual work areas are coming along. I think they say a lot about us. Here's mine:

Believe it or not, I find all that color and chaos comforting. I love having somewhere designated for all of my school stuff. When piles of binders are toppled over and my backpack's contents have spilled across the floor, I can shut the door and walk downstairs.

Boyfriend though, has a very professional dusty blue and dark wood office. It's sophisticated- even the Rage Against the Machine poster. He's got a menacing bookshelf, heavy with academic miscellany, baseball bobble heads and empty space. Something about not getting distracted, I guess. Huh.

Our guest bedroom is pretty bare, but the bed is made!

The dining room has taken on a multipurpose life much like it had at our old house. The dining room is where more bookshelves go (so many, so many) and where game nights happen, where Boyfriend works when his office won't do, where projects get laid out, and where dinner rarely happens. Here it is:

Our backyard, you ask? We haven't done a single thing...because it has looked like this since mid-January. I know, I know, it's pretty, right? Nope. Three weeks ago it was pretty. Now it's just
a sick joke. Melt.

And because I am that pet owner, here's a cute picture of Arley enjoying our new digs.

Elsewhere!

Quick update: If you just can't get enough of my writing I have wonderful news. I'm blogging for my K-3 Literacy class this semester. It's much different than the writing I do here (academic, coherent, etc.). I discuss articles, books and podcasts about reading and literacy techniques for younger elementary school students. That blog also doesn't include any identifying info (the course requires that we stay anonymous on the web since we're students) which means I'd appreciate if you didn't comment there with a list of everything you know about me. Here's the link.

I do have a couple non-school related posts in the works including a completely out of control list of things we'd like to do to this house while we live here and details about an adventure I had yesterday involving dissecting an old set of curtains for throw pillow fabric! Stay tuned! 

New House Tour Part 1: Chaos

We're officially moved! During finals week last semester we finished (...pretty much started) packing and moved everything to the new house across town. Moving+ finals week= we've had better ideas. Anyway, we survived the moving process with the help of some great friends and a lot of caffeine. We then fled town for the refuge of Kansas City and our families. Who knew that arriving home in an ice storm would be the least of our weather problems this holiday season?

Chapter 2: The Polar Vortex sabotaged our return to Bloomington!
Our original plan was to head back on Sunday but when we found out that I-70 was all snow-covered car accidents, we decided to wait. Tuesday morning we left Kansas City and made it as far as Vandalia, IL before the highway was so icy that we thought better of continuing. Boyfriend, Arley, and I spent the night at the Days Inn in Vandalia. Wednesday we took a little over 6 hours to get from the middle of Illinois to Bloomington. Along the way we saw dozens of cars off the road, overturned semis (one blocking our access back on to I-70 after a coffee stop), a train stopped in an intersection, and beautiful snowy southern Indiana.

But we made it! In the last few days we've made pretty decent progress but it's still pretty crazy around here. Have some evidence of the madness:

There are books on the floor in every room.

Yes, that's a box spring in the living room? Why?

Stay tuned for a more moved-in tour of our progress!

Thanksgiving

Holiday travel season is quickly approaching! Actually, in our house it's more like Get-all-the-projects-and-papers-done-so-we-can-enjoy-the-holidays time. It's a mouthful. On our docket this year: Kansas City and Springfield, MO with a stop in Columbia for Thanksgiving, a nice long Christmas in KC and back to Indiana to move into our new house just after the new year!

Last year, Boyfriend braved Michigan with me and my extended family. It was fantastic. We ate too much, stayed up late making stupid jokes and it snowed! This year it's my turn to tag along for his family's festivities. We're headed to southern Missouri for Thanksgiving day. Boyfriend has a bunch of family there and we'll all be getting together for too much food and carrying on.

We might head back to Kansas City in time to see the Plaza lighting, which, for non-Kansas City residents is the city's official holiday season kick-off. The Plaza is a beautiful shopping district with Spanish architecture and high-end stores. On Thanksgiving night, hundreds, maybe thousands of Kansas Citians buddle up and mill about until a local celebrity flips the switch and row after row of lights outline the Plaza's buildings. It's one of those simple, pretty holiday moments.

The other side of Eric's family will get together on Saturday where the eating and carrying on will continue! Sadly, Sunday it'll be back to Indiana to kick into high gear and finish out the semester. Whew.

