What''s Different And What's The Same

     With a three month break between posts I went from a mildly depressed individual looking into getting her own apartment and getting three cats to a married woman, so obviously, a lot has happened in those three months. There have been a lot of big changes, most of them for Adam.

     In one month he got hired as a Firefighter, moved into a new apartment and got married. Those are kind of big things and I think his head is still reeling from the change.

     We have been together for about two years (even the times we weren't together we wished we were) and I feel like I know this guy pretty well. Now that we are married I don't think I've learned anything I didn't know about him. Even though life has been flipped upside down, it's a nice change.

Things that are different:

• I used to not put as much effort into my appearance when I knew I wasn't going to see Adam that day, but now I try a little harder so he doesn't get scared off.
• Cooking for two. It's a bit harder than I thought, especially since he eats about 3x as much as I do. We are developing a taste for Macaroni and Spam. Thankfully his mother likes to have us over for Sunday dinner and usually sends us home with leftovers. 
• I now have someone who is my default go-to for social events (even though he kind of was before,  but now he has a harder time getting out of it).
• I no longer have to kill bugs myself, unless Adam is at work or the perpetrator is moving fast to a hiding place.
• For a while, sleeping was weird because I would frequently wake up in the middle of the night and be startled by the fact that there was a person in my bed. Also, he snores sometimes, but I got used to that pretty fast.

Things that are the same:

• I still have the same job although now it's a little harder to leave for work when I know my best friend will be home all day.
• My longing for a cat is still burning strong, despite the fact that Adam is allergic and the chances of me getting one are slim to none.
• We still watch a ton of movies/shows together. That is probably one of our favorite things to do (and it's free). We are currently watching The Office together and finding any excuse to have a "movie night".
• I'm actually having a hard time coming up with anything else. I had a ton of ideas this morning as I was going over this in my head. Sorry.

The Bells, The Bells!

My last post was about three months ago, and the crazy thing is, there is actually a lot that has happened. My previous posts have been somewhat melancholy due to dating-issues, but surprise! They're over! Because...I married him.

Yes. The same guy who has been hopping in and out of my blog stories for the past two years. After a period of "just being friends" he finally asked me if he could marry me. Actually, he kind of told me but that's okay. I had been waiting for this guy for a very long time. We got engaged in early January and set the date for March 14. Not a whole  lot of time for wedding planning.

Fortunately, his mother loves planning this kind of stuff and took over the reigns.

I'll have to go over this in detail later (I'm at work and should probably be working), but here are a couple happy pictures!

Pic Dump....Yay

This is where I dump a lot of pictures and talk about what is going on. 

This is my mom and this is my dad. They are both very cool and good looking people.

This is my nephew, Kai. Who is not as big as my giant cat Buddha. 

I had a new nephew born in August, Zeke. He's pretty cute.

My dad, who is an awesome car guy, painted his El Camino, which he is selling.

For some reason there was a "Who wore is best?" war with a Vitamix cap.

Even poor Zeke was included.

It went all the way to Idaho where my sister and brother in law participated. 

I think Claire was the one who started it anyway.

Michael shows it worn in a more casual setting.

So who wore it best?

Sadly, I could not participate because I don't have a Vitamix.

The El Camino all coolified.

This is Simon, Ariel's cat. He's not so smart.

This is Kai again, getting bigger.

Just not as big as his cousin Claire.

I went clubbing and accidentally ended up looking like a vampire.

Simon again. Like I said. Not smart.

My mom, being fit and doing yoga.

Chatting with one of my best friends, who is weird.

Secret Rats

It's been way too long since the last time I posted anything, but today I actually have a story to share. 

Yesterday at my office, a rather swanky law firm, I was speaking with my coworker who occasionally sits at the reception desk. If you don't know, receptionists know everything that is happening in an office at all times. Anyway, she tells me that there is a Secret rat problem in the downstairs area and the owners of the firm are trying to keep it very hush hush. My first thought was "then why are you telling me?" 

The rest of the day as I walked around the office I heard hushed conversations about the Secret rat problem. It was the most widely known secret I've ever heard. 

Later, I received an email from my coworker telling me to come up to the front desk because she had more fun Secret rat news for me. Curious, I made my way up front to hear the latest. She informed me that the Secret rat had been located. He had camped out in a lady's desk drawer while she was out for the holidays. It had made a nest in the papers, eaten her beef jerky, and went potty in there a few times.

Two of the guys in our office who take care of things from fixing computers and light bulbs to taking out the shred bins, chased the rat out of the office and down the hall to someone else's office where they proceeded to kill the Secret rat. 

After the Secret news traveled around the office, another lady, who is big on animal rights, started sending hate mail to the rat killers. 

Exterminators were called to take care of any further rat issues. 

All in all, I think it was a pretty entertaining Friday at the office. 

Fall Post NOT About Pumpkin Stuff

The next time I bring my phone plug-in, I'll do a picture dump on here. That is, if I remember.

Today is a Monday, but it isn't that bad so far. I woke up early and watched the sun rise with my 5' stuffed bear (very romantic) and then fell back asleep until my alarm went off. When I stepped outside to head to work, I noticed that it wasn't hot. It was actually cool! I was like, weather, what are you doing? Even when I got in my car (the leather seats usually make it extra hot) I was surprised to find that the seats were cold.

I know it's a bit pre-mature because this is Arizona and it's on fire all the time, but I'm getting really excited about the fall/winter. I'm sure by the time it gets cold (late November-December) I will start complaining about the cold. Either way, I'm excited to not worry about my face melting off every time I go outside.

Mostly, I'm excited for an excuse to wear my boots and leggings again.
And for it to be the perfect tempurature for cuddling with my ...kind-of man (it's complicated, but I'm just happy he is here, even if it's for a little bit).

The Worst Blogger Award Goes To...

I'm the worst blogger in the world. Second only to those who don't blog at all.

I'll have you know, in response to my last post in which I had to find a car in 2 weeks, that I finally did get a car! It was nothing but a whole lot of miracles and in the end, I wind up with not just a car, but a nice car. A Mustang, to be precise. I thought I was going to have to get a small beater car and the sportier cars were just a far off dream.

But I got it.

And it's mine.

And I don't care about making payments on it. I'm happy to do it, because it's my car.

There have been a lot of things lately that are making me happy, which is good because I really need it right now.

1. My superawesomebeatutifulmajestic car.
2. The awesome friendships I'm developing with my roommates. I love all seven of them!
3. Going to school to study the things I love (drawing and writing).
4. Starting a collection of World of Warcraft action figures (I know).
5. Good song on the radio that make my morning commute awesome (Safety Dance).

And a whole lot of other things.

I promise pictures soon (not that anyone it reading this anyway).

Happy Thursday!

In Which I Cry Alot And Possibly Break My Hand

I recently received the news that due to family happenings, I'm going to have to give up my car and go buy my own. In 2-3 weeks. I have no savings. I have no trade in. And I have no credit. So as you may imagine, I'm having a hard time getting a loan.

This past week has been pretty stressful with the mustile denials from different banking establishments and also school just started up so most of my evenings, where I could be doing the car thing, are full. And then yesterday was the icing on the cake.

I left work early to try a credit union. I got there and had a very helpful representative who helped me apply for a loan, and this time I had a co-signer. While we were waiting, he also helped me apply for a credit card which I was approved for! I was starting to feel better about the situation and I was 48% sure that I could get the lone this time.

But I was denied again. I thanked the gentleman who helped me, who seemed as bummed as I was that it didn't work. I went out to my car and made a call to my parents with the update. When I tried to put my car into drive, the shifter would not move. At al.

It's done this before and it just takes some wiggling and yanking, but this time it wouldn't budge. So after 10 minutes of trying, I finally broke down in tears. For the next 50 minutes I tried to get that shifter to budge and the whole time I was crying my eyes out.

I usually don't cry or get mad, but I have to admit that I did end up hitting the shifter with my hand. A lot.

Soon I was barely able to hold on to the shifter my hands hurt so bad. So after continuous crying and praying, it finally shifted, and I made my way home holding back more tears.

