Big Changes, Big Joy

Since the wedding, just over a month ago (which was the most perfect and wonderful day of my life), I have read three whole books and am working on the fourth. I have to note that the three books were all read from start to finish on our honeymoon in Spain!

These are the books I've read as a married lady:
Emotional Survival for Law Enforcement by Kevin M Gilmartin Ph.D.
- Dr. Gilmartin is not a writer by any means and frankly, his editor needs to be replaced for the number of times I noted spelling (yeah, laugh Michelle) and grammar mistakes. Other than that, it was a very insightful read. Dr. Gilmartin's Ph.D. is in clinical psychology but once he acquired that degree, he became a career deputy sheriff. He writes with much humor and much of the book is redundant, but I think perhaps if a law enforcement individual who was already doing poorly at emotional survival for the job, maybe that would be exactly what is needed to drive the point home. I was nice for me to read and understand what Tripp will, and to a certain extent already does, experience and feel on the job. Honestly, though, I think that the book applies to most everyone, law enforcement or not, in saying that everyday you have choices and in order to stay healthy, you have to make the decision to be actively involved in your life. You don't come home and veg after work when you should come home and interact with your family. You make your physical health a priority along with your mental health and you work at it rather than expecting it to take care of itself. Would I recommend it to just anyone? Not necessarily, but it is a decent read and especially important information for law enforcement to know in order to avoid the traps that lie in their lives.

The Invisible Wall by Harry Bernstein
-This book changed my life. I have always had a strange passion for reading books from the eras surrounding and including the World Wars. To read about the drastic changes and how quickly it all came about. I'll read fiction, non fiction, biographical... So long as it details how American men took up arms and fought, how American women left the home and joined the work force to support the troops and feed their families, how any part of Europe was completely transformed, how dreadful the concentration camps were and the experiences people had there. I feel like it is such an important period of time and reading about it makes me feel a part of it, makes me feel like I have a direct tie to the tragedies and the triumphs. It makes it personal-- I have to care and I have to remember. But this book, more than any other completely changed my perspective. Much of the other reading has been so dark and awful; the characters are completely tragic through and through. Mr. Bernstein wrote about the terrible things he saw and experienced as a Jewish boy in England during the early 1900's but there was a strange lightness to it, an innocence. Thing around him were miserable, but still he found joy. Even as an adult, he never let those experiences own who he is-- they will always be with him, but never will they take over him. Incredible.

The Deaf Sentence by David Lodge
-It was a funny book, but not my favorite type of read. I know that all good stories have some sort of scandal, however there's some types of scandal I don't really care to read about... Nevertheless, this book was amusing and resolved well; I laughed so many times at it's ridiculousness and even more at all of the blunders the main character makes in coping with his hearing loss (humorous mostly because of personal family experiences, partially because of the style of writing). Funny, interesting, good for a once through while lying on a fabulous beach in the Canary Islands.

My current book:
The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold
-This book is weird. And before anyone says anything, know that I have read and enjoyed reading Lucky and the Lovely Bones also by Alice Sebold. I know that she has a dark and jaded past, I know that it comes through heavily in her writing, but The Almost Moon- weird. It's just a bit too much for me at times. It contains the same core elements at the others (death, sex, awkwardness) but this one is way heavier than any of the other ones. I mean I was expecting and looking forward to a good Sebold book with all of its cold and creepiness. I've read one about every other fall for the past five years- they're perfect for being cuddled under the weight of a blanket or heavy coat, and even better if you can fit a scarf into the equation. But this one is weird. I'm going to keep on trying, hoping for some resolution, but I might just have to go back to the Lovely Bones instead... This one is really intense...



Out of the books and into the real world: life is great!
I love my husband; Grady is the most wonderful man and I am blessed for a husband as wonderful as him.
I love that I have a new job to start tomorrow morning (Wednesday, November 3)! I'll be working at Aprima doing data entry. Seated, non customer relations, part time- all of my needs met! God is soo good!

3:49 am

I just wanted it documented that I was awake at that time on the morning of my wedding... After a round of tetris online.

I'm just too excited!! I wish I had taken a benedryl, but it's too late now to take anything. Oh well! I'm just happy to get to marry Grady today!

Happiness and big big changes!

Brace yourself for this-- we, Tripp and I... are rearranging our apartment! I am more than excited to swap the bedroom and living room spaces! The living room is wider by about two feet which will accommodate our new queen size bed (courtesy of the Price family!) and the higher ceiling will give it a more spacious feel as well. And I think that the smaller space will make the "living room" feel cozier, kind of den like. It'll be a really good thing.



