T Minus 11 Days

I can't believe that I will be leaving Arizona in just 11 days.  It still seems surreal.  Things are going pretty well, I suppose.  As well as they can be.  It's a crazy roller coaster of emotions for me, that's for sure! One minute I'm excited to be back in WA, and the next I'm overwhelmed with sadness at leaving behind my life here.  I am blessed with wonderful, amazing friends, a job that I truly enjoy going to, and it's sunny here nearly every single day.  I know that I'll ultimately be happier back home.  But it does still hurt. 

Hubs & I remain friendly.  I do still consider him one of my best friends for sure.  I truly hope that we'll be able to remain friends with this is all said and done.  I'll admit that there are awkward times... like we're stuck in our normal routines, but it sometimes feels like we're pretending.  Pretending to be this normal married couple or something.  I don't know how to explain it.  It's really quite odd, to be totally honest.

Friday night was the first of many "goodbye" get togethers.  I can honestly say I have not laughed that hard in a VERY long time. Copious amounts of alcohol were consumed, we kicked up our heels on the dance floor (quite literally for a couple of us) and laughed so very hard, and so very much.  My face hurt from constantly laughing.  Good times for sure. 

This week I have lots of packing to do.  Hubs is going to WA to see his parents, so I'll have the house all to myself.  Yay! :) Of course, I likely won't be home much, but it's nice to know that my last weekend here in AZ will be filled with fun, and not melancholy at our failed marriage. 

I hope to be a little more diligent at blogging... I'm sure it'll remain sporadic for a bit, but once I'm settled, I hope I'll get back to some sort of regularity. 

Until then..

Big Changes

I've mentioned my lack of blogging is due to a personal turmoil in a previous post.  I've also mentioned that I would have a couple big announcements to make.  It's no coincidence that these two statements are related. 

I'm moving back to Seattle.  Alone. 

It is official.  The Hubs and I are parting ways.  This was not an easy decision to make. But I do believe with every ounce of my being that it is the right one.  I won't go into the specifics of why we came to this decision.  Bottom line is that we want different things, and we're unable to give that to each other.  We will remain friends, and hope to make this a smooth transition. 

So, there ya have it.  The big news in my world...

Here's to new beginnings once again. 

Getting To Know Me: Week Seven

Yeah... I know, I went MIA again, after promising to keep up on blogging.  Lots going on, and I'll have a couple fairly major announcements coming soon... Just not quite ready yet. 

So for week Seven, it's all about music.  Songs that I listen to when I'm happy, sad, bored, or mad

Music is a huge part of my life.  I will admit that lately I'm not as up-to-date on bands, or what not, but it's still a big part of me.  When I lived in Seattle, my friends & I were constantly checking out different bands, and going to random shows.  Seattle has a really great music scene, and I was fortunate to be able to take in quite a bit of it. 

Even with music playing a big part in my life, it was still rather difficult to choose songs for this post.  As you can see, my music tastes really are all over the place.  Probably not as refined as Hubs would like them to be (he's a HUGE music snob) but, a pretty big variety.

Happy:
Banana Pancakes - Jack Johnson
Margaritaville - Jimmy Buffet
Shut Up and Let Me Go - The Ting Tings
90's R&B/Hip hop from my younger days

Sad:
This kind of depends on why I'm sad.  But some current faves are
Hold You Up - Matthew West
Unanswered Prayers - Garth Brookes
Landslide - Fleetwood Mac
Jesus Take The Wheel - Carrie Underwood

Bored:
This would probably just be anything that makes good background music - Jack Johnson, Paolo Nutini, Amos Lee

Mad:
Songs with a strong beat, or that I can totally belt out like I'm auditioning for American Idol
You Oughta Know - Alanis Morissett
Lose Yourself - Eminem
Not Ready to Make Nice - Dixie Chicks

So, there ya have it.  Some of my go-to songs.  :)

Next Week:  What you'll find in my bag

Getting To Know Me: Week Six

Okay, so I'm about four weeks late on this.   But... here goes:

A photo of my family and me:

Left to right:  Zack (younger brother), me, Mom, Dad, Bill (youngest brother) and Justin (older brother)

My two nephews.  I love love LOVE these boys.  Gavin on the left, Austin on the right. 