I've had a lot of picture-less posts lately. Allow me to remedy that. Here are some randoms I found on my computer. If you just can't get enough, I'm also on Instagram, Feel free to follow along, I'm pinsinthemap.

We made a feast a couple years ago...for two of us. It was awesome.

Boyfriend and I grinning excessively into my phone

Getting excited about the holidays? Trying not to think about it?

Halloween Costumes

Belated Halloween costume photos! Boyfriend was a very....accurate Macho Man Randy Savage. I am proud and a little embarrassed to tell you that I am responsible for adding all that ribbon, fringe, and sequins to that shirt. So. Much. Hot glue. He was the spittin' image. And had the catch phrase down.

My costume was a bit more subdued. Jessie from Toy Story's 2 and 3. I got completely bogged down in getting everything as accurate as possible. I'm obnoxious but if you ever need to borrow a cowgirl shirt, I'm your girl. I was tempted to make Arley a saddle and have her go as a miniature Bulls-eye. Maybe next year.

Speaking of next year, I think we'll have trick-or-treaters at our new house. We've never had trick-or-treaters! Realer posts coming soon!

The Kentucky Bourbon Trail

This is one of a series of posts that mysteriously reverted to draft form. They were actually posted quite a while ago but they're here for now. Sorry about the craziness!


A few weekends ago (sorry for the radio silence, by the way. Life, etc.) we got to go on another little beat-the-winter-blues getaway. Boyfriend's birthday was a couple days ago and as my gift to him I arranged a quick trip to bourbon country. For those without booze nerds in their lives, the Bourbon Trail is a small area of Kentucky where half a dozen or so distilleries are located, included some major national brands like Four Roses, Wild Turkey and Jim Beam. We live just a couple hours away so we headed down to Kentucky on Saturday morning. We would be staying in Frankfurt but there are distilleries in several smaller towns close by.

First up was Four Roses in Lawrenceburg, a unique distillery because of it's Spanish architectural style. The tours for most of these places are free so you need to do nothing more than materialize at the top of the hour. The Four Roses tour starts with a short movie and a little history of the grounds. The coolest part of their tour, though, is being able to walk through the actual processing areas. They don't kid around. There are pans of boiling water to watch out for and massive vats of yeasty mixes. The highlight of these tours for bourbon fans of course, is the tasting and at Four Roses you get to taste three different bourbons. I am not a big bourbon fan but even so it is interesting to try different types back to back.

After Four Roses we checked into our hotel and recharged for the evening. I love trips like this because we had a couple things scheduled but no particular plans in between. We consulted UrbanSpoon to get an idea for dinner options and decided to head to a little place in downtown Frankfurt. Pretty good food, really attentive service- as it was St.Patrick's Day weekend the chef brought out a little of his corned beef for us to try. We also got free birthday dessert and we didn't have to listen to anyone sing! Score! After dinner we had a reservation for the ghost tour at Buffalo Trace.

Arriving at Buffalo Trace, we were both taken by the size of the operation. That place is huge! There are not only processing buildings and a visitor's center but a historic home and a large cabin-style banquet facility that was hosting a wedding when we there. As for the tour, we assumed it would be a mix of campfire style stories about the spooky history of the distillery and bourbon info. We were unaware that a lot of the tour rehashes the episode of Ghost Hunters at the distillery. Even better, some of our fellow tour-goers fancied themselves amateur ghost hunters complete with an app to detect...whatever you try to detect when you think your phone can help you hunt ghosts. So, that was...that. The coolest building in my opinion was the storage facility. Rows upon rows, floors upon floors are filled with barrels of aging bourbon. It was a great little weekend away that ended with my acquiring the stomach flu. Awesome.

Back to normal life now. My birthday is next week! Hooray cake!

We're moving!

We bought a house! In just a few months we will (most likely) never pay rent again! The home search was much more brief than we anticipated. We spent a few days scouring listings online and managed to find two houses we found interesting enough to look at. We made a low ball offer and ba da bing, ba da boom. Homeowners!

The house is just on the other side of town which means this will be Boyfriend and I's first move that does not involve getting new driver's licenses. Since we're in school full-time we're giving ourselves plenty of time to get all of our things moved over. By the new year we will be in our new place! We'll have more space so each of us will have somewhere to put our desks. No more office/dining room!

The house does not have anything major that needs to be done but it hasn't had much updating since it was built in the late 80's. It is generally bland inside and out. This is exciting though because we can out our own mark on the place.