After I got home, I iced my hands for a while and then decided to take myself out to a movie I was wanting to see. I did feel better by the time I got back from the movie, but today it's back to looking for a loan and trying not to move my hand too much, which blogging is not helping.

Wish me luck.

Going On An Adventure

I'm leaving tonight around 11:30pm to fly out to Norfolk, Virginia. My sister, Ariel and her husband, Michael moved there a few months ago and I decided to go pay them a visit.

Now coudn't be a better time to leave and get out of town for a while. It's hard sticking around the same place where everything reminds you of your recent breakup. So I'm going to a new place and hopefully I'm not reminded of him so much.

This is also a great opportunity to take some pictures, and therefore, giving me something to blog about again, and to get out of the house so I don't end up like this.

Be back in a week with (hopefully) a lot of pictures and stories.

Firefly Can Fix (Almost) Everything

I decided I'm going to write about some personal things, even though no one really reads this. That's fine with me. Soo...the man I have been madly in love with for over a year has just decided that we should "take a break" but still "go on dates sometimes". If that is confusing, don't worry, it has my head spinning as well. At first this did not go over well with me (I'm still not okay about it but I understand now).

After a week of crying, not sleeping, not eating, making myself become physically sick, and watching an obscene amount of Netflix*, I finally had a (small) breakthrough. After a good talk with the man I (still) love, I decided I would take this time to fix me.

If you know me, or have read any of this blog, you will know that I had depression, self-esteem, and hermit problems. So now I'm going to try to fix these so I can feel better about myself and stay away from too many perscription meds.

To do this I decided to start going out and making friends.

I'm not a mean/rude person so I don't have a problem being nice to people and they are usually nice right back, but with my life surrounding this boy for the past year (and even though he is still my best friend), I have to admit that my friends in Arizona consist of family members and Adam's friends/family, which is kind of a problem as you can see.

So even though I have always always hated the whole social/dating/party/single scene, I'm going to try to hop back in with a better attitude that I have been lacking for years. I'm not on the prowl for man-flesh, but I am going to be happy and be friends.

Hopefully the next time I check in I'll have some cool stories.

I'm planning on going to the river this weekend, and go clubbing with a coworker, and ....probably finish Serenity, the movie that comes after the Firefly series. If you see me going back into my hermit shell, please slap me.

*The main show of choice to help me not go completely bonkers/dead with depression? Firefly. You need to watch it!! There is something about Cowboys in Space with some Chinese influence that really hits the right chord.

Hermit With "The Bug"

A girl at my office mentioned that she needs to start looking for a new apartment. Just the mention of that made me catch the bug. The "I want my own place" bug. It happens every few months. It was more realistic back before my sister was married and I had potential for a roommate, but now that she's changed her last name and moved half a country away, there really is no one that I would like to live with (except Adam, but he would have to put a ring on it first).

I spent over an hour today looking at one bedroom places and drawing in where I would put my furniture in the grainy floor plans provided online. I'm also going to go over my finances again tonight to see if there is anyway I could afford such a thing. Maybe I could sell some artwork or sell a novel or win the lottery. Or something.

I'm thinking my mom will say no to the living alone idea. For some reason she thinks I'm a depressive hermit who shouldn't be left alone....

Escape From Wellness Exams

This morning I went to the doctor's office for my yearly woman's exam. Like most of you out there, I'm not a fan.

As I was laying in wait on the crinkly paper, with naught but a scant paper vest, I began to think of my options to get out of the upcoming event. My best thought was taken from the iconic Leeloo from the Fifth Element. I could jump down from the table and run out the door in the buff, make it to my car, or wait for Bruce Willis to find me and get me the heck out of there.

Then I realized that I wouldn't be looking as good as Miss Jovovich as I ran my white butt through the hallways. I also realized that I wouldn't have any cool music as I ran, so they whole thing would be less than epic and more on the comical side.

So, I went through the exam and now I'm glad I have 364 days to prepare myself for the next time it happens.

Yay Summer?

While sitting here at work and listening to the usual chatter, I realize that school is almost over for the semester which makes me pretty excited. This semester I was taking two night classes which filled up three nights a week. I know there are a lot of people who do much more than that but for me this was a little rough. I'm excited for the summer to come, but not for the heat!

