Hello Again

Alas I am still trying to fill the void that is the land of blogs these days. I don't really have much to say but something is better than nothing and I took some pictures today so I thought I would see if any of them came out half ways decent. Also, we last parted on a somewhat serious note and it's time to get back to our regular scheduled programming...sort of.

 

Also there is not story or anything, just me messing with manual mode on my camera and playing with light so nothing exciting really.

 

 

I really really tried to get the light just right but it still turned out a little darker than I would have liked despite all of my setting tweaks. Really I just needed the sun to be at a lower angle to get what I wanted, but maybe next time.

 

 

 

 

Yep that's really it I swear. Sorry for the disappointment. Just flowers and leaves that wouldn't focus on the spot I wanted them to. Real post coming soon to you since I have a lot on my list of things to do tomorrow. Perhaps you will get to see a mostly finished garden shed project, but until then no sneak peeks! :)



Yes I know that it is mean to trick people into thinking that you actually wrote a reading worthy blog entry and no I don't feel bad, muahahahaha!

It's About Time

If I were one of those bloggers who had more than 4 family members following I may be able to make some surprise announcement that I am getting married but since you all already know we can just skip that whole part.

 

And yes, being the Beth that I am, I had my venue (and several other details) decided on before even the one week mark of being engaged. That's just how I am; full throttle or nothin'! Also, being financially, well lets just say not rich, planning early means I have more time to pay for it all. And yes, most of you have actually been drug to said venue, The Victorian Rose, but for the 2 of you that have not, here is my version of a panoramic shot which is actually not panoramic at all.

 

This is where the DJ goes...

Real bathroom located in the outbuilding complete with changing table...

Buffet central/Dance the night away (until curfew at 10:00)...

 

Hedge O' Cake...this is where the cake table generally goes and the tables kind of go all around this middle area...

 

And more open space where more tables go...

And of course the gazebo/ceremony seating area...

And more chairs, lucky for you this part is in the shade although a tent for the very open and sunny table areas is highly likely so that nobody dies from heat exhaustion or melting. Although if that does happen not only can David help resuscitate you, but as you can see in the background below there is a fire department conveniently located directly across the street. :)

And that is the walkway to the front of the house from the street which is where I come out of the house out to the gazebo. Anyway, yes it is basically someone's yard, except nobody actually lives here so it's not so weird.

 

Also, it's exactly what we wanted. Affordable (very important), run by a very nice woman and her family, it is outside and cozy and has the right atmosphere. Laid back and fun, perfect for a summer BBQ and celebration with only our closest family and friends. Nothing fancy and nothing formal, it fits us perfectly.

 

You may be wondering, if you even read it, what this title is supposed to mean. When you are with the same person for over 9 years this is the reaction that you get most often and usually comes from the same people that used to ask when you were going to get married (which is pretty much everyone). This is not a bad thing, it just is. This is a longish story but one that for some reason I need to get out even if only just for myself.

 

Nine years one month and 5 days ago David and I officially started 'going out'. I say it like that because we were still in high school and when you are in high school you ask someone to be your boyfriend/girlfriend and then you are going out a.k.a. dating in real world terms. They say a lot about young love: that it will never last, that it will keep you from growing as an individual, that it is nieve and foolish and hotheaded and a million other things generally negative to varying degrees. For some this is all true and for even less these things are the opposite of true.

 

Then there is us. These things were all true for us. 

 

Our love, off and on through the years, was at times doomed for failure, holding us in haitus, foolish, hotheaded, jealous, juvenile, immature and at times simply incompatible with the happiness we were seeking. Then something happened.

 

It has been almost exactly two years since we grew up. We didn't know it at the time but we both made a commitment to grow and change simultaneously yet independently which is the reason we are where we are today. In June of 2011 we decided that David would quit his job at the casino and go to school while I put school on the shelf to financially support both of us. It was this decision that changed our path and I am thankful every day that we did.

 

I was forced to be helpless. There was no amount of pushing I could have done to make David succeed in school, I had to learn to support in a way that I had not known before. To simply be there and trust another person without having any control over the situation. And for David, not having me there to push, he learned how to push himself and that he was capable of doing what he wanted and needed to do. I learned that I cannot and don't actually like controlling everything and David learned that if he just did what needed to be done then I didn't get in the way much.

 

I learned how to budget...I mean serious budgeting. Like I have $40 till next payday so that means I get to spend $20 this week on perishables and $20 next week on perishables. David also learned that numbers are my job and something that I am really good at so leaving it all to me was what I needed to feel good. We learned that the saying 'money can't buy happiness' is actually true, mostly because when you are truly happy you simply don't need as many material things to create the illusion of happiness; it is simply already there. We learned to work together as a team and how to truly unite in a goal. We learned to really appreciate one another every day for all the small things. We helped each other every day. I would help by planning, because like I said, that's just what I am good at. He would help by just doing more to help out whenever he had time and most importantly making sure I knew every day how much he appreciated everything I was doing and that one day he would be able to do the same for me.

 

We had to kick a million bad habits we had formed over the years and form new positive ones. We had to learn to be a little less stubborn. We had to learn that most things really are just not worth bickering about. We had to learn to let the other person have space if that is what they need and  when they are ready to come back and talk they will. We had to learn that you cannot discuss anything with a clear head if it is in the middle of the night or someone is intoxicated to any degree. We had to learn that you cannot force anything on another person regardless of how true your intentions. We had to learn that to truly be in love with another person you have to let go of them and let them be with you. We had to learn that unconditional support is life's best motivator. We had to learn that others' lives, accomplishments, milestones and opinions were not a ruler to measure our own against nor a bar that was set for us to try and beat. We had to learn to grow up and we had to learn to not be afraid of the change that may bring. We had to learn how to be happy.

 

So when someones reaction to our engagement is 'It's about time!', I smile. I smile inside because I think of how far we have come to finally make it to this step in our lives when the time is right for us. I smile because we were actually able to make it here and that wasn't always a sure thing. I think to myself that if we would have experienced these last two years in the beginning that we would have already been married, but for us we had a journey to make and I wouldn't take it back. Then I say 'I know. We are very excited.'

 

It is truly something that I cannot explain. It is like trying to describe a dream to another person; something they will never know or cannot see because they were not there. They can only try to understand by putting together the bits and pieces that you provide. And that is the culmination of my 26 years of life so far. Regardless of your relationship with or knowledge of another person this holds true:

 

 You can never truly understand another persons situation in life because you can only assume what it is like to be in their shoes.

 

 

 

 



Bald Rock and Stuff

So for the first time in...well I know it has been a long time just not sure how long; I took a day off of work so David (my betrothed...I keep playing around with terms because I don't like the F word) and I could actually have an entire day off together to go do something. So off to Bald Rock we went on an overcast sort of blustery day. Good thing was when we got a little cold we just walked more and then we got all hot so it worked out perfectly. And then I took some pictures of stuff, mainly the view. :)

 

 

 

 

 

But I also took some of Riley's cute face even though he turns his head away every time I point the camera at him. He is worse than me I swear.

 

 

This one was a fluke because I caught him just as he turned his head back from avoiding the previous 10 shots I tried to take of him.

 

 

And then there was this really cool tree that I seemed to like a lot because its moss looked like hair.

 

 

The best one was the tree that had a growth in the shape of a human heart though!

 

 

Basically it was a really great day and as per the usual, we didn't take any pictures of us. :) And yeah, that was it. We went, we walked, we saw and then we drove back home and I passed out on the couch. The End.





Part 2.0 Lots of Logs

I actually didn't do much in March and April. My picture files are pitiful to say the least. Oh wait, I forgot that's actually wrong. I didn't think I had a lot of pictures but I do, so just kidding. :)

 

So first I got busy in my yard.

 



On the good side it looks a lot better. On the bad side, it is already sprouting weeds like...well like a weed patch. I can just see now the hours I will have to spend weeding until the Thyme ever so slowly takes the lead and chokes everything else out. Come on Thyme, hurry it up will ya!