That brings me to some of the resources we will be consulting as we tweak and improve. My parents will be on speed dial, of course, because they have decades of experience taking on DIY projects of all sorts. They are experts at biting off more than they can chew and figuring out how to make it work. I have a sneaking suspicion this skill set will be helpful. Another great resource I will be finally be able to capitalize on is the blog Young House Love. It's a very popular home blog in case you haven't lost several hours to this fantastic family and their amazing taste.

We have plans for projects big and small. Of course we'll have to take silly things like time and budget into consideration. Psh!

Radio Silence

Wow! So, I blinked my eyes and lost two months. This summer has been crazy! I have a weak excuse for my complete lack of blog presence. Summer camp is exhausting. That's my excuse.

I worked at a camp for kids with Autism this summer. We started at 8 every morning and by the afternoon I'd be spent. Nine-year-old boys have a never ending supply of energy which they seem to use primarily for yelling, flailing and coming up with reasons why your choice of game is disappointing. It was a great experience though. I learned a lot about myself and about the area where I live. With camp, I got to go on some great day trips. Not only did I get very familiar with the community pool (way packed with groups like ours on Fridays), the splash pad (so many swim diapers) and a variety of area parks but I also got to go the the Indianapolis Children's Museum (awesome and huge) Brown County State Park (beautiful wilderness just outside town) and Kid Commons in painfully charming Columbus, Indiana. But alas, the summer of awkward tan lines has come to a close.

And a whole new adventure has taken its place! Graduate school!

Yep, I started working toward my Master's of Education last week. I'm in four classes and in a few weeks I will be shadowing in an elementary school classroom. The really scary thing is that in two years I will be a teacher. Yikes! But I'm so excited. It's taken me a while to figure out what I actually wanted to do with my life but I've figured it out and I'm actively trying to get there. That's a pretty good feeling.

So, what's coming up this fall, you ask? Well, I'll tell you. Boyfriend and I are moving so there will most likely be some new house posts, agony of packing and relocating posts and hopefully a few look-at-the-awesome-project-we-didn't-screw-up posts.

It's good to be back. I will do what I can to post again before November. Happy Almost Fall!

The Greatest Spectacle in Racing

This was my third year participating in the festivities surrounding the Indianapolis 500 (race cars, folks, we're talking about those cool little open-wheel race cars)  While I opted out of the actual race this year (standing in 100 degree heat on metal bleachers with 10,000 of my closest friends isn't exactly spectacular, even though this year it was only 80....) we have a big group of friends who turn the holiday weekend into a big party.

via Brian on Facebook

The festivities kick off on Thursday night at St.Elmo Steakhouse in downtown Indy (this almost-a-vegetarian loves every side dish, salad and appetizer and their fish is amazing) with a huge dinner reservation and a night out in Indianapolis afterward. Our regular after-dinner stop the last few years has been Ike and Jonesy's where we are usually the youngest patrons by a decade or so.

Friday is Carb Day (short for carburetor since cars used to have those) so it's off to the track bright and early to watch a race of the up-and-coming Indy drivers, eat deliciously disgusting track food and marvel at the Pit Competition. (Seriously, how fast can you change a tire?) There's always a..."concert" after the race and by concert I mean a band that's...not exactly filling stadiums anymore plays on the lawn inside the racetrack using the worst sound system known to man. We usually swing by but never stay long. Washed-up metal bands aren't my thing. By that point we're hot, sweaty and tired. This portion of the trip is not heavily photographed.

On Saturday we sleep in, have Skyline Chili for lunch (so much cheddar cheese!) and invade the home of one of the nicest families we know for a party that begins in the late afternoon and ends long after the kegs are empty and the daylight has gone. Sunday is race day! For me this year that meant going back to sleep when the guys left at 7 am. They got back in the late afternoon after watching a record number of lead changes and a victory by our favorite, Tony Kanaan!  It really is something everyone should see once. That many cars that close to each other going that fast, it's impressive. During the race one inevitably needs to take a break from standing in the sweltering bleachers so a walk to the golf course is sometimes in order. (The first half of a full-size golf course is inside the racetrack at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.) There will be more gross and delicious food to eat, awesome people watching opportunities (oh man, the wardrobe choices) and the final dozen laps of tension as you wait to see if your predicted winner can pull it off. Despite sitting this year out, I've been twice in the past and look forward to going back in the future.

We finish out our weekend with breakfast on Monday morning before everyone parts ways. There's a slow, sunburnt pace to that breakfast every year. Our group can say with only their body language and their tan lines, "We did it again. Who knows how but here we are. See y'all next year."

The best thing about spending Memorial Day weekend in Indy is that there is so much tradition surrounding these events. There are specific games, food, drinks, speeches. It's familiar and new, exhausting and wonderful each year. I never thought I would get excited about race cars and while the actual race is not the highlight of the weekend for me, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else on Memorial Day weekend.

Mother's Day in Indiana

My parental units came to visit this weekend! Hooray! They've only seen our little Indiana home one other time. That was very brief and way back in November. Since then we've painted our bedroom, gained a few pieces of furniture and really settled in to making the place cozy. It was also the first time they've been here since I've become a bonafide future graduate student so a little campus tour was in order. Plus, company is the best excuse to hit a different restaurant for every meal! We managed to try Indian (in the rain on the patio, so cozy), vegetarian and Burmese this time. This weekend was also Mother's Day and so...

As a belated thank you to my fantastic mom, here are some important things she has taught me:

The 'rents and I at my college graduation

There is no secret recipe to being in great shape in your 50s. Exercise and a healthy diet does it. Don't waste time with the gimmicks.

A bad mood can be remedied by a little aggressive activity: running, weeding the garden, pulling up carpet.

Food you grow is always better than food you buy.

A dog is a girl's best friend.

The gray pants, they go with everything.

Thanks Mom! Stay tuned for a Dad version in June!

Warm Fuzzies

I have posts in the works about real things I promise but I've really only been able to think about a couple things lately. Indulge me, won't you.

First and most exciting, I was recently accepted to a Master's degree program! Beginning this fall I will be working toward my teaching certification and Master's in Elementary Education which means in just a few years I'll be able to have a classroom all my own! I'm so grateful for my current job as a teaching assistant because it has provided not only invaluable experience but relationships with teachers who gave me great letters of recommendation. Thanks, guys!

Next, it's finally Spring in Indiana! Like many people, my mood is so very affected by the weather so sunny days, warm weather and green grass makes me more pleasant to be around. We turned our heat off and opened the windows. No more heavy piles of blankets on the bed. Life is good. Spring and Summer also bring with them one chore I never really dread- mowing the lawn. I have always found mowing the lawn very therapeutic whether it's riding circles around my parents large backyard or walking rows across our little postage stamp, the mowing, it soothes me.

I know this time of year is not as delightful for everyone as it is for me, though. As I write this Boyfriend is spending the umpteenth hour with his computer finishing papers for this semester's classes. I hear only the occasional sigh or grunt. Yes, those moments make me wonder what I just got myself into. I think we're both in need of a fun summer. 

March honey, back off on the lion, little more lamb

I don't consider my corner of Indiana to be the Great White North. I have family from Michigan, they would not allow such misrepresentation. What's more, my parents live in Kansas City which has been all but completely buried in snow over the last couple weeks. So I don't have it all that bad. But no matter the severity of the winter, cabin fever sets in and the occasional weekend adventure staves off the Shining-level crazy. So, this weekend Boyfriend and I headed to...

.....Columbia, Missouri!

...for a documentary film festival!

...where we saw exclusively political films!

First, I'm not kidding and second, it was a fantastic time. I see, though, that you're going to need some convincing. Fine. Let me start by saying that we had a bunch of family in town (my parents and uncles, Boyfriend's parents, aunt and uncle) and with these people we could have congregated at a rest area in the middle of nowhere and had a blast. Luckily we were not in the middle of nowhere and therefore could eat ourselves silly. Cafe Berlin has vegetarian biscuits and gravy that I would happily choose over a real sausage version any day of the week. 

The reason we'd all come to Columbia though was for True/False, a documentary film festival in its tenth year. There are dozens of movies to see over the course of a long weekend. Serious, funny, sad, Sundance alums and premier showings. We chose a package this year that allowed us to pick three of the more major offerings. All of our movies were political in nature yet distinct from each other. What I thought would be a heavy, dry series of facts and talking heads was actually very engaging.

The first movie we saw was No, a dramatic interpretation of the advertisers who devised the 1988 political campaigns which contributed to the downfall of Augusto Pinochet. I was a Communications major in college and am usually fascinated by the world of professional advertising (although I've given Mad Men a couple tries and it's never stuck for whatever reason). The movie uses real footage from those TV campaigns and the rest of the movie was shot to match those clips- kind of an Instagram treatment for film as a producer said afterward at the Q&A (a perk of True/False, staying after to hear the people responsible talk about their work). 

Our second choice was Manhunt which, as far as I understand, is the real information behind Zero Dark Thirty. It was really interesting to see the whole process of searching for a terrorist explained. There are a lot of people who dedicate the better parts of their careers to learning everything they can about one guy half way around the world. The final movie we saw was Dirty Wars which was disturbing and educational, disheartening and eye-opening. It addresses night raids and secret missions by the military in the Middle East. As the credits rolled one part of me wanted to cry while another part wanted to run into the street screaming. There are so many destructive, immoral things happening every day that are kept so well hidden. Those films certainly made my day-to-day dilemmas seem laughable.

This certainly wasn't the most uplifted I've been by True/False. A few years ago I saw a great film called The Mirror about an Italian village's plan to get more sunlight into their little mountain community. The first year my family went my parents saw Racing Dreams, about kids who race go-carts and aspire to be NASCAR drivers. But, that's the beauty of this now not so little festival. There is a reason for anyone to return year after year. My reasons are many, interesting films, a weekend away and of course, biscuits and gravy with the fam.

Next weekend adventure? Bourbon tasting in Kentucky for Boyfriend's early birthday present. Here's hoping this trip involves considerably less snow.

This and That

There is no structure or theme to this post. I have no deep insight, just some random things rolling around in my head.

First, another submission to Exceptionally Awesome People of Exceptional Awesomeness! I read about this on Friday on Cup of Jo, one my very favorite daily reads. You may already know about it as it occurred in October. Window washers dressed as super heroes brightened a morning for patients at a children's hospital. The article explains that the window washing company spent several hundred dollars on good quality costumes all in the name of making kids smile. Hooray for a business with a fabulous sense of humor!

Next, I'd like to set a goal for myself. I want to take more pictures. I have a phone with a pretty decent camera so there's really no excuse. I forgot or feel self-conscious or wait for a perfect moment that never comes. The result is a lot of memories with no mementos. Don't misunderstand me though, I have no interest in becoming a life-documenter. I harbor no delusions that you care what my dinner looks like, how I'm fixing my hair in the morning or think my dog is half as adorable as I do. I think though, it would be nice to have evidence of the cute moments in life. There are very few photos of Boyfriend and I together despite our three and a half year relationship. I have to get over the sense that I'm intruding. How long does it take to snap a picture? Thirty seconds at the most? So, hold me to it. Demand more interesting posts!

Finally, this week holds some fun! Valentine's Day is on Thursday and while Boyfriend and I went out this past weekend for our celebrating (Oliver Winery tasting room for wine flights and dessert. Amazing!) one of the perks of working at an elementary school is the cheesy holiday parties. So, on Thursday I'll be swapping cheap cardboard cards-I bought Scooby Doo valentines and they come with temporary tattoos-and eating various red and pink forms of processed sugar. But wait there's more! One of my best friend since practically the beginning of time (read: middle school) will be here on Friday! There will be much silliness and eating and wonderful. 

Home is Where the Floors Creak

Having been home over the holidays made me think about how much my parents' tastes have shaped my own. I like to believe that I have made every single decision based only on my own brain power but anyone knows that isn't how it works. The people you grow up around sneak themselves into every nook and cranny of your thoughts no matter how much you fight it in surprising ways.

My dad used to quiz my brother and I on roof styles while running errands around town. Mansard, hip, gambrel, gable- just try to stump me. I'm even better with types of columns. Unsurprisingly, I developed an early interest in architecture. It also helps that I grew up in the coolest house ever. What's that? Your childhood home rocked? Cool. Mine was better.

Yeah, I'm in love with the house from the Wikipedia article on bungalows.

I grew up in a stone bungalow that was built in 1908 (allegedly by a chain gang!). It had a massive front porch held up by cement casts of tree trunks and when the mailbox needed to be replaced, my dad used an antique fire alarm box. As a kid I thought the place was huge. My parents will be quick to tell you that was not the case. Apparently with two small kids, a dog and at least one cat 1,700 square foot isn't exactly expansive. When you're nine years old though, the crawl-space-turned-closet in your already giant bedroom is the greatest secret hideout in the world (it had carpet and shelves!). The dining room had massive picture windows and a bench under those windows that ran the length of the room. At the center of the living room was an enormous stone fireplace, the backdrop of nearly all my childhood Christmas photos.

Now that I am learning to be a grown-up (so tough!) and have my own place, I find that I fall in love with houses for the same reason my parents fell in love with that bungalow. Hardwood floors are the single most charming thing ever, bonus points if they creak. A front porch of porch-sittin' size is a necessity. If the house has a particularly colorful history I want to hear about it. The little house we're renting now is pretty fantastic. It has the requisite wood floors, beautiful wood trim around all the doors and I got to choose the cozy color for the living room walls. It's called 'Bagel'. Wonderful, yes? The basement is accessed by a door in the floor rigged to a hand-made pulley system. I guess you could say it's part cute cottage, part pirate ship.

Behold! A crummy showcase of all the pretty wood!

While homeownership may still be a speck on the horizon, I know I'll rank quirky charm over granite countertops every time. New, luxury stuff is great, it's just not my style. Give me a weird, hundred-year-old house any day.

No really, I love my job.

As the title indicates I am one lucky girl. I love my job. Not blogging- hard to believe this revolutionary (albeit sporadic) blog doesn't pay the bills, huh? The concept of loving one's job has been a hard sell for me. I spent a couple years after college at random retail jobs- working weekends, folding and refolding sweaters and being treated not so much like a person but as a means to an end. Oy. I don't miss it.

These days I am an elementary school teaching assistant- with hopes of starting grad school this fall to become a teacher. For now, I help kiddos with sounding out words, fractions, telling time and following directions without completely melting down.

I so love this job that regularly gets me sneezed on, coughed at and stepped on. I mediate bickering, attend to paper cuts and I wash crayon and glue out of dress pants. I wake up hours before Boyfriend and think about struggling students long after I'm home. I'm planning to take on student loans to pursue a career notorious for it's small paycheck.

But, when was the last time you walked into a room and several small but enthusiastic voices announced your arrival? Sure, they can't quite pronounce my last name, that's part of what makes it great. Random waist-high hugs are a regular thing in my line of work and in five short months I've become completely addicted to seeing that moment when a student "gets it".

It used to be when someone told me "I couldn't imagine doing anything else", I assumed they were exaggerating- they couldn't actually feel that way about their job. A job is something you tolerate in order to do the things you actually like. Apparently it doesn't have to be. Yes, I've been sure some days that my head would actually explode. Yes, I wrestle with the idea that I've chosen a stereotypically "female" career. Does that mean I can't be a feminist? Am I bowing to social pressure? Nope. I just really enjoy helping these small, messy people figure things out.

It may have taken me until almost 26 years old but I know what I want to be when I grow up. 

How's the New Place?

As I mentioned some time ago, we've moved...again.

Having grown up in Kansas City, Missouri, Boyfriend and I got adventurous and moved to Charlotte, North Carolina in 2010 (not before taking a month-long backpacking trip after only one year of dating, but I digress). We lived in Charlotte for two years packed with "firsts", the most significant of which was moving in together. Of course, that was as turbulent as you'd expect- gripes about cleaning, schedules, generally getting annoyed with each others presence. I am a total control freak so I actually got upset, not that Boyfriend wouldn't load the dishwasher but, that when he did, he did it wrong. I know, I know. But we've established that I'm crazy, right? Anyway, Charlotte was great, beautiful autumnal weather that lasts months, little to no winter weather whatsoever (!!!) and all the sweet tea I never cared to drink. Boyfriend got his Master's degree and I worked at a job I felt lukewarm about but with awesome coworkers I'm too lucky to have own.

Enter grad school application season. Boyfriend got accepted to three excellent Ph.D programs (because he's brilliant...when he's not obnoxious). At the same time I was shopping around for a Master's in Education program. Indiana fit the bill for both of us and after spending the summer in Kansas City with family and friends, we packed up and set out to become Hoosiers.

Do you know that feeling when everything's going so well that you're sure there must be disaster looming? Just me? In any case, I still feel that way about our most recent move. Boyfriend had a connection that found us an adorable house to rent, I got the first and best job I applied for and this town has exceeded our expectations on nearly every front. We're walking distance from a great little cocktail bar, make a weekly trip to the farmer's market and may never run out of international restaurants to try. I know I haven't even lived here two months but I think I may never want to leave.