Living in Arizona during the summer wasn't the best of ideas and I figure I'm still a little too young to do the snowbird thing. I do get to look forward to a couple trips in the next few months.

First I get to go to California for a... card tournament. Ariel, Michael and I will be driving over there to do some Kaijudo duels. Despite the nerdiness of it, I'm very excited.

Second, I get to go back home to Washington for the weekend and this time I'm bringing Adam with me. I'm looking forward to showing him the house I grew up in, my old schools, and our tiny town. We are also bringing my nephew and my brother's cat with us on the plane so that ought to be an adventure.

Thirdly, I have a family reunion to go to in July! We will be driving to Utah to a ranch to spend a few days there with all the family (which is a rather large group).

So, despite the heat, I'm ready for the summer!

Haley's Average Morning

6:00. Alarm goes off.  Hit snooze.
6:30. Second Alarm goes off. Half awake now.
Start looking through Instagram in the attempt that it will wake me up.
Fail three times at this.
It is now 7:30. Grab my 5' bear, Lincoln, and soak in the last of his fuzzy warmth.
Fall asleep again.
It is now 7:50.
Crawl out of bed. 25 minutes till I need to leave for work.
Look in the mirror and assess damage.
37 seconds to calculate appropriate strategy to salvage hair.
Pee.
Wash face.
Brush teeth.
Tuck away straggler hairs back into yesterday's braid.
Slap on minimal make-up to cover redness.
Back to bedroom.
Remove all clothes.
Don new undies, locate comfy maxi dress in laundry pile. Memorized the spot the night before.
Fist pump.
Throw on cardigan and sandals.
Perfume for lack of shower.
Feed the General (beta fish).
Pet Parker and Stormie's bellies (rats).
Final mirror check with finishing hairspray.
Downstairs to the fridge. Grab yesterdays packed lunch.
Out the door by 8:15.
15 minutes to get to work.
Beat the boss in.
Look great doing it.

A Masochist

When I'm feeling particularly masochistic, I will look at pictures of other people's wedding. I will hop onto Pinterest and look at all the dress/decoration/lovey ideas on there. And I will feel bad. Very very bad.

Let me tell you a secret.

I want to get  married.

Very, very badly.

I may be young, but I know what I want and I know what my instincts are telling me. But alas, the boy won't marry me. So for now I sit and stare at people who get to live with the person they love with all their heart every. single. day. And I will be sad.

I know I need to be happy now. I have a fantastic relationship and not very many responsibilities, so I can be happy. But that doesn't stop the heart-tearing feelings I get when I know it's not my turn and probably wont be for a very long time.

It breaks my heart every day.

So here I am today, a masochist.

Billz

Sometimes I hate being an adult.

(notice how fashionable I am)

Scorpion Queen

As I finally get out of bed once I realized I slept through my second alarm, I got a text from my roommate Amberlee.

"Hey girls, I don't want to worry you but I got stung by a scorpion in my room. Everyone please be careful."

By that time, everyone was gone for work except me and Amberlee. I found her sleeping in the kitchen on the couch. Luckily she didn't have a bad reaction to it but she said she didn't kill it. The realization hit me that he was still out there, on the prowl, ready to strike again.

Since my room was right next to Amberlee's, I couldn't leave for work until I knew that scorpion was dead. So I sent my boss a message explaining the situation and till in my pjs, I donned my tallest boots and grabbed a pair of tongs. With Amberlee at my side, we went through every single thing on her floor that it could be hiding under.

Let me pause and tell you that: I. Do. Not. Like. Bugs. Therefore, I am usually not brave when it comes to the extermination of such things, but when it comes to home security, I am one determined little girl. If a bug sets foot in my house, let alone my room, he has just signed his own death warrant.

So Amberlee had a broom and was pushing things around and I was shaking out her blankets and clothes. I was cringing and squeamish and every little thing I picked up, afraid of what I might find. I said a quick, silent prayer that I would find it, and sure enough, the next thing I shook out, a little tan scorpion fell out.

I'm pretty sure we both screamed.

