spring cleaning

Adam and I have officially been homeowners for a year now. That means I have maintained the same address for 365 consecutive days for the first time since high school. I love our condo, and love that we have been able to settle into a home together, but it seems like it's the time of year to move, go through all my stuff and purge the things I don't need. Even though we aren't moving, I feel the need to start emptying closets (which secretly must drive Adam crazy) I can feel a Salvation Army trip on the list of things to do this weekend...

In other news, Adam and I were in Chicago over the weekend to celebrate my birthday (I am now a proud 24 years old, and have decided it's the perfect age, it sounds old enough to be taken seriously, but still young enough to not be taken too seriously). We have been to Chicago a couple times before, but this time we stayed in a great hotel, right downtown on Lakeshore Drive and spent the whole weekend walking around, exploring the city. We both loved it. I loved the Starbucks on every corner and Trader Joes within walking distance and the art museum, and shopping, and energy of it all, and I think Adam was content just walking around and watching all the people. Who knows, maybe we'll be living there in the next few years. We are very comfortable in Des Moines and finally getting connected at our church, and everything is so affordable here, but there is an allure to living in a big city or even just outside the city. Right now we'll pray about it and enjoy this season of life.

snail mail

I love getting letters, handwritten envelopes with pretty stamps and even cuter cards. The only benefit to Becca moving halfway across the country is that we have become pen pals. It seems at least once a week I find a personal letter waiting for me. This hasn't replaced our phone calls or e-mails, but the letters are where we share the little happenings of our day and sometimes open up about things we don't talk about verbally from our dreams to our faith.

Writing letters is something I started as a little girl. I would be pen pals with anyone who was willing to put a pen to paper and write me back from grandmas and camp counselors to kids from other countries. I've said this before, but I usually think I'm a better writer than a speaker. I like to get my thoughts down on paper. And I can't resist cute stationary :) Whenever I'm at a bookstore or coffee shop I can't help but look through the cards and pick one up for someone special. And Adam won't even go down the card aisle at Target with me anymore. I have been known to spend half an hour picking out the perfect card.

cereal party

all the really good expensive cereal like Lucky Charms and Captain Crunch were on sale at the store, 4 for $10, so Adam and I splurged and got 4 boxes of sweet, kid's cereal. Now it's all sitting on our stove because of course we don't have room for it in the cupboards. it makes me want to have a cereal party like i remember having in the dorms. it seems like there would be nights when we would just crave cereal so we would go to the convenience store and buy those bags of cheap cereal. then everyone grabs a spoon, we get a big bowl and start filling it with cereal and milk and everyone digs in. who wants to come?

monday

It’s one of those days at work that is almost eerily quiet. My boss Eliot is gone, along with his boss Linda, so not only is there no meetings scheduled (a rarity, especially on a Monday) but there really isn’t anyone around to be asking me to do something. Of course there are things for me to work on, but nothing pressing enough to keep me focused for more than 30 minutes at a time. I used to hate these days, I would much rather be busy working on a deadline than sitting catching up on all the things you put off because you don’t want to do them. But I am learning to appreciate them because I know that before the week is through I am bound to be bombarded with phone calls or something that needs to be done right now. Instead of feeling guilty for not being as productive as I’d like to be, I remind myself that I am a salaried employee, and there will be weeks when I might work a little more than 40 hours, but there will also be weeks where I work a little less, and that’s OK.

my Sunday routine

Anyone who has had the pleasure of living with me or who just knows me pretty well knows that I am not the most spontaneous person. I have a routine, a schedule, and I like to stick to it. Take Sundays for example. Now that I don't have to worry about school work this is my favorite day of the week. Adam and I usually have a leisurely morning of breakfast, coffee, and reading the paper (and I always have to look at the Target ad) then we go to church at 11, maybe run some errands and come home to take a nap. Then I start the laundry, catch up on e-mail and phone calls, go to the gym, and fold the clothes while watching the Apprentice. I know it's good to switch things up sometimes, live on the wild side, but there is something so comforting about a good routine.

Happy belated St. Patrick's day. I didn't go to the parade because we woke up to a blanket of SNOW on everything. I looked out the window from bed and saw the fat, white flakes falling and thought, oh, it's just snowing a little. But when I got out of bed and looked outside everything was covered. It's all melted now and back in the 50s, so hopefully that's all the snow we get this month. I remember last year that it snowed on my birthday though...

it's been awhile...

Adam is out with a friend tonight and I am enjoying a night to myself at home. Rather than rushing to check things off my list (do a load of laundry, go to the gym, iron) I'm sitting on the couch with my laptop, listening to the latest John Mayer CD and catching up with my life. Sometimes I feel like I have to give myself permission to not be productive. In reality I'm still getting things done. I'm catching up on friend's blogs, I'm writing e-mails, reading a magazine, writing a letter.

Some of you have commented that I haven't posted lately and there are lots of reasons. But I think the main one is that as much as I love to read other people's blogs, look at their pictures, get a look at what's going on in their lives, I am an editor at heart and I edit the things I post here (I'm doing it right now, re-reading the words I've typed and making small changes). I tell myself I have to have something worthwhile to say and even worry what people might think about things I post. In a way I get writer's block for blogging. The funny thing is that part of my job is now blogging about new building and remodeling products on the Better Homes and Gardens website (but this is so much more fun than writing about the newest faucet or countertop material)

anyway, here are the random things that are on my mind and going on in Des Moines:
Spring is less than 2 weeks away (along with my birthday) and I can't wait to wear skirts, sandals, and eat lunch outside
My parents and sister came to visit last weekend (and stayed with us for the first time) and my dad made the comment that it's been almost 2 years since I graduated. I haven't been able to stop thinking about that, and thinking that 2 years feels like a long time, but also realizing that I am used to not being a student anymore and I don't count the months that I've been in my job wondering when it's been an appropriate amount of time so I can look for a new job (that's a big milestone)
Adam got me a cute little white macbook computer for Valentine's Day, which was almost a month ago, yet I'm sitting here typing on my old trusty powerbook. He keeps asking me when he can transfer everything over, but I keep putting it off. Even as I get frustrated about how long it takes to load up a website or how it periodically freezes up when i'm in the middle of something. How many hours have i spent with this on my lap mapping out my life? I know I have to get rid of it (let him sell it on ebay) but this was my first mac, the one that Laura helped me search for and wouldn't let me take out of the box 'til i got my homework done, the one i dropped a hot iron on and it survived (with only a small dent on the lid)
I have to put in a plug for the website Sam (my coworker) and I have been working so hard on for Remodel magazine. It is launching tomorrow (fingers crossed) and if you check it out we get points (or something like that) If you aren't remodeling it may not have much for you (no embarrassing pictures of me yet) but take a look at what I do every day: www.remodelingcenter.com.
And finally I am reading the new Philip Yancy book on Prayer, and have to share this idea: When we pray we get the direction wrong. usually we start with our concerns, bringing them to God, telling him as if he didn't already know them. But if we turn this around and realize that God already cares about our concerns even more than i do "Grace like water descends to teh lowest part. Streams of mercy flow. I begin with God, who bears primary responsibility for what happen on earth and ask what part i can play in God's work on earth."