Cold Weather = A Cold

Cold Weather = A Cold ... or a viral infection to be more specific. 


Every year just like clockwork when the cold weather comes everyone seems to get sick. Luckily this year cold weather means rain instead of snow - I know the snow will come eventually but until then I will not miss scraping my car. (Have fun with that all of you in Utah!)


I've been fortunate so far - only a few days feeling under the weather with nothing too serious. Dan on the other hand has been a little less fortunate. I guess thats the price you pay when you are cooped up in Law School all day long with a bunch of wannabe lawyers. After much convincing and a missed day of school, Dan finally agreed to see a doctor. The result was rx for cough syrup with codeine and rest - no rocket science here - I could have told him that. I guess my signature on a little piece of paper doesn't mean much though. 


So we stocked up on lemons to make warm lemon-honey-water and cough drops. (If you haven't tried the lemon-honey-water then you are missing it because it is a lifesaver.)


Its funny how one detail can change your perspective on a situation. Normally, I am VERY annoyed by snoring - and Dan hardly ever snores. But the past few nights I have felt a sense of relief if I hear Dan snoring, because I know he has finally fallen asleep, and is sleeping well. 


Like clockwork it came and like clockwork it will go - hopefully sooner than later.

October .. October

October is one of my favorite months. It is full of falling leaves, candy corn, and home-made chili with cornbread. It has been a a full month so far, Dan had his first mid-terms and I've ambitiously started a million sewing projects. The sewing had an interesting start due to the fact that the presser foot lifter on my machine broke off and I had to scour the internet to find parts dealers - and the only one out of 15 that had it in stock. Then I had the joy of paying more for shipping than the actual part. Fail. The best part of all was finding out how to take apart the entire machine, replace the part, and put it all back together without a manual. I must have been inspired by the recent season of 'Project Runway' - the finale is tonight!!! I am so excited.

Marriage has surprised me in a few ways - every day it seems like I am getting a little more and more like my mom. - A thought that a few years ago would have terrified me, but now it feels more like an honor.  One of my favorite childhood memories was when my mom made me a dress that matched a pair of shorts my dad had. I loved my little homemade outfits, I can't wait until I can do that for my kids.

Along with the day to day projects October is full of a bunch of Birthdays. My mom, Dan, my brother - Robbie and some of my close friends. I have never made a big deal about my mom's birthday before, but being away from home this year has really opened my eyes to how much I love and miss my family. I have one of the most amazing women in the world as a mom. She is the hardest worker that I've ever know, and she isn't scared to get down and dirty to get things done. She is the kind of woman that isn't scared to rip out a toilet to fix a clog. I believe she is singlehandedly responsible for my love of logic. When I was little and came to her with a problem, she wouldn't just give me the answer like most moms. She would walk me through problem solving steps. I know this sounds like normal parenting - but as I've grown up I have come across more and more adults that don't know how to problem solve!!!!

Dan turned 25 on his first birthday apart from his family, so I did what his family would do - filled him with a bunch of food. I made his favorite dinner of baby back ribs and followed it up with a hearty serving of German Chocolate cake. - My solo rendition of 'Happy Birthday' was rather pathetic, but it's the thought that counts.

I spent the evening yesterday pulling out all of my coats and sweaters and packing up sundresses and tanktops - an exchange I make very happily. I love boots, scarves and hoodies. Fall is my favorite time of year, good food, comfy clothes and an excuse to cuddle with my husband. I wish every month was October.

Today is ...

Today is Tuesday September 21, 2010.

Today is the 79th anniversary of when Britain went off the gold standard.

Today is the last day of summer.

Today is Bill Murray's birthday.

Today is the day that I've been married for two months!

and a good day it is.

Spoiled Rotten Wife

Last week Dan and I made a trip to Bed Bath and Beyond to get some of the remaining items of our wedding registry. One slap chop, a griddle, and a bunch of other cooking gadgets later I was a spoiled wife!

Yesterday I became a spoiled rotten wife! I got our brand new washer and dryer installed! Tears of joy run down my face because I do not have to face that AWFUL laundry mat ever again! 

As if that wasn't enough - then we picked up our new microwave from Sears. Technology is amazing. My favorite two buttons on the microwave - "Less" and "More". Whoever thought of taking away and adding time to an item in the microwave WHILE it is still cooking is a genius in my book! Plus, I no longer have to melt butter in my oven! 

Oh yeah - check out my stellar pink countertops. <vomit> That was horrible decision made by University Housing. 

My Husband

Chances are that Dan won't be too thrilled with this post because he doesn't like being in the center of attention. But, I apologize because I think this is something worth sharing. In this fast paced world it is becoming harder and harder to find individuals who are willing to help complete strangers. 

A few days ago Dan invited me to crash his law student tour of the campus, so I tagged along. It was a very hot day, somewhere in the 90s and I was already sweating from the short walk to meet the tour group. I was dreading the next hour because the campus is filled with many steep hills, and I knew it was going to be exhausting. Within 100 feet of starting the tour we saw a woman in a wheel chair. She was a very heavy set woman, she was missing one foot, and I could tell that she had numerous medical problems.  The woman was trying to push herself up a hill. Instantly, I recognized that she needed some help, but didn't immediately do anything.  I was waiting to see if any of the men from the tour group would stop to help her.  Every single person from the tour group passed by the woman without acknowledging that she even existed, everyone except Dan. 

Without hesitation he walked right up to her and asked her if she needed help. She replied that she needed to get from the bottom of this hill to her apartment at the very top. Dan grabbed the back of her chair and began pushing. A block later the tour stopped to inform us of some useless information about the many sororities and fraternities that were on campus. Dan stopped along side us for a moment to let me know he would take her up the hill and then find us when he was done. 

I stood there watching him. His calves were fully flexed as he used every bit of strength he had to push this woman up a hill, something that would have been impossible for her to do on her own. Dan stopped a few times to catch his breath, but within moments of stopping, he had resumed up this never ending obstacle. I was instantly overcome with a sense of pride. Out of all the capable people on our tour, including the two tour guides, my husband was the only one to even acknowledge the woman who was so clearly suffering. Then he did something about it.

Eventually, the tour continued and I trekked up the hill. As I felt the sweat roll down my forehead all I could think about was how hard Dan was working to help this stranger, and no one in the tour seemed to even notice he had continued on. We saw a few more buildings, and heard a few more "interesting facts". A library here, a commons building there. Five or ten minuets had past and I was starting to worry, like I always do, that Dan was still no where to be seen. After a few more minutes Dan appeared. He was dripping with sweat and clearly out of breath. The tour continued. 

On the way back to our apartment I told Dan how proud I was of him. He replied, "She needed the help. She can't be out here in this heat trying to go up a hill. She would get a heart attack or heat exhaustion." The woman had told Dan that because the school year hadn't started yet the University was running the busses on a very limited schedule. If the woman had not been able to make it up that one large hill she would have had to go all the way around the entire campus at a lower incline for miles and miles to be able to make it to her apartment. 

This broke my heart. I couldn't believe that she didn't have any friends, family or staff that she could ask for help. 

I told Dan again how proud I was of him, and that no one else even noticed. He replied, "It was the right thing to do."

To Dan and the rest of the world, this was a small insignificant event - no big deal. It won't go down in history books, and it won't be featured on the evening news, but to the woman he helped, this no big deal made the world of difference, but I can't help but wonder if I am the person who received the most out of this small act of kindness. 

I received the gift of love, a deeper love for my husband, when I didn't think it was possible to love him any more. All because he is the type of good hearted person that is so rare in this world. Every time I think about it I fall a little bit more in love with him. 

The best part about this experience is that I was able to witness a miracle.   

A miracle in a time where they are so hard to find.   

A miracle that stopped me in my tracks, humbled me, and made me realize that there are more important things in life than my class schedule or the fact that we need a microwave.   

A miracle because it was "the right thing to do". 

Unpacking, unpacking, cleaning - and unpacking.

The past few days in Moscow have been busy with you guessed it, unpacking, cleaning and some more unpacking. 

While it has been a bit overwhelming, the big stuff like the kitchen and living room are done. It makes a world of difference for when you need a spoon to just open the drawer and see it there vs. searching though 20 boxes. 


Yesterday was a particularly hard day for me. It was the kind of day that was out of sorts from the time I woke up until I went to bed. Its hard being in such a small town with no friends and family. I know that once school starts, that it will get easier. 


I'm so glad that we brought Punkin with us. I know a lot of people aren't pet people, and thats okay. For me it just makes the world of difference to have someone here during the day that needs me, can make me laugh, and is waiting at the door every time you come home. My cat has more personality in his tail that some people have in their entire body. It has been so amazing to see how Dan is interacting with him as well. Dan is someone that doesn't consider himself to be a 'pet person' and he is also allergic to cats. Regardless, Dan can't help but to be amused with this miniature tiger that is flipping over a straw to try to get it out of a corner. 


Speaking of Dan his school is going well. I've been able to attend a few events with him. On Monday night they held a reception - honestly - pretty boring, but it was fun to be able to be a part of it with him. Last night they held what they called a 'Partner Panel' where second and third year couples talked about what to expect with a spouse in law school. Pretty much exactly what I had heard so far - don't expect them to be able to do much around the house - you'll see them every now and then - and be sure to schedule your dates weeks in advance so that you are able to have time together. The good news is that they said he won't be TOO busy until the middle of October - then don't expect to see him much until finals are over. 


We had a fun experience at the bookstore this week when we went to pick up Dan's first semester of books... over $1000 later we had some really good weights and a workout carrying them around. Dan was able to get his 'Idaho Law' shirt which makes him feel cool - as he should. 


I am finally starting to know my way around the town. It's not very big so there isn't tons to learn. We have a WinCo here which is where I've done my grocery shopping. In comparison to the other stores it is a steal. 


I crashed a law student campus tour the other day with Dan, and so we pretty much have the campus sorted out. Its hard to miss it with the 36 fraternity and sorority houses lined up with horrible music blasting from every crack. All of the girls run around in clothes that are too tight and too revealing for their bodies. The guys strut around with no shirt but always have a beer in their hand, like somehow they think that is attractive. 


This on campus stuff is really weird to me. I swear every person I've seen so far, male and female, is on the PROWL! The mammal instincts are kicking in and the males feel the need to spread their seed wherever and whenever possible. I am so glad that I am coming to college already married so I don't have to worry about any of it. 


The down side to the married housing - is the children screaming and crying all hours of the day. We don't have air conditioning so we've been keeping all of our windows opened - which amplifies the heinous sounds. There are quite a few elementary aged kids there that play in this grassy area in the back of our apartment. I am so glad that I am not 8 years old again! What a hard time of life when you are trying to establish your self identity away from your parents and all of the other kids are so rude. I remember how hard that was for me - and I'm glad I don't have to do that again. 


Well now I'm just rambling about nonsense to avoid getting in the shower and having to start tackling the rest of my to do list. 

First Blog!

First off I want to apologize. I am not a blogger, I have never blogged, and I think that I've read maybe three blog posts my entire life. So I'm winging this. With the recent move to Moscow, Idaho I thought that this would be a good way to stay in touch with the family. 


This past week has been an adventure to say the least. It took all of our available energy to pack up our stuff, load it into the 24 ft. moving truck, drive 15 hours at 65 mph and unload it all into our 800 sq. ft. apartment. We could have never done it without all of the help from our friends and family, especially KC and my mom so thank all of you very much!!


Once we arrived in Moscow we unloaded the cars, and took Dan's car off the trailer so that we could unload the big truck. Once we got the trailer unhooked from the truck (which is not as easy as it sounds) the moving truck started, but would not move. After a few calls to the moving company and their mechanics we got some people out here after an hour and some much needed rest (at this point we were about 30 hours with no sleep). While we were waiting Dan had the joy of jumpstarting his Harley for the first time. Good thing my mom and KC were here to help. I have never jumped anything and Dan was so nervous to damage the bike, but it fired right up with a little bit of help. The mechanics sprayed something into the engine of the moving truck and we able to finally get it to move. At this point we got it up to the apartment and the real fun began of unloading on no sleep. 


Dan has mentioned multiple times during this process his desire to sell all of our large furniture before we move again, and just purchase new furniture when we get where we are going, at this point I couldn't agree more. For being newlyweds we sure do have SO many things; a sectional, an entertainment center, two queen mattress sets, dressers, kitchen table and chairs, a motorcycle, three pedal bikes, oh yeah and two tvs - one 42 in. and the other 32 in. Good grief! That isn't even including all of the wedding presents or cookware. 


The apartment is surprising in pretty good condition. The carpets are horrible, but it is almost impossible to rent an apartment with decent carpet. All the the light are florescent and flicker for a few seconds before they turn on - not the easiest thing on the eyes in the early morning. We do have central air, however, it doesn't seem to be very efficient. We keep the windows open at night and it gets down to a nice 65 degrees, but during the day it can't keep up with the heat, so I am sitting here just after noon in an uncomfortable 81 degrees. Luckily, it should start to cool down here soon. 


I am so glad that Dan is so handy, he was able to change our shower from the worst excuse for a pressurized shower to a fire hose in less than a few minuets. Totally worth the $20 and whatever additional water we will waste from having the flow regulators removed. 


We brought my cat, Punkin, with us. That was an interesting drive, thank goodness my mom has some extra sedatives from my sister's dog. He has made himself right at home. I have moved with him a few times before and it always takes a few days for him to feel comfortable. Not here! Within a few hours he was already climbing in all of the windows and racing up and down the stairs. This morning before Dan went to his first day of orientation he sat for a good five or ten minuets just laughing at Punkin while he chased his straw and ran around the apartment. 


Overall, this has been a really good experience. Everything has found a way of just working out, and we've been so lucky. It will be interesting living so far from our friends and family, but hopefully this blog will help all of us stay in touch. We miss all of you so much already! 


Now if I could just stop procrastinating the unpacking and get registered for my classes! Wish me luck!