Let's get real.

When I first started this blog, it was a place for me to post wedding stuff. Then we were married and it transitioned into something new. A Newly Wed Blog. I am realizing that I have not posted much about the newly wed things. I guess because as they are happening, I think they are just part of the relationship that has been going for 3+ years, not the first year married. But, last night I realized it may be just that. Newly Wed Drama.
I guess drama is not the correct word and we are definitely not fighting, fighting is a way of the past, but we are having some struggles. So, let's say newly wed struggles.
(Let me preface this blog with saying we are not in any sort of financial troubles.)
Money is the number one thing people warned us about prior to tying the knot. "It's the number 1 cause of divorce," people would say. Perhaps it is my newly wed syndrome, but I highly doubt money will ever be a big enough factor to tear us apart.... but why take the risk? This is the one thing we can REALLY control in our lives. Now is the time to take control and be smart about it. 
Four months after the wedding, when I was unemployed, Pat and I took another leap of faith and finally decided to get a joint bank account. We needed to keep all eyes on our finances at that time so we didn't dig ourselves in a hole. We did an amazing job and still lived fairly comfortably on one salary. We ate at home every night and Pat took his lunch to work every day. But, fortunately, we only had to live on one salary for a month. The joint account was a necessity at the time, and it is very convenient now that we aren't transferring money  for every bill or grocery trip. However, now we have really taken on bills as a household rather than as an individual. This has taken some serious finesse and several excel spread sheets.
It is really remarkable when we have more money than we have ever had because of our joint account, but the stress of money seems inescapable! A constant weight on us. It has been especially difficult because we have had Casa de Haire be more like Hotel de Haire since Thanksgiving. In turn, the alcohol, entertainment, gas budget has increased by 100%. We love hosting people, and entertaining a lot, so we had to figure something out.
In a bout of frustration last night, Pat and I decided we were going to revisit our budget and get our shit back on track. No more shopping at Trader Joes (except for select items), no more lunches out and less booze. These are really the only thing we can cut back on because we don't have cable to cancel, I don't have a car payment and we only drive to work and back really. We paid off our biggest chunk of debt last month and things are definitely going in the right direction now. (New car here I come... soon)

So, tonight, we are taking a much needed mini vacay from Casa de Haire and heading down to Tucson to visit the MIL and have some Man vs. Food eats and a good time. Then tomorrow, it is back to work on the house because our next guests are arriving on Friday!

How I take my coffee

I have discovered that there is only one thing better than a man that will bring you coffee in bed and that is a man that knows how you take your coffee and bring it to you in bed... with a maple doughnut warmed in the microwave. He tries to sneak in the room (which he rarely succeeds at) and tries to quietly wake me. I usually keep my eyes closed until I hear him say "Babe, it's after eight."
That is what I experienced this morning, and I usually experience it every weekend. That is how I know Pat will always show me, in one way or another, how he loves me. I hope I do the same for him.

Emily's Coffee:

Splash of Cream
Teaspoon of Sugar
Add coffee
Dash of Cinnamon on top

Best served in bed or front room.

Happy Birthday Sweets

Today is my sweet husband's birthday! I am so happy he was brought into this world 33 years ago!
Cheers baby! You are my whole world.

Last Weekend

This past weekend was a blast! Even though I was post-endoscopy and missed all of Friday night I was still able to enjoy the rest of the weekend. Saturday morning after I got home from work we jumped in the car and headed with our guests, The Eckles, to Tortilla Flats, AZ.

Tortilla Flats is a grand place... building.

You see, Pat has refused to take me there for the last 3 years because it is his job to drive that route on a weekly basis. (Ask me to go to the mall I work at and I will happily join you). So, finally we had guests here that wanted to sight-see and, finally, he could no refuse me! We drove the winding road to Canyon Lake and then Tortilla Flats.

First stop: Deep Valley/Car Dump

When Joe decided to pull over to look at a ravine I jumped out of the back seat like the car was on fire. You have no idea how grateful I was for this stop. I am prone to get very car sick, and I was still reeling from my very recent stomach violation, so this car sickness was not a surprise on this trip. I mean, I WAS in the back seat and all.

Second stop: Canyon Lake

 

This is a little lake made from the SRP dams, but damn it is nice to see water, even if it is lukewarm. (BTW we totally have our pose down right?)

Third stop: Back SRP Road
 

 

On the secret back road to the SRP dam you can only go so far on via car. But, we were with an experienced driver who knew how to navigate the tricky roads. Until we got to the "No trespassing" sign. So what did we do? We drove back a few 100 yards and we got out and walked. On our journey to see this "river" Pat told us about, we saw countless jumping cholla and snake holes. No snakes though, thank God. Michelle was wearing flip-flops and was a champ navigating the rocky terrain. (I did not mean to have this be a black and white photo when it was taken, but it looks pretty epic, no?)

Finally: Tortilla Flats, AZ

I forgot to take a picture of the restaurant so...   via

 

When we arrived I was sure there would be a little bit of a wait, so I ran to the bathroom. I walked in, and, to my dismay, there were only half doors, and these doors had provocatively dressed ol' time Western Women's' bodies painted on them. You know, so you can pose and it looks like it is your body with your head. Really, you can imagine my surprise when a little old Amish woman popped her head up when I tried opening her stall door. How the heck are you supposed to know someone is in there for cryin' out loud!? She giggled, I blushed and we went on our way. By the time I got back to the group to tell my tale, we were ready to be seated.
We were seated in a stuffy back part of the restaurant and the folks behind us forgot to wear their deodorant. (Not that I am one to talk, but I don't stink... I don't think). The food was good enough for 4 starving people and the beer was served in mason jars. That automatically adds another star, right?  There was money from all over the world covering EVERY inch of that restaurant, other than the floor. The thought was there to take a dollar or two, but the karmic retribution would be too much I am sure!

All in all, it was a great weekend full of wine, laughter and corn hole.

Listening

I am going to piggy back off my good friend Bri because if a blog isn’t inspiring, then what’s the point right? In her last post, I believe the overall theme was listening to yourself, and I think that should be the theme for 2012. I have fallen off the wagon of my “Answering-the-phone-more New Year Resolution” because I was doing just that. I was listening to myself.
You see, I have this thing called anxiety. When I start focusing on an ailment, or a project/deadline, uncomfortable conversation or situation in the future I will obsess until I have a full-on anxiety attack.
Last week I had to have an ultra sound and an endoscopy because of stomach issues. I thought these were all created because of stress, just like when I was 19 and had the GERD, but *spoiler alert*, apparently I have a hiatal hernia. What is that you ask? It is where your stomach inches its way into your esophagus. It is totally gross and usually present in over-weight people, or old people. Well, obviously I am neither. But this could go back to one Dr’s theory that I have a 90-year-old body. Benjamin Buttons much? My super awesome GI Dr. also thinks it is possible I have gallbladder problems but we are waiting on that for now.
I digress. I was doing far too much thinking on these potential stomach issues and trying to avoid an anxiety attack at all costs simultaneously. This included not talking about it, to anyone. Any communication on the subject was short and to the point, usually via email or text. I went into my crab shell and distanced myself from everything I could to steer clear of my own thoughts. My parents were sending me concerned text messages because I REALLY wasn’t answering my phone and Pat was even beginning to feel very neglected. I watched TV much more than usual and distracted myself with my iPad at every other opportunity. I wasn’t trying to be insensitive to anyone, but I needed to be sensitive to myself.
I believe in this fast paced day and age we often forget to take care of ourselves. We are worried about our jobs, our blogs, our social networking and even our friends and family more than our mental well-being. I am not saying that these things aren’t important, because they absolutely are, however, personal sanity beats them out every time, or at least it should.
Thursday night before my endoscopy I was able to disappear in my craft room and get a little organization done in there. It has been a catchall since Christmas and was absolutely getting out of hand, much like my mind. It was amazing the weight that was lifted off my shoulders, just by having that time to spend on something I cared about and was solely my project, an area I use for my mental well-being.
Now that that is done, I am going to focus on my mental well-being through fitness. Nothing clears a mind like a good yoga class. The thing that has held me back from doing yoga is lack of a partner (and motivation if I am being honest), but I have finally decided I don’t need someone there to support me. That is the entire purpose of yoga right? Finding your inner peace and your inner strength.
So, in spite of my stomach pain, and the stress it caused me this year so far, I am grateful for the direction it has put me in. A little self reflection and priority redirection.
Namaste Y'all!

Color

Color

The warmth of this one reminds me of my mother's house. 

This flower arrangement was made by my mother-in-law

photo-a-day challenge

Full

I have decided to take on a photo challenge because I take photos, but without purpose. This is going along with my creative movement! So, when Adrian from Adrian Loves Owls posted this shorter challenge, I jumped on board! Hopefully I do better later this week. Also, y'all should get on board too.

So here it is, Full. My favorite thing to be Full.