 

I had to search far and wide because as usual I didn't do a very good job of taking any 'before' pictures. So I found this beauty from 2 years ago when we were putting in our fence when it was just solid weeds, hence the battle with weeding now. (On a side note, it is really sad that it has been two years and I have never finished painting it, whoops)

 

And then I found this one from last summer when we were getting ready for sod, except we just tilled it up and then it filled back up with weeds again. I really hate weeds, they are really really really hard to get under control once they have really moved in. Mulch people, use lots of mulch!!!



That was kind of a reverse order project, but you get the point. Except now there is little weeds popping up every inch and I get to pull them out every day for the rest of my life.

 

Also I didn't take any pictures during the process of cutting, sealing or placing a million gajillion wood rounds but I already mentioned that I am not good at that. Perhaps I should try to make an effort next time since my camera is always in my purse.

 

Well now my post has lasted for like two hours because I am having some major focusing issues tonight. Probably a sign that I should continue this later. Also, this guarantees that I will still have material left over for the next post even though it will cover events almost a month old. :)

 

 

 



This is more of a survey than an actual post.

And that was actually more of a sentence than an actual title, but who's keeping track anyway. So your assignment for the day is that you get to vote because I am terribly indecisive and I need opinions. You are officially honored with the task of voting for my wedding photographer because I am on the fence and cannot get off of it. :)

(you cannot view this website on a phone, sorry peeps :)

http://www.karastewartphotography.com/

and this is the other option

http://www.shannonrosan.com/#/chico-wedding-photographer/

So now you have to view and vote in the comments. No excuses. I expect 4 votes! :)

Nobody Else is Blogging

So it looks like I will have to provide my own entertainment. I was a little sad to see that with all of our recent family excitement we have all been too busy to blog. Especially today because I wanted to look at pretty pictures and read stories on all of the 'family blogs'. Mainly I wanted a pick me up because I am crying and moping about how expensive the dentist is and how I am not going to have any teeth left by the time I am 35 because I would need a second mortgage to fix all that is wrong in my mouth and it is depressing.

So...instead of making you depressed too I am just going to put up a bunch of pictures and ramble about nothing in particular. BUT I am only going to cover January and February because there is a lot of pictures of holy stuff to get through and after that we may not have time for the random pictures from Bald Rock and the 8 sequential photos of my wedding venue. :)

No this is not deja vu, I just like to take a lot of pictures of catholic churches and then post them here twice a year as usual. This, however, is not the usual culprit. It is a new cathedral that I went to visit which is the St Thomas Cathedral. It is much smaller but is definitely not lacking in ornate if not sometimes gruesome depictions of all things Christian.

Fancy Cathedrals are always tall and pointy. The rule that every square inch be covered in ornate carvings or depict significant biblical stories holds true for both the interior and exterior and it is unlike anything else you will ever see that has been man made. This opinion could stem from my probably unhealthy obsession, but I doubt it.

 

Also, if they hadn't just mopped the floors, this picture would have been a lot better.

 

 

Yes that entire façade is covered in a million people whom I don't know. Most of them are probably saints and I am also sure that Jesus is probably in there somewhere too.

 

 

Wooden saints.

 

 

A church pew that has no doubt seated countless...people.

 

 

And the most massive organs you will ever see!

 

 

I may not be the most religiously educated person but I do happen to know the biblical story behind this stone sculpture, even without the captions.

 

 

And did I mention yet how much I LOOOOOOVE all the stained glass windows everywhere! They are ginormous and also one of the most amazing things you will ever see, according to me.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fall Weather= hold on just a minute...(9 weeks later)

You give me an overcast morning and I will give you clean laundry, a slow cooked cold evening dinner, some sweet treats and maybe even a little something crafty. As I speak, or type rather, the sun is peaking out. I love the sun but it is trying to ruin my indoor activities by calling me outside. As a matter of fact, I think it has worked...I will only be a minute. (written on October 21st, haha)


...


And then I went outside and took pictures of all the new clover popping up everywhere. As much as the changing colors of fall leaves, clover is a symbol to me of the much needed cooler weather needed to refresