Happy Anniversary!

Hubby and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary last week. He was traveling for work in Colorado Springs. I spent the evening at church with a wonderful group of Moms so I wasn't alone.

We've never been big on presents and flowers, usually just the occasional card. Well this year we both kind of dropped the ball. Because we didn't see each other last week we didn't have a chance to exchange anything.

A date night did happen this past Saturday after weeks of planning for Hubby to be off (he took a vacation day) and scheduling a babysitter.

We planned a wild night out consisting of a trip to Aldi, a stop at Verizon, Best Buy and dinner at P.F. Chang's.

I know we're real exciting and romantic, but sometimes the best dates consist of running errands and spending time together. The Aldi trip saved me running into Wichita twice that day, our phones are due for an upgrade and we wanted some info about how much our bill would go up (we didn't go with the upgrade but did change our plan).

The battery on our laptop has been dying for over a year. It needs to be plugged in at all times in order to work and that's been a huge inconvenience for us. What a great anniversary gift to each other!

Going into the store, we decided on what we wanted in a computer and how much we wanted to spend. An awesome salesman, James, took great care of us recommended a 2 in 1 Dell laptop that had been returned to the store a week or so before so it was discounted significantly, but still about $100 over our starting budget. We decided to go for it. It was too good of a deal to pass up.

I'm not  even going to pretend I know what I'm talking about when it comes to computers. All I can remember is the laptop had a lot of memory, the battery life was close to 8 hours and it's nice and compact. We lost our 10 key on the keyboard but we were ok w/ that.

Because we were already breaking our budget slightly, we asked James to show us a new printer too. Our old one hadn't worked in roughly 3 years. It was the printer that had come w/ our desktop and that was brand new in 2001.

James showed us a printer that looked like it belonged in a large office facility. It could print, copy, scan and fax and could be used wireless. All for $100!

After making several 80's jokes, we paid for our new technology and left.

Dinner at P.F. Chang's was delicious as always. Hubby and I had eaten little for lunch in preparation for our night out. We ordered from their dinner for two menu and added 2 appetizers. I told you we were hungry.

Two of those appetizers were gone before our entrees arrived and our waiter so eloquently told us, "I have to say you all are impressing me. That was a lot of food."

Hubby and I laughed. When the waiter left we looked at each other in embarrassment and amusement. What a way to boost our self esteem! I pushed my plate away after that remark and asked for a to go container.

What's My Age Again?

Hubby is an extreme extrovert, social butterfly type. 

I'm an extreme introvert. I like being around other people, but I like being by myself or with my Hubby only. After all this vacation was about spending time just us. 

Our first night at the resort, we got a drink at a piano bar and hung around for awhile. We met some nice couples and Hubby kept saying we needed to make friends with one of them so we could hang out while we were there. 

After the initial round of singing, introductions were made all around the room and we quickly learned 90% of the couples at the resort were on their honeymoon. There were a handful of others celebrating their 10th like us, their 30th or just taking a trip together. 

The next day on the beach we saw a few of the couples from the piano bar. Each one said hello politely but they had no idea who we were. They'd been too drunk the night before to remember they'd met us. 

Hubby wondered why we couldn't make a connection with anyone. (Let me point out that we weren't introducing ourselves to every couple at the resort. We'd smile at people at the bar or pool and then chit chat.) 

After about 2 days I figured it out. How do I usually connect with someone? My kids. They are a great confidence booster and my number one way of meeting new people. Especially when I have them with me. They're a nice way to break the ice. 

When a good 3/4 of the couples we introduced ourselves to were on their honeymoon, we couldn't very well bond over our children. I was at a loss for conversation beyond "Where are you from?" and "How long are you here for?" 

It was at this time I started to feel old. Sometimes I still think I'm in my mid 20's and then it hits me I'm 32. 

I wasn't scared when I turned 30 and I'm not afraid of getting older. It can just be a rude awakening when the crowd you're with isn't moving at the same speed as you. 

T Minus 7 Days and Counting

We are flying to Jamaica in one week to celebrate our 10 year wedding anniversary. Our anniversary isn't until Sept. but it worked better with our schedules to go in the summer. We went to Jamaica on our honeymoon to Montego Bay. This time we're going to Negril. 

I can't wait to spend time away from my kids. Is that bad? Do I sound like a bad mom? 

The past month I've been grouchy, snapping at my kids, annoyed for no reason, and just plain tired. Now with summer starting and Carsen home all day every day, I need a break, to recharge and relax without being a Mom. To read as often and as long as I want, to sleep as late as I want and 5 days where I won't have to listen to demands by small children. 

I've got 3 books to take with me and plan to take full advantage of my down time. Sure there will be plenty of beach activities, excursions and sightseeing but I'm really excited about sitting on the beach doing nothing but reading my book. 

I love to travel. Never been afraid of flying. I like the busyness of the airport, people watching is fun. I don't play that game of trying to create a character for each person. 

We looked into switching our seats to the emergency exit row where the rows are wider and it's an additional $85 per person, or something like that. Our seats are located in the rear, not all the way in the back but according to Hubby we're in the most dangerous part of the plane. 

This doesn't scare me all it does is annoy me b/c we'll be one of the last groups to board and have to stand in the aisle while everyone already on the plane are trying to shove their bags into the overhead bins. And we'll have to put our bag in one of the front bins b/c the others are full. This is my least favorite part of flying. 

I'm also terrified of losing my luggage so I always have a carry on. 

The next few days will be full of laundry, packing and crossing things off my to do list. 

Let's Try this Again

Tomorrow is my first day starting the Whole30 lifestyle. This is my second round and I didn't make it the full 30 days the last time. I lasted 20 days before traveling and poor planning caused me to cheat.

Hubby and I are celebrating our 10 year anniversary this year by going to Jamaica the first week in June. I'm running out of time to feel good (and look halfway decent) in my swimsuit! I've been a little out of control the past few weeks. 

When I started this journey the first time, on March 1st, I was completely committed. I had little signs of encouragement posted in the kitchen and bathroom, I had the book, It Starts with Food, and I had a friend who had already completed a Whole30 I could call for advice. 

This time around I'm not as motivated. Even with visions of the beach and summer dresses I still can't get my ass in gear. I wanted to go shopping for cute new dresses in a smaller size rather than larger. 

I should mention I'm not doing this Whole30 strictly for the weight loss. I have been out of control in other areas as well. I've been short with the kids, snapping at them even, I'm lazy and neglecting my house, not working out as much as I used to, just feeling overall unhappy. Something needs to change in a big way. 

I ask that you all send me good thoughts this week as the first 2 weeks are the hardest. Stay tuned!