Oh and we're getting married in just over a week! That's kind of nice too. :)
We've been looking forward to this for a very long time and "excited" doesn't come near the euphoria we're feeling about our upcoming nuptials! I love Grady more than words and cannot wait to be his wife!

Wedding Weddingness!

It's getting down to crazy time! Yesterday, I had my final dress fitting and brought it home with me. Today, we got the invitations weighed, stamped, stuffed, and sent! We bought our wedding shoes and a guest book of sorts. I also went with Tracy to her first dress fitting today after running an assortment of wedding errands with her yesterday! Thursday we'll go to her final fitting--pray that they get EVERYTHING perfectly altered.

Friday, Tracy and I embark on Tracy's Wedding Week Travels- we'll head toward Columbia, SC so we can have a bachelorette partay for her on Saturday night with her delightfully funny and sweet college pals (Celia and Sarah, respectively, to be specific)! Sunday, at our leisure, we'll make it to Topsail Island, NC. Monday and Tuesday, Tracy will deal with military movers shenanigans while I bask in the sun on the beach across the street from their house :)
Wednesday, we pack up and head towards Fredericksburg, VA. I'm not sure how long we'll be there--passing through, I think-- and sometime shortly after that, we'll move to Vienna, VA where I'll be baking the cakes in Alex's aunt's oven. Thursday, we head back to Fredericksburg and the wedding weekend hoopla commences!

I'm extremely excited for every bit of this trip and adventure! I am more than happy for my seester to be marrying such a wonderful and kind man and I am grateful for one last unmarried road trip together. I've had a great summer with Tracy around, so I'll be sad that she'll once again be far away, but it's been a summer for the books and I'm sure this adventure will be too!

When the Texas Heat Gets Me Down

I take to the books! In the past few months, I have tackled a number of books and have had a wonderful time doing just that! Over serveral months, I've been working on A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. My sweet fiance gifted me the collectors set for my birthday after declaring my love of the movie! Of course, the books are better and of the thirteen books in all, I am currently on the tenth book, The Slippery Slope. Yes, I realize that these are children's books, but they are skillfully written and really quite amusing! The Baudelaire children have such miserable luck but I am dedicated to these books: I must know how they fare in the end!

In between books in the series, I have slipped in some others: The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein for one. I thuroughly enjoyed that book, although I will say that much of it was sad and frustrating. All signs of good writting though; the book overall was excellent and brought me to tears a number of times. I'll admit that I can be quite the sap when it comes to the written word (and movies) but this one was particularly tearful for me. Between the love I have for Tripp and the intense adoration I have for Akira, our dog, this book kept me thinking about the two of them and how grateful I am for my life just the way it is.

Most recently, I picked up The Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook by Cybele Pascal. I am most excited about this book!

{A quick aside, indirectly related to the book} To be completely candid and honest, I'll confess that for the past few months, I've been doing some serious soul searching to find the answer to these questions: what do I really want to make my career? What am I sincerely passionate about? What could I wake up in the morning and be excited about going to work for? I thought that earning my degree in Baking and Pastries would be suitable for me, at least for a little bit, but after obtaining said certification, I have come to realize that it is not enough to be truly satisfying for me. Don't get me wrong, I have a terrific time making cakes on the side for friends and family; my skill has improved drastically, if I may say so myself. For that reason, I am grateful for my formal education in the area as well as my experience, albeit short lived, working in bakeries. I have come to the conclusion that I will need to find a job that I can enjoy for sometime, save up money, and continue my education to feel satisfied. I would like start by pursuing my bachelors in food science/health & nutrition, or something of the sort.

Such has been my thought for some time, however the excitement and passion that literally (regardless of the cheese factor) sprung up in me upon finding this book is undeniable. I love food science. I want to be able to understand the chemistry of food, of ingredients and how to make food more available for those who have to go without often because of disease or disorder! I want to teach others about food, how they interact, why they interact, and what is good for us.

After reading the first two chapers of this book, all about the ingredients, substitutions, ratios, whatnot, I could not wait to experiment! And my first recipe attempted- SunButter Greenies- was a smashing success! I care soo much about bringing happiness and content to others and I feel that I can do that best through food. This book is already revolutionizing my thoughts and understanding of baked goods and I look forward to more experimentation soon.

WHOA! SPAIN?

So Tripp's parents called us earlier this week to discuss the honeymoon plans before they booked them (a HUGE courtesy, btw- I anticipated not having any information until at an airport!). They wanted to run this idea past us:

October 3/October 4- Fly to Madrid, Spain!
October 5- make way to the Canary Islands!!
October 13- head back to Madrid
October 15- come back to the States!

That's almost two whole weeks in Spain! SPAIN! I am more than excited!

I can guarantee that I'll be doing all sorts of research on Spain and Spanish for many days to come!

Four Years!

At 12:36am four years ago today, I recieved a text reading, "I was going to wait until morning, but I don't want to. Will you go out with me?" from a SUPER nerdy boy that had only recently started talking to me (four days previous, to be exact. He has successfully remained elusive even through the many attempts I had made over the seven years prior to get him to say something more than one syllable grunts that I had become accustomed to. I didn't realize at the time how much that text would change my life.

As it turns out quiet and observant are areas that I struggle with, areas that I've needed some help with. Accountability, discipline, contentedness, confidence, and patience too. Fortunately, my nerdy boy has helped me grow in each of these areas, either by being proficient in the area or by desperately struggling toward it with me. He encourages me, he comforts me, he loves me. He's the only person that can completely calm me down when I get too wound up or upset, and it's only with a listening ear, a hug, and a kiss.

He is a gift, a blessing. I know there's no way that I could have deserved to be paired with a man as incredible and patient as Grady but I am more than grateful that God has put a love for me in his heart and lets me love him in return. My life is nothing like I would have imagined at this point and I am so glad for that!

Wedding-tastic Week!

Due to health (back) problems, I've had a lot more time this week than normal and have made use of this time for wedding planning! This week we have worked on finding music and scriptures for the ceremony as well as going through play lists for the reception, shopping for wedding bands, deciding on wedding party accessories, updating our guest list with email and mailing addresses, and rounding out our gift registry. Oh- don't forget our engagement pictures (round one) this morning!

Because of scheduling issues, we're doing mini sessions on a few mornings at a handful of locations! Megan Edison is new to professional photography and we're happy to be her guinea pigs- she wants to try so many different things to give her practice and expand her portfolio and that is excellent for us because we get many many more pictures and time than we otherwise would have had we chosen another photographer! And may I mention again that we're getting Megan's photography services for a steal compared to any other wedding photographer!?!

Anyways, we started at Bob Woodruff Park in a nicely wooded area early this morning and the reconvened at Memorial Park after a quick beverage stop; all three elements of the session were great! Tripp was SUCH the natural at this whole photo shoot which BLEW me out of the water! I was seriously surprised--the kid is sooo meek and reserved that I never would have guessed that he'd be the one cracking jokes to make ME smile! It was simply amazing how playful and affectionate he was willing to be in front of that camera... My mind is still pleasantly boggled by the whole thing. And the coffee/tea chat was great to for getting to know Megan even better!



Now, for the much adored countdowns/tallie counts:
1449: days Tripp and I have been together
157: days Tripp and I have been engaged
113: days until Tripp and I become Mr. and Mrs. Grady Price III
20: days of sugar freedom! I feel great and am getting to where it feels normal!
12: days until Tripp and I celebrate four great years of dating

Sunshine and Good Days!

I love long walks!
I love sunshine and warmth!
I love having a well-behaved (mostly) and groomed pup!
I love spending time with my magnificent fiance!
I love reorganizing furniture and discovering more space in a room!
I love hanging with the pup for a lazy afternoon!
I love visiting with sisters!
I love making wedding planning progress!

I don't really love the laundry folding/hanging that I'm putting off...
Actually, I don't even like it, but heeeeeeeeere we gooooooo!

A Productive Week!

I am absolutely estactic! We have picked out and created our invitations, had a meeting with our photographer and scheduled our engagement photos (finally!), and I have picked my wedding dress! I couldn't be happier!

In other areas of my life:
I can say that I have lost at least some weight recently because things are starting to fit differently and I am seeing a change in my shape!

Similarly, but also seperately, I have been SUGAR FREE for five whole days! It has been a hard battle since I realized I was addicted to sugar on Easter. The fight started by expunging all sweets from our apartment and getting used to not ordering or picking up desserts at restaurants and stores, then I had to move on to convincing myself that I do not need to eat a finger-swipe's worth of buttercream every hour nor cake scraps when they become available. I have completely resisted every sugary temptation since Saturday, many they have been, and am SO proud of myself!

And best of all, big changes are happening at work and while the exact changes are unsure at best, I am being given more responsibility and being considered for upcoming advancements and promotions. :D

God is good and I am blessed.