Catch Up

I did it again. Months passed, and the blog got completely forgotten.

Until last month's wedding palooza (2 weddings, 2000 miles apart, 24 hrs) where a friend from the opposite side of the country said she missed them. And so, I'm back to outlet my mind's wanderings and update my out of town friends and family on what our lives look like these days.

For starters, pretty exciting news: Joseph has a full time job!! We got the offer this week and are thrilled. We will be in Bellevue, WA. We love our church here, New Grace, and are making friends and getting settled. Joseph will start the beginning of October after we have a few weeks of deliciously unhurried time with our family and friends in Oregon.

After weeks of intense searching, we have found an apartment. After living in Indiana, the prices here were a SHOCKER. But we finally found a place with some decent square footage and a price we could handle (without a nasty commute-Bonus!). I am so looking forward to FINALLY using all the wonderful gifts we got for our wedding! It's going to be a blast setting up house.

I am working as a full time Health Coach, helping people lose and maintain their weight. I love being able to really help, give good advice, and encourage. My clients are amazing, losing 2-5 lbs a week, and encouraging me just as much, if not more, than I am them. I get to "bear up with one another" every day and wouldn't have it any other way.

We celebrated our 1 year anniversary this month. Where did the time go?! We stayed close to home (after 4 straight weekends of travel) with a beautiful hike, delicious dinner out, romantic picnic in the park, and a glass of wine while watching and crying (It is me after all) through our wedding video. Pure perfection. I am so blessed to be 12 months into our honeymoon :)

I'll try to be more involved here, but with life so full and vibrant, it can get a little hard. Bear with me :)

A Sewing Type of Tuesday

Look at these beauties!!!

I have been STRUGGLING to get started on my quilt, but when I actually just buckled down today, it started coming together so fast! It's an Improv quilt, and therefore, very simple and easy on my mind. My machine acted up (she was a little sleepy, I think), but even with that stress, I loved how fun it was today. I got through 10 squares (70 total are needed).

Also...

This past week has been VERY hectic for J and I. J had his FE exam on Saturday, and so I planned date night on Friday. I went all out on the food: Cornish game hens, roasted asparagus, and garlic mashed potatoes. Yay for romantic nights at home :)

Quilt Update

This past summer a super sweet family friend, Vivian, gave me quilting lessons. It was one of those hobbies that had always appealed to me (practical and beautiful, hello!) and I found I really enjoyed it. I decided to make one over what I expected to be a long cold Indiana winter.

Instead, I was "blasted" with bunches of 45-55 degree days and never quite snuggled in for the winter. So, the quilt came ever so slowly, cutting what felt like thousands of strips. Unfortunately, once I actually started sewing, the measurements were off. I wasn't sewing at exactly 1/4" and let me tell you, I stalled. I didn't want to pull it out and re-sew (what I had done so far had taken at least 3 hours and the whole project was already freaking me out), but I definitely didn't want to have a dumb looking finished project.

So I called Vivian, talked it through, and found I had picked about the hardest project I could have. Doh! I thought I was doing good- all straight lines- but if ANY seam was off, it was going to stick out like a sore thumb.

And so, new pattern time!! In my quilt book there is a fun one called "Improv". You take varrying sizes of strips and blocks, sew them together, then cut into blocks. The prospect of this gives new life to my otherwise daunting quilt. I only have a two more months until it needs to be finished, and I can't wait to share some photos!

"Mrs. Wright, are you pregnant?"

Last week I had a couple days with a class of 5th graders. The first day one of the girls asked me if I was pregnant. No, but thank you so much for that confidence booster! lol! I was wearing a slightly baby-doll cut shirt and slouching slightly. Busted!  

pinterest

I have been standing close to the A figure. It's subtle and so easy to fall into. In fact, I've been watching most of the week and tons of people do this. It starts in the shoulders (especially college students with the backpacks and messenger bags to hold up) and the rest of the back roll follows. I have been having J help catch me (and I him :) when I start to slump. It happens so often! I wonder if not only our computer slumping is to blame, but also our couches. We used to sit on couches like this:

Top part :)

Straight, holding our torsos as tall as they could be. Now how do we sit?

