Long Time no Hear From

Once again it’s been awhile since my last entry. Back off, we’ve been busy. I haven’t had as much time to goof at work which is primarily when I like to make these entries. AND as of late my evenings have gone a little like this: get home from work at 6 pm, play with dogs, relax for 30 minutes, go to gym, come home, start watering yard while Ben makes a delicious dinner, clean up, shower, at this point in time it is usually around 10:30 and time to head to bed. As you can see, there is not much goof off on computer time left. The time I do get, has been spent doing wedding planning, or annoying Ben with the details of wedding planning. Yay weddings.

So what have I been up to lately? You know, the usual. Working, playing, planning, trying to lose weight. I was able to take my first vacation in 7 months a few weeks ago. Right now it seems like that was so long ago. We went to NC and it was everything I hoped it would be. Spent about 7 nights at Emerald Isle, was able to squeeze in a Girl’s Weekend, booked some vendors for our wedding, and got to spend some time with my family. Bojangles and NC bbq were also consumed. Pretty solid trip, I might say. We only spent about 3 hours in Raleigh, so we weren’t able to see our friends there. This brings up a good point. When you live far away, coming home tends to be stressful. Why, you might ask? Because it’s hard to see everyone that you want to see. Then the people who we don’t get to see, or spend just as much time with get their feelings hurt and it’s like, “Aaaarrrggghhh, I just want to relax and be on vacation!!!” So yeah, there’s that aspect. Regardless, it was a good time.

I’ve started reading A Song of Fire and Ice series by George RR Martin. There are so many pages! Very good read though….I recommend it if you have hours upon hours to read (which I am lacking unless I ignore all housework and everything else that needs to be done…..which has been happening. Ben hasn’t complained yet, but it might be coming on soon). I digress.

We moved to Texas just in time to experience the worst drought of all time. OF ALL TIME! We’ve lost a tree and three shrubs but have managed to keep our grass alive. Upside, no mosquitoes.

I gave a fellow commuter the finger on my way to work Monday. Oh Mondays, they bring out the best in everyone. This person totally deserved it, though, along with me mouthing the words that go along with said finger to emphasize my point. Made me feel better instantly.

We go out from time to time. Ate at a wonderful restaurant in downtown Houston during restaurant week. Had an amazing 4 course dinner. Our friends keep us busy. We’re having to nip socializing in the bud a bit due to money restraints. We broke!
I’m sure I’m leaving out lots of things. I think of blogs to write all of the time, but never get to them. Then when I finally sit down to write them, the moment has passed and they just don’t seem to hold the same punch. That leaves you guys with entries like these. We are about to start doggie boot camp. I’m sure that in itself will deserve its own entry. Until next time…..

Big Texas Hair

When I first started telling people I was moving to Texas, they exclaimed, "Well it's hot, but they have that dry heat." What these misinformed people did not know was that I was moving to a coastal town in a very humid part of southeast Texas. It's 100 degrees and humid as balls. Don't get me wrong, I love it. I love never being cold (except for inside the frigid buildings they keep at 32 degrees). My hair, however, is not so pleased with this newly formed relationship.


My hair's day typically goes like this:


8 am. Looking good, yeah!


11 am. Hmm, driving to work and walking between buildings has added some lift.


3 pm. Dude, really? I've just been sitting at my desk.


7 pm. Glad Ben thinks Medusa is sexy.





Oh well, this is why they make hair clips and ties.

Wedding Planning Woes

Can someone tell me what exactly it is that a wedding planner is supposed to do? Maybe I've conjured up the wrong ideas of what exactly she should be doing for me, because I thought a wedding planner should help with finding vendors, do cost comparisons, and just make it easier for the bride and groom to plan their big day. Am I totally off base here? I need some feedback from those of you who have used one.

I have spoken with her a few times and she acts as if we have all of the time in the world. By the way, the next person that tells me, "You have plenty of time," is going to get an ear full. If I still lived in North Carolina and could spend my evenings meeting with vendors in person, looking at flowers, and tasting cakes, then I WOULD have all of the time in the world. Seeing as how we plan on making two, yes, two trips back to NC prior to our wedding, then that doesn't leave much time for a run around.

On a lighter note, I think we've decided on a place for our honeymoon. We haven't actually made reservations yet, so this could change, but I'm super excited! Ko Phi Phi, Thailand =)

Things I'd Like to Bitch About

I've been trying my best to not be one of those people who constantly updates their Facebook status with complaints, but I am about to bust at the seams, so here is a blog filled to the T....

My top complaints for the first half of May:

1) Foreign people who take it upon themselves to point out the fact I am doing something wrong when I AM NOT. This has happened to me twice in the past week. I have consulted with others to ensure I am not an idiot. Now I have to decide if I should point out that they've been doing it wrong, or just let it slide. Either way, we can all take something away from this.....make sure you are 100% correct before you go pointing out someone else's mistakes.

2) Motorcyclists. Grrr. I'm getting to the point I see red if I even speak the word. They now have this sign up on the freeway that says, "Look twice for motorcyclists." I'd like to get up there and change the sign to say, "If motorcyclists didn't drive like assholes, you wouldn't have to look twice for them." Just this morning I witnessed a motorcyclist tailgate me as I was doing 8 mph over the speed limit, then weave in and out of traffic, causing other cars on the road to hit their brakes, just to end up at the same stoplight as me. This wasn't even on the interstate. Sorry, but I have lost my sympathy bone for the next time I see a motorcyclist splattered on the highway....it was probably their fault. Stop weaving in and out of traffic, driving 20 mph faster than the speed limit, and driving between cars on the dotted line in the road. How should I explain this last one better? You know, when you are in the left lane, and there is a car in the right lane, then the motorcycle prick creates their own lane between the two of you, scaring the crap out of everyone? That is what I'm talking about. This is why you die, not because I didn't look twice.

3) Our grass can suck it. Seriously. You know, I hope it never rains here again. There, I said it. That way the grass will be put out of its misery and we can start doing something else with our evenings.

4) I'd like to stay home on an upcoming trash day and throw our trash can lid at the garbage men. Throw it like a frisbee and hit them square in the face. Then say, "This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't broken our trash can." Why our trash can? We must have pissed them off b/c no one else's lid is broken in the neighborhood.

5) If you can't take 5 seconds to label your samples/tubes/vials in the lab, they deserve to be destroyed.

6) Gmail, all I wanted to do was set my theme to Super Mario Brothers. Why could you not let this happen?

7) Learn the difference between your and you're. It'll make me hate you less.

8) Why do some people think it's okay to interrupt other people while they are talking? Are you just that oblivious or just that much of a self-centered asshole?

Alright, I think I'm done.

This Busy Life

I realize that I haven't really been keeping everyone up to date on what exactly is going on with life, so here goes.....

The past month or so has been extremely busy. My mom and sister Treva came to visit in March. It was so great to see their faces! We had a nice time exploring Galveston, toured NASA, and went to try on wedding dresses for the first time. I found two dresses that I really liked during that trip. We had a good time talking and re-learning how to play Skipbo. I was sad to see them go.

I went dress shopping again the following weekend with my friend Niki. She served as photographer and opinion giver. Found another dress that I really liked. My other friend Kim Kim really wants to go dress shopping with me, so I have another trip planned for May 28th. I'm hoping to make a decision once we're done that day!

We took an extremely short trip to NC (late Friday night-Sun afternoon) to NC to see my friend Becky get married. A great time was had by all and Becky made such a beautiful bride. I have to say that trip made me pretty homesick and wish even harder for my vacation time to hurry up and get here.

Ben's dad and step mom paid us a visit the week after the wedding. It was pretty awesome coming home after work to a cold beer greeting and dinner on the table. We went to a crawfish festival, met Ben's uncle who happens to live in Houston, and played lots of corn hole. Again, we were sad to see our company go.

Ben and I had our engagement pictures made, which we just got to see the proofs for on Monday. I'll post those pictures once we actually own the rights to them. We are really happy with them.....we clean up good =)

Apart from having our guests and doing our own traveling, we've mostly been keeping busy with yard work on the weekends. We're fighting a war against the weeds. After this past weekend's offensive, I think things are turning in our favor.

Life in Texas is interesting. So far, I love it here. The weather has been fantastic. Coming from someone who likes it hot, I honestly don't think the heat is ever going to get to me. I'll update you again in August when the heat is in full effect. They have a staple food here called Kolaches. A Kolache is this sausage in a bun (or croissant, depending on where you buy them) with melted cheese. It is one of the most delicious and unhealthiest things I've ever eaten. The people I work with like to bring them in for our Thursday morning meetings. Sometimes I can resist the temptation to eat one, other times I'm like a fat kid with cake.

We've been experiencing a drought, which leads to another interesting fact about Texas. During drought conditions, salt accumulates on power lines, causing all sorts of trouble like power outages and transformer explosions. We were sent home from work early one day last week due to something being wrong with the AC which turned out to be caused by salt on the lines. I decided to spend a few hours on the beach that day. I now know the importance to always keep a bathing suit, beach chair, and towel in the car at all times. You never know when you'll get an extra hour of beach time.

My first full beach day of the season will be this Saturday. I'm super excited! Our neighborhood pool is also opening this weekend. Yay for being able to get my tan on.

I've started running again. Ben and I are following the couch to 5k plan since it's been so long since either of us have been able to run. I've changed my gait and form, which seems to relieve my knee pain. If I'm able to complete this program and run a few 5ks without any pain, my plan is to run a half marathon before the end of the year. This also gets me super excited. Dear Running, I have missed you greatly.

Ben had a great idea to start a picture blog:

http://pictureblog.benjaminscottjohnson.com/

We're sharing our lives, one picture at a time!

I'm sure I'm leaving out lots of other details, but there you have it. Now time for me to return to being a productive member of society ;)

Why I Love Ben Johnson

I feel like everyone should know why I am so in love with my husband-to-be. I'm not going to give every single detail, but enough for everyone to realize why he is so awesome.

When we first started dating, the thing that struck me the most was Ben's openness and honesty. I've never had anyone (friend, boyfriend, family) be so straight forward. He never tries to hide anything, and if something happens, be it good news or something he knows I might not like, he tells me right away. This brings down my guard (I've always been a fairly private person) making me more willing to share.

Let's face it, the boy is hilarious. You have to love someone who can come up with terms such as "dumptuary," which is the one particular area in our back yard the dogs like to poop in, or, "junkular area," which is the area including and surrounding the privates. Plus, he's always sending hilarious websites and comics that make me giggle hysterically while at work. Our house is definitely not void of laughter.

Another thing that initially attracted me to Ben was his spectacular taste in music. I feel like an instant connection was made when we had the, "You were at Bonnaroo in 2007 too?!!" conversation. Need a few new artists to listen to? Screw Pandora, give your musical tastes to Ben and let him work his magic. I think my new challenge for the year should be to find something Ben hasn't already heard of and listened to before me.

Oh, he likes to play games (yay for a mutual love of Texas Hold 'Em) and is super competitive. Letting someone win is not in our vocabulary.

Ben is an awesome chef. Every meal he cooks is mouth watering delicious. Some people have asked, "Doesn't it bother you that he does all the cooking?" I like to respond with, "Ummm, no. Are you stupid?" We do trade off with the breakfast duties. What's even more fantastic about this deal, he always asks what I want for dinner. He has the ability to make sloppy joes into something that should be served at a high end restaurant. Winner is me.

I have never heard Ben utter a single negative word about anyone (except for maybe Guy Fieri, but seriously, look at the dude). Even when it was pointed out that someone was saying not so pleasant things about him, causing all sorts of trouble, nothing negative was said. I can't say that I know anyone else with this trait. I wish to become more like him.

Ben challenges me, he supports me, he takes care of me. He makes me want to be a better person. I cannot wait to become his wife!

I love you, turdhole.

Why I Was Late For Work Today

Typically, I'm supposed to show up for work around 8:00 am. Now that the job newness is wearing off and I've realized a lot of people don't trickle in until closer to 9, I've been getting closer to that 8:30 mark. This is why I didn't show up until 8:30 today:

6:15 am: Alarm clock goes off, hit snooze

6:25 am: Alarm clock goes off, hit snooze again

6:35 am: Alarm clock goes off, snooze is hit again, but Reese comes in. Reese allows two snoozes, no more. If it wasn't for this dog, I would be a lot later (or earlier, who knows). She likes to put her front paws up on the bed and sniff/lick/blow snot on my face until I get up.

6:40 am: Stumble out of bed, blindly let dogs out, stumble to bathroom, blow nose for a good two minutes. I've had a cold this week and am very snotty. Let dogs back in.

6:45-6:55 am: Cook eggs for breakfast.

6:55 am: Go lay on top of Ben and say, "Human blanket, human blanket!" Tell him to get up, breakfast is ready.

7:10 am: Finally start the beautification routine for work, after downing some sudafed.

7:15 am: Look at naked Ben.

7:20 am: Play with dogs in the closet until Ben yells, "What in the world are you doing?"

7:30 am: Panic mode because I should have left the house 15 minutes ago. Run and grab last night's leftovers out of fridge and hastily throw our lunches together. Do a few other things such as put shoes on, fill up water bottle, pet the dogs again because they're just too cute, and put the laundry I forgot was in the washer in the dryer. Run and give Ben a big smooch.

7:40 am: Finally back out of driveway.

8:27 am: Make it to my desk, throw everything down and head to conference room for 8:30 meeting. Pretend I've been here since 8:00 am.

We've been trying to get up at 5 am and go to the gym. This hasn't happened this week due to my cold making me feel crappy in the morning. Usually we get back from the gym around 6:15, which should give me plenty of time to do the above routine and still make it to work by 8 am. I typically find some other way to waste time (watch Saved by the Bell, or take Reese for a walk). Last Friday I spent a good 5 minutes making Reese dance while I sang "It's Friday" by Rebecca Black to Ben while he showered. It's his most favorite song of all time and who can resist a dancing boxer?

Plus, it's hard not to take a good 10 minutes out of the morning routine to give lovins to these precious faces: