La Petite Chic

Right Now

I can't say that I feel too terrible about being such a sporadic blogger this summer because from the looks of my Google Reader, it seems that mostly everyone else has scaled back on their writing too.  There are bike rides to be had and snowballs to be consumed and evening walks for not one, not two, but three "can only walk by myself" dogs.  Truth be told, Jonathan and I have settled into a pretty nice routine at my parent's house. 

It's up at 5:25 AM for me, out the door by 6:00 AM and at work by 7:30 AM.  Then I'm headed home at 4:00 PM, arriving on the doorstep anywhere from 5:30 PM (on a very good day) to 7:00 PM (on a very, very bad day, usually Fridays).  If I get home early enough, I'll head out for a quick bike ride or run so that I can actually enjoy the summer air for a bit, then I head right into the kitchen where either I help my dad prep dinner or he helps me.  We enjoy cooking together and always get a laugh out of the three furry sous chefs just waiting to lend a paw (or floor cleaning duties!).  Jon has also been contributing a meal a week lately but I know better than to be in the kitchen with him.  Three years of cooking in our cramped condo kitchen taught us that it's better if just one of us handles the cooking at a time!

Speaking of my husband, he has just one whole class left in his MBA program.  Just one measly three to four hour class and he's done!  To say that he is thrilled would be an understatement.  He can't wait to take back his evenings and weekends and to never again have to worry about exams or papers or group projects.  I just can't wait to have Jonathan back full time!  He starts his new job in Maryland the beginning of August and we're both relieved that his sucky commute to DC will be over in less than a month.  Did I mention that we'll be working for the same government agency?  We'll be in completely different departments, of course, but it will be nice to do lunch with him every now and then and perhaps carpool together if we have the same schedules. 

As for my new job, I'm still waiting for my clearance to come through.  It's been a really long road involving polygraphs and psychological evaluations and a ridiculous ten year background investigation into my past jobs and neighbors and frankly, I'm just anxious to be done with it and get on board.  I mean, really...ten years takes me back to jobs I held in high school.  You try remembering your supervisor's name for the job you had at the mall at seventeen!  I keep telling myself that it will all be worth it in the end and really, the knowledge of what an awesome opportunity it is is the only thing getting me through the horrible commute at this point. 

That's one of the reasons I'm so looking forward to autumn.  I have never, ever wished a summer away like I have this year but there's a thought lurking in the back of my head that the sooner it's over, the sooner I'll be in my new job (which is only a 20 minute commute) and we'll be that much closer to having our own home again.  There are so many good things in store for us that it's really hard to live in the moment right now.  I'm trying my darnedest to enjoy the present and to be thankful for what I have right now, because my life really is quite wonderful as it stands.  Luckily we've had a lot of fun distractions with more to come and I really can't help but feel blessed, right now.  Life is good!

Last year (and quite timely reading back on it!), I mused about my marriage and how grad school was a stressor for us.

Things I've Neglected to Mention...

• I completely missed my two year blogoversary back on April 26th.  Whoops!  I was planning on doing a giveaway and everything to celebrate!  Seeing as how I never managed to keep a diary for longer than two months (who am I kidding, two weeks), I'm very proud of myself for sticking this out for so long.  Some days the posts come easy, some days they don't come at all, but I feel so grateful to have all of life's little happenings documented in this way. 
  
  
• For those of you playing along, June marks eight months of living birth control free.  While we're not disappointed to not be pregnant yet, it does raise concerns as to what exactly is wrong with me.  (Like, why I've only had a visit from Aunt Flo once in all that time).  We plan on taking further action in September (read: see a fertility specialist) if things don't happen naturally.  And yes, if you remember, I was diagnosed with PCOS and prescribed Provera and Clomid back in February, but I want to have bloodwork and testing done before I believe/take anything. 
  