Exactly. Do you see the problem? Like keeping your legs together, sitting or standing tall takes muscle, and muscle doesn't like to just appear out of nowhere. Even as I am constantly reminding myself, I still have trouble staying correct. It's a work in progress, but so worth it. I look so much more graceful and lady-like, my waist looks smaller, and hopefully no one will actually think I'm pregnant :)

Sick day

Today I am still sick. My throat is still killing me, but my head is more clear than yesterday and my spirits are high. So I decided to get a few errands done this afternoon. The weather is so beautiful and warm- no clouds and highs close to 80. I pulled myself out of my sweats, threw on the easy skirt from last night with a pink v-neck and some sandals. Add a headband and some earrings and voila! Did I look like a totally pulled together fashionista? Absolutely not. But! I didn't give up. I'm so tired of seeing baggy sweats in public. It isn't any harder to put on a cuter shirt and pants. And even easier for a dress- only one piece after all. Come on ladies of America, no more sweats in public (unless you are actually working out or DIRECTLY on your way to and from the gym. Those are my guidelines at least :). Let's take more pride in how we present ourselves. Here are some pretty and easy options to inspire you!

Date Ideas

We've been making more of an effort to have set aside date time. Unplugged, no homework, time together. Joseph planned this date for Sunday and it was the most fun I've had in a while. He made me dinner- curry= yum!! and then we went to Rose Hulman for the Black Violin concert. 

These guys were AMAZING! We bought the CD, and I love their music. Look them up on Youtube and decide for yourself (here's one of my favorites. It was audio dessert. The concert was fun, and I made the decision that I've always thought concerts were uncomfortable because I was so worried about people watching me. Who cares?! And so I danced and laughed and enjoyed. It also helped that we were in the back and I wasn't blocking some poor grandma's view. 

Afterward we went to Coffee Grounds for a little dessert. 

Check out my hairpiece! I made this, with some help, on my wedding day actually, 7+ months ago and have tried to wear it numerous times. It kept looking like an over-sized facinator. I'm not English, this is the Mid-west, and I am not that brave. Finally, putting it with a totally monochromatic outfit at the back of my updo made it work. (Please don't be bothered by the updo that is falling apart at this point :)


Sometimes dates are hard to think of, especially when you're on a budget. Here are some that I have gathered together to give you some ideas: 

• Take a walk around the nice neighborhoods in your city and dream about your "house of dreams"
• Play cards at your local coffee shop
• Go see a play- check out local colleges
• Go to a concert
• Pizza and a movie, but stay in and make your own! Homemade pizza together and a rented or redbox movie is so much more reasonable and just as much fun.
• Give each other massages. Your muscles will thank you.
• Do community service together
• Go to a driving range or play mini golf.
• Work out together while watching the same TV show at the gym. Bonus if it's a home improvement show. Then you can dream together about things you would like to change about your house currently or things you would like in your dream house.
• Make a fancy dinner together, light some candles and find a list of great questions to ask each other.
• Painting together whether it's a piece of furniture or getting some canvas out and letting your creativity flow.

So go spend some quality time with your Honey!!

Wardrobe 911

Yesterday both J and I woke up with a sore throat. By the end of the day with my 5th graders (3rd day in a row and I was loving them), the throat was worse and I was just plain ol' tired. By the time I picked J up from classes, I was not feeling well at all, but he was doing fine. Dr. J said to be in bed by 7 (the sun's new set time is only 7:45..), but I did try and made it there by 8! After a fevery night of sleep plus some (I woke up at 11 am. Yes, 15 hours of sleep later), I'm feeling better but still not great. I've eaten some today, went on a walk in the sun, and surfed the web. My fever isn't back yet, but I'm still "under the weather" for sure. And here comes the problem:


Tonight J and I are being taken out to one of the nicest restaurants (at least one of the most expensive) in town by a company based here in town. If they want to meet me, this isn't just a nonchalant thing, and I am very excited. Only problem is this sickness I'm fighting. What do you wear when it's suddenly become summer (77 and sunny right now)? I was not prepared for this. My mind is still in thick skirts, tights, boots, and warm sweaters. Also, on a scale of 1 to feminine, you could say I'm near the bottom. My voice sounds funny, I haven't had the gumption to get "made up" yet, my eyes look like I've had 1.5 hours of sleep instead of 15, and my hands are constantly clammy because my body can't decide what temperature it wants to be. Ah! 


Mom came to the rescue: skirt and cardigan. Yes, this is my "uniform." It'll work perfectly. Here's what I picked: 

Navy and white polka dot skirt, navy ruffle front tank, and cream colored cardigan. I'll pair it with some tan flats, pearls for accessorizing and voila! Comfortable, cool enough, warm enough, cute enough :)


Pray for us tonight while we are at this important dinner!