My sweet niece.  I haven't met her yet... I will this summer though!  She's such a cutie!

Before Hubs & I moved to Arizona, we got family photos taken with my entire family.  So, these are two - almost 3 years old, but it's one of the few times we've all been able to be together and have our photo taken.   So, that's my family.  They're pretty awesome.  We have our differences at times, just like any other family.  But I know without a doubt they'd do anything for me.  I am blessed. 

Next week:

Songs I listen to when I'm happy, sad, bored, mad...

March Birchbox

I got my favorite monthly delivery in the mail this past week.  Yup, my March Birchbox.  It's always so nice to open the mailbox, and see the box of fun waiting amongst the bills and junk mail!  So here's what I got, as well as the descriptions that came on the enclosed card.

• Traditions by Nick Chavez Yucca Root Shampooing Cream
• Grandma Stelle's Refreshing Hand Soap
• Color Club Nail Lacquer in Lava Lamp
• Boscia Green Tea Blotting Linens
• stila Smoky Eye Card

Traditions by Nick Chavez | Yucca Root Shampooing Cream

Hollywood stylists rave about the restorative abilities of this silky cleanser, which is made with fortifying wild yam and yucca roots

Grandma Stelle's | Refreshing Hand Soap

Dress up your bathroom sink: this moisturizing hand wash has a winning citrus scent and leaves skin super soft

Color Club | Nail Lacquer in Lava Lamp

Brighten blah nails with this on-trend neon orange polish

Boscia | Green Tea Blotting Linens

These shine-busting sheets absorb oil with all-natural green tea extracts.

stila | Smoky Eye Card

Take the guesswork out of matching eye makeup with this mini-palette

I'm looking forward to trying out all my new samples.  :) Well... maybe not the nail polish - it's a little bright for my tastes.  Maybe I'll use it on my toes.  We'll see...

Have you tried Birchbox?  What do you think? 

Hello there...

Wow.  It's been quite awhile since I've posted anything.  I've been dealt some challenging things in my world over the last month or so.  I tend to retreat from everything and everyone until I'm ready to take things on.  I'm still not ready, and if I'm totally honest, I probably won't be for awhile.  But... I'm going to attempt to re-start blogging. Through all this, I am so very thankful for my absolutely amazing friends.  I really don't know where I'd be without them.  I am truly blessed. 

In other news, I am currently reading (and totally addicted to) the Hunger Games series.  Why did I wait so long to read these?  I've just finished the first one last night.  And I started the 2nd one immediately.  And now I can't wait to see the movie.  Not sure Hubs will go with me to see it, so I may have to make it a girls day thing.  :)

So, I'm sorry for being MIA.  I'm hoping to resume normal blogging.  Well, as "normal" as I can.  We all know I tend to slack in that department! :)

Getting to Know Me: Week Five

I'm a day late for this, but I suppose better late than never. Which... given my tendency to slack in posting (that I'm trying to break!) really isn't too terrible, right?

The end of the month is the craziest, most stress full time for me at my job. And since the promotion, it's gotten a little more stressful. But... I do love it, so I can't complain. Too much. :)

Anywho... back to the getting to know me portion of the evening. This weeks topic is celebrity crushes.

Let me introduce you to my top three celebrity crushes:

First and foremost - He is most definitely at the top of my list. 

Source

Ahhh... Jason Segel oh how I love you.  He seems like the nicest, most laid back guy ever.  And of course, I think he's quite adorable.  Yup.  If Jason came knocking... I may just leave Hubs for him. 

The next one, I feel I need to preface it with I saw a recent photo of him, and he's uh... well... lets just say I don't really find him quite so attractive.  However, if he were to cut his hair, and shave the ZZ Top long beard he may start to rival my man Jason. 

Source

Rocco Deluca.  And can I just say watching him play his Dobro only adds to his hot factor?  Talented musician and good looking?  Yes please!

And finally

Source

LL Cool J.  Yeah.  There's really not much to say here.  I have had a crush on him since... well, at least high school.  Probably longer.  He's quite good looking. Yeah.  Uh.  Yeah.  Excuse me while I go clean the drool off my laptop.  :)

So, that's it... my top three celebrity crushes.

Who are you crushing on?

Next week?  A photo of me & my family