  
• In brighter news, we found an incredible new sushi restaurant to call our own and best of all, it's just down the road from us.  The sushi is insanely delicious and inventive and fresh and, oh my goodness, I could just go on and on.  One of our favorite rolls was a Spicy Honey Eel roll which we couldn't get enough of.  And I usually don't even eat eel rolls! 
  
  
• I haven't had a good night's sleep since Monday.  We've had a lot of severe thunderstorms this week and I just so happen to be mama to a little dog who HATES thunderstorms.  Did anyone ever learn that Halloween song "My Old Black Cat" in elementary school?  I loved that song!  "My old black cat hates Halloween.  He shakes and quakes and cries."  Substitute dog for cat and thunderstorms for Halloween and that is Lola.  And the only place she feels secure is sitting on the pillow right by your head.  Like I said, I haven't had a good night's sleep since Monday.
  
  
• I am champing at the bit to start house hunting.  I'm so afraid that we're going to miss out on these record low interest rates, but for now we can only sit back and wait while we pay back the money we borrowed from our 401(k) and other loans to make up for the difference in the sale of our condo.  I keep finding dream houses and get so disappointed knowing that they won't be around when we're ready to buy.  Patience has never been my strong point, but there's not a thing I can do about it until we're financially sound.  Unless, of course, I become a high paid call girl and then maybe I could make the money back in a few weeks!  I kid, I kid.  Jon doesn't like to share. :)

Last year, I finally returned to blogging after our European adventure.  I can't believe it's been a whole year!

La La Land

I've been trying to write this post for the last hour, but good gracious, I feel drunk and words aren't coming easily.  I'm having my dental implant surgery this afternoon and the sedation medicine they have me on does not play around.

I started the pills last night so Jon had to drive me in to work today due to the sedative nature of the drug.  I slept the whole ride in and now I can barely keep my head off my desk.  The dentist told me I would be able to function normally at work up until my appointment, but I beg to differ.

Drowsiness isn't even the worst of it.  I feel dizzy and wobbly and really sick to my stomach.  I've already thrown up once and I'm expecting more to follow.  I really hope I don't become that girl who throws up in the trashcan at her desk. 

I'm usually a trooper when it comes to feeling ill, except that is, when it comes to nausea.  I become a crumpled, blubbering baby at the first sign of heaving.  <This paragraph was interrupted by a sudden run to the bathroom where I upchucked my Kashi apple-cinnamon oatmeal.  Lovely.>  The physical thing that frightens me the most about pregnancy, even more than stretch marks and saggy skin, is the morning sickness.  It scares the ever-living daylight out of me to have three straight (or even more!) months of constant sickness.  I can't even imagine the horror.

Going back to the dental work, this is the second to last round in this long journey. Remember, it all started here, then it went here, where it then progressed to here.  My poor tooth was extracted at my last visit (now that was a pleasant experience) and now it's healed enough to finally do the sinus augmentation and place the implant.  They're actually lifting my freaking sinus to make room for the bone graft accompanying the implant.  It's like my mouth is a freak show!  Once all of that heals (about 3 to 6 months), then I'll finally be ready for the shiny, new tooth. 

All I've gotta say is it better be pretty!

Fabulous Find Friday - Garage Sale Edition

I'm a true Virgo in every way except when it comes to practicality.  Rather, I find myself to be fanciful and frivolous and, honestly, a wee bit ridiculous when it comes to some things.  My longing for red toe shoes is the perfect example. Do I dance en pointe?  No.  Hell, I barely know the basic positions and my ass certainly isn't that flexible.  Jon is afraid I'll hurt myself so I don't think I'll ever find those under the Christmas tree.

Then there's the ice luge mold, which I can't take full responsibility for because Jon totally encouraged me to buy it.  We may not have our own freezer, but we have an ice luge mold, folks!  And if you come to Jon's graduation party (which I have yet to plan or invite anyone to), it will be making an appearance!

But I'm not here to talk about pretty toe shoes or ways to simultaneously freeze your tongue and get drunk.  I'm here to talk about beach cruisers.  I've longed for one ever since watching that scene in Wedding Crashers where Rachel McAdams' and Owen Wilson's characters go on a bike ride to the beach.  My family used to rent them during our beach vacations to Ocean City, MD and ride them on the boardwalk amidst some of my favorite smells in the world: warm sand and cold ocean, cocoa butter and coconut, Thrasher's fries with vinegar, Candy Kitchen salt water taffy and fudge...I could go on and on.

Beach cruisers are so feminine and charming and darling, much like I aspire to be.  Never mind that they're not practical; I certainly don't have aspirations to be the next Lance Armstrong.  I just want a lovely little bike to take riding on beautiful days.  So Jon and I made a deal many months ago that a beach cruiser would be my "Yay, we have a house!" present.  Jon would get a new grill and I would get a pretty, little beach cruiser.  Good deal, if you ask me.

That is until I found a vintage beach cruiser at a garage sale last Saturday.  For $15.  Fifteen whole dollars.  And it's pink!  We bought it from a cute retired Air Force couple and the lady said she hadn't rode it in years.  From some quick Googling, I figure it's from the seventies or eighties. I took it right in to the bike shop for a tune-up which ended up costing more than the bike itself, but that's okay because it's in perfect condition and I adore it! 

I named her Pinky Flaminky.

She even has sweet fenders!

 

I bought her a shiny chrome bell so that I can tring-a-ling-ding to my heart's content.

 

P.S.  Since so many of you have inquired, I'll be sharing the instructions on how to make your very own magical omelettes in my next post. :)

Oh, Hello Blog

I don't think I've ever gone a whole week without blogging, save during vacation, and I have to admit, the longer you go without, the easier it is to consider just calling the whole blogging thing off.  But then I think about the friendships I've made and the thought of sharing pictures of our new home (once we have one) and our baby (again, once we have one) and those things are enough to shake that idea off all together.

So, thank you for bearing with me during this period of transition.  I realize I haven't just been absent from my own blog, but there comes a point when you just have to hit "Mark All As Read" and continue on with life and that's exactly what I did this morning.  If I missed some huge announcement, please oblige me and leave it in the comments or send me an e-mail.  I would hate to be the last to know some big, exciting news.  (Though I did catch your "I'm engaged!" post, Katelin, and I'm thrilled for you!)

I still owe you pictures from camping 2 weekends ago and I have new pictures to share, as well, of what might possibly be my best garage sale purchase ever.  I've had quite a lot of fabulous garage sale purchases in my life, so that should just let you know the extent of the awesomeness.  I'll give you a hint until I get around to uploading the pictures: it's pink and it rings and no, it's not a cell phone.

Lastly, my previous post kind of alluded to great things being in store for me and lo, it's already happening!  I had two (yes, two!) job interviews last week and they both went amazingly well.  So amazing, in fact, that it came down to me actually making the decision between the two.  The first position is for the federal government and I'm not sure I can go into much more detail than that, but trust me, it's an incredible opportunity.  The second is actually for the same university that I interviewed with at the beginning of April, and again, it's a great opportunity. 

Both of them would be a promotion and both of them would be in a comfortable commuting distance so it really came down to factors like salary and stability and opportunity, and most importantly, what just felt right.  I picked the first.  The kicker?  I won't be starting for at least 3 months since it requires an extensive background investigation and security clearance, but regardless, I am thrilled and excited and relieved to have found such a perfect-for-me position.  True, I'll be doing the crappy commute for three more months, but at least there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

To all my mom friends out there, including the furbaby mommies (because hey, we clean up poop and puke too!), I hope you had a lovely Mother's Day.  Jon and I made donations in our mom's names for two worthy causes and spent Sunday at the ballpark with my mom and dad.  Last year, before we even thought about selling the condo, we bought season tickets for all of the Sunday home games for my beloved O's and are really enjoying them.  Nothing quite beats sitting in the sun with a jumbo ballpark hotdog and a cold beer while watching my favorite team play, especially when surrounded by family.  And the great thing about loving a team that's not exactly the best team?  You can get great seats for not a lot of money! 

Here's a view from our seats (taken with my iPhone):

Ahh, Camden Yards.  One of my favorite places in the whole world.

On Pins and Needles

I'm sorry to leave y'all hanging for almost a whole week...I've been spending so much time in front of the computer at work that I hardly feel like turning mine on when I get home!

You guys are seriously the best, though.  I was feeling particularly anxious and fatalistic last Wednesday, but all of your comments helped me to realize and remember that everything is going to be okay.  And as several of you mentioned, now is not the time to freak out.  An interview is just an interview and there is no guarantee that I'll even be offered the position, so why stress out now?

If I do happen to receive a job offer, I'll need to weigh my options and look at the pros and cons of each, as many of you suggested.  Jon (God love him) took the time to work out all of the financials and concluded that we can definitely make it work, so that is one less thing to worry about.

As for the interview?  I think it went really well, but then again it's sometimes hard to gauge if an interviewer is truly enthusiastic about you as a person and potential employee or if they're just really friendly.  She was very up front with me about the number of applicants they've had and the number of interviews she has conducted and has lined up after mine.  This particular institution has been in a hiring freeze for the past year so the department is very lucky to even be able to fill this position.  What that all boils down to is that they have a lot of highly qualified and desirable applicants for just this one position. 

I was told to expect some news either way by the end of this week and I'm really hoping it's good news because the position sounds ideal for me.  It's high exposure and completely different one day to the next and most importantly, I wouldn't be sitting in a cube all day!  The manager seems lovely and I think I could really learn a lot from her.  I've been checking my iPhone fanatically, hoping for an update but I'm guessing I won't hear anything until Friday because the HR department is notoriously slow.  Until then, I'll be sitting on pins and needles, but will be sure to let you all know the outcome.

Things Further Contributing to an Ulcer

So, uh, guess what?  I have a job interview this afternoon.  A job interview for a company I've been applying with since last year.  An interview for a job that I applied for before I even applied for my new job that I just started on Monday.  You know, the one in Virgina, the one right across the street from our condo which will not be ours as of April 23rd, the one in Benefits, the one that is turning out to be more administrative and less about learning new HR skills.

And this job interview?  Is for a job in Baltimore.  A job that would not be a 50 mile commute each way through DC traffic, a job for a university that would give me 100% tuition reimbursement for my Masters, a job in event planning which is something I've always been interested in, a job that is offering significantly less money than what I'm currently making.

What's a girl to do? 

If you're anything like me, said girl would cry and she would fret and she would cling to her husband in the wee hours of the morning because she can't sleep due to her anxiety and the nook in his arms is the only thing that comforts her and the only thing that feels like the right thing to do.  She would work herself up into such a tizzy that she wouldn't feel like eating, wouldn't feel like blogging and wouldn't be able to believe the predicament she is in.

She would try to calm herself down and try to rationalize and try to remember that she hasn't even been offered the job in Baltimore yet so there. is. no. situation., but all fellow anxiety sufferers will know that once your mind gets going, it's hard to to talk it down off that ledge of doubt and fear and delirium.

She would feel incredibly lucky and blessed to find herself in this situation, especially considering the status quo of the job market, but all she keeps thinking about are the what if's, and the proper etiquette and the conversations she'll need to have if things move forward.  She's confided in trusted co-workers and they've all said that she must think of herself first, but she can't help but feel bad already.

Sigh.  What would you do?

For Sentimental Reasons...

I'm a recovering saver*.  I blame it on my sentimental nature. Chances are, if you sent me a letter in my 27 years of life, it's stuffed in a box somewhere next to ticket stubs and rose petals and other trinkets that I just couldn't bear to part with because they hold some sort of meaning to me. 

I say I'm a recovering saver because I'm slowly learning to let go of things.  I think that's what sharing a 690 square foot condo with my XL husband and XS dog has taught me: If you haven't seen it or used it in a year, toss it.  Now, I'm not quite ready to part with everything sentimental and fully know and accept that I never will be, but I am getting better with ridding my home of useless clutter.

This weekend, while cleaning out the closet in my old bedroom at my parent's house, I came across several of those such sentimental boxes from my youth.  Oh lord, you wouldn't believe some of the stuff I found!  And because I have no shame, I'm listing some of the more interesting things here:

• The Simpsons trading cards circa 1990 (I have been watching the Simpsons since they were on the Tracey Ullman show.  I am definitely going to see if these are worth anything on Ebay.)
• Lock of my hair from age 10 (Umm, eww.  But interesting to note that my hair is the exact same shade it was 17 years ago!)
• Old jazz shoes from 8th grade (As if I would ever wear those ugly things again!)
• Massive collection of keychains weighing in at about 3 pounds (Including about 15 scopes ranging from age 10 to 17; non-Ocean City, MD beach-goers will probably have no idea what these things are, but trust me, they are awesome) 
• My very first reed from when I played the alto sax in middle school (As in the very reed I used to suck on to get it nice and malleable before I played.  Bleh!)
• Limited Edition Air Force Barbie (Brand new in the box, with the AAFES price tag still attached.)
• Neon green New Kids on the Block velcro wallet (and also, a sheet of NKOTB stickers to boot!)
• Piece of the Berlin Wall (We moved to Germany a few months before the wall fell and it's hard to believe this happened in our generation.  I will definitely be keeping it.)
• Baggie full of used spikes from my high school racing spikes (I used to save the ones from big meets, so who knows, these could be my state championship ones!)
• Box of salt blocks from the salt mines in Salzburg (If salt can go bad, I think these did!)

Help me to feel a little less crazy here...what strange things have you saved over the years?

*I refuse to call myself a pack rat!

The Elephant in the Blog

Back in October, I announced that I had my IUD removed and that Jon and I were officially not not trying to have a baby.  I noted that we had a few goals that we wanted to accomplish before getting pregnant but that we were getting the ball rolling early to give my body a chance to get back to normal.

Call it women's intuition or call it a hunch, but I just knew that getting pregnant wasn't going to be an easy feat for me.  Honestly, despite our many goals, that was my main reason for getting a head start on the baby making.  Jon took some convincing to really make him understand why, but once he realized I was quite serious and sincere and wasn't trying to get pregnant rightthisinstant he was on board. 

My cycle has been wonky from the beginning.  Before I went on the pill in college, I only got my period about three to four times a year.  Once on the pill, I was completely regular thanks to my daily hormone intake.  But then I didn't get my period the entire time I had my Mirena in.  I had a bit of spotting the couple of days after having it removed, but looking back on it now, I think that probably had more to do with my pap smear than my period.

I still had my original IUD removal appointment scheduled for February (again, I had a feeling that I would need to be visiting my hard-to-get-an-appointment-with-doctor so I never cancelled it) so I went as scheduled and had a talk with my doctor.  I left the office with a PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) diagnosis, a prescription for Provera (to start my period) and a prescription for Clomid (to induce ovulation).  I was stunned, to say the least.  I wasn't given any "formal" test to diagnose the PCOS, other than having my BMI checked and I've never had any problems with cysts on my ovaries, so I wasn't quite sure if I believed it.

Jon and I talked everything over that night and decided that I would take the Provera to help get my period started, but that I wouldn't take the Clomid until things are a little more stable in our lives and until my body has been given a bit more time to do things naturally.  And yes, I love and trust my doctor, but until I have a diagnostic test to definitively tell me that I have PCOS, I'm not going to take any fertility drugs.  I'm a second opinion kind of girl through and through! 

Wouldn't you know, a few days later, before I even had a chance to get my Provera prescription filled, I finally got my period on it's own accord!  And lord, did it come back with a vengeance, and at work, where I was completely devoid of all supplies, of course.  (thank god for working with a lot of women, is all I'm saying). 

With the guidance of the ever helpful Taking Charge of Your Fertility, I've been tracking my basal body temperature every morning and was able to take my chart to my appointment earlier this week for my doctor to peek at.  Same verdict as before though: I'm not ovulating.  I discussed things with him and let him know that I'm not comfortable with trying the Clomid at this stage in the game, but would consider it down the road if absolutely necessary. 

Jon always laughs at me because I hate taking medicine, but I really feel that taking the natural route at this stage in the game is right for me.  It's only been six months and really, this was the whole point of getting things started early.  I want to give my body a chance to see what it can do and if it does end up needing a little help down the road, I'll gladly accept it.  In the meantime, I've been making healthier food choices, reducing my alcohol intake, exercising regularly and taking my pre-natal vitamins and Omega-3 pills.  We're going to see where we are in the August-September timeframe and take things from there. 

So...I just wanted to give you all an update in case you were wondering how things are going.  I've been putting off this post because I didn't want it to come off as being all "woe is me" because if anything, I'm grateful that Jon and I have this additional time to get our lives together and enjoy being just us before parenthood.  (Admittedly, I've also been afraid that some meanies will come out of the woodwork and say, "You weren't really trying anyway so who cares?!", but my blog is for sharing and share I will.)

The Internet to the Rescue!

So, uh, wow.  Y'all are serious about your moisturizer, aren't you?  I have been sufficiently scolded, cajoled, persuaded and frightened into using moisturizer RIGHTTHISMINUTE, so my face thanks you all for your input!  All kidding aside though, I really do appreciate the time each of you took to tell me what works for you and what might work for me because I am a self-admitted dolt when it comes to these things.  I needed guidance and advice and you guys came through. 

For the record, though, I would like to state that I do not go tanning!  I did right before our wedding, but that was a special circumstance.  Yes, I very much enjoy the sun and being tan, but I was blessed with an olive skin tone from my mother's side of the family so I have a little head start in that regard and tend to tan rather quickly.  I will try to find a moisturizer with SPF in it though!

Speaking of moisturizers, after all this talk I remembered that I won a big ol' box of L'Occitane products as a door prize at Lucy in the fall.  I threw the box in my linen closet with the rest of my forgotten beauty products, but I thought, surely, there must be some moisturizer in there.  I dug the box out of the closet yesterday morning and yes, there was a whole stash of sample sized moisturizers in there!  Score!  So I'm planning on trying out each of those samples to see if I find one I like. 

Yesterday and today (both morning and night), I used the Olive Radiance Cream.  Oh my goodness, it is all sorts of awesome!  My skin feels so smooth and soft immediately after I put it on and it also smells delicious.  As we were falling asleep last night, Jon said, "I smell something different."  I said, "Maybe it's my moisturizer?" so he smelled my face and said, "Yes, that's it!"  and gave it his stamp of approval.  I have about eight other samples to go through so I will see how I like those before I commit to any.  As for my eyes, I actually have a tube of Hope in a Bottle that I bought last year on a whim and then used only once or twice so I think it's time to dig that back out too.

Also, can any of you clarify about the frequency of face washing?  I thought twice a day was normal, but perhaps that is too much?  I wash it in the morning when I shower and then again at night before I go to bed.

Moving on to hair, I had no idea about those wicked little sulfates in my shampoo and conditioner!  You all gave me some great suggestions so I'm going to check them out and narrow it down to one that I think will be the best for my hair.  I have stuck with washing it every other day (yesterday was my second no-wash day) and my hair actually seems a little softer today.  So that seems to be working.  I've gotten creative with my headbands and hair ties and I think I just need to be patient and accept the fact that while my hair is growing out, it's not going to look perfect.  Oh, bangs, you pesky little devils!

I'll keep y'all updated on my skin and hair progress. It's kind of like a fun experiment, but the end result is pretty much guaranteed to be positive!  If I were a braver soul, I would post close-up pictures, but alas, you'll have to settle for my commentary only. :)