I grabbed the menace with the tongs and squealed. Like a little girl. We ran downstairs and grabbed a jar. I dumped him in there and found he was still alive (I thought I had squished him pretty hard). I poured bleach in the jar, a little trick I heard somewhere, and waited for him to die.

I think he's still on our kitchen counter.

This is the first time I've seen a scorpion up and personal and now I'm terrified to think there may be more in our house. Although I did scream like a girl, I know Amberlee thinks I'm brave (I won't try to convince her otherwise).

 

Just call me the Scorpion Queen.

20: Why It Rocked And Sucked

I was very excited to turn 20 and finally be out of my teens officially. I was very very ready to be an adult, but the way things turned out, 20 was one of my hardest years. There were some really great times but sometimes the bad outweighed the good.

Why it Sucked

• Just days after my 20th birthday, I had the infamous incident with the ant that sent me to the hospital for three days (two of those in ICU).
• Following the hospital, a plethora of other related and non-related illnesses and conditions started to follow.
• These conditions resulted in putting my of different medications, some I will have to take for the rest of my life.
• And then the bills came. Hospital visits are very expensive and I support myself financially so all that money came out of my nice savings account.
• Once my savings account was depleted and monthly bill payments were being made, my car decides it needs to leak and die.
• An odd twitching thing I developed (looks like mini seizures) sent me to the ER again and then resulted in another medication to take (tally up to four prescriptions now, not including vitamins).

Why it Rocked

• I have been dating Adam all throughout my 20th year making for wonderful times and lots of laughs.
• I was finally able to get back into school. Writing and art classes seem like fun school work to me.
• My oldest brother got married and then my sister got married! So that makes two new additions to the family.
• I got this super fantastic job as a paralegal with one of my favorite attorneys and now I'm so proffesional (not really).

So, overall, it wasn't completely horrible but I am very much looking forward to 21 and what adventures that year brings!

Ye Olde Post

Guys, it's Friday. I'm in jeans and I just need to make it through the next seven hours. I'm so very excited for this weekend because Adam finally doesn't have to work this Saturday so we will be going to the Renaissance Fair!! Sure, I go every year, but this year is special... because I will finally be dressing up this time! I mean in full puffy dress, long sleeves, bodice type dressing up. Adam has even agreed to dress up with me. You have no idea how excited this makes me.

We will be making a point to take pictures and eat one of those massive turkey legs while we are there. Happy day!!

This is definitely one of those places where you feel

awkward when you're not the one dressed up.

Not So Wise Now

So I got my wisdom teeth out last Thursday and boy, was that interesting. My face is finally going back to it's normal size and I'm starting to be able to eat more than applesauce and pudding.

Second day puffy right there, and day two of not showering. Thankfully Adam's family let me stay at their house in the "sick chair" where I could recuperate and try to be less dead. Adam was very sweet and changed out my bloody gauze as well as taking video of me right after the oporation. It's a little embarrasing but kinda entertaining so I thought I'd share.

Part 1

 

Part 2

 

Part 3

 

Enjoy.

Five Things I'd Rather Be Doing

I'm stitting here at work with a very full tummy (turning on my sleep mode) with three hours left of work to go. Although I love my job, there are quite a few other things I would like to be doing:

1. Cleaning my room.
   I know this may sound like torture to some of your but my room is horrible and I desperately need a clean slate. Also, if I clean my room, I can get my new bookcases in finally!
2. Playing outside.
   I don't know if you're in Arizona or not, but February is a beautiful month where it is sunny and warm outside with birds singing (it's like everyone elses' late spring). I do not want to be stuck inside on a day like this.
3. Cuddling my man.
   Adam has been putting some crazy hours at work so I haven't been able to see him much. Knowing that we are both amazingly tired, I would love to just laze about on the couch with him watching our shows.
4. Working on my homework.
   This also sounds like a very not fun thing, but when your classes are fiction writing and drawing, it doesn't exactly feel like homework.
5. Driving to the beach.
   It's been a few years since I've been to the ocean and I feel it calling my name. It's one of those urges I get every once in a while that needs to be quickly satisfyed lest I feel inccomplete.

So there is my list, and in exactly 2 hours and 50 minutes, I'll be on my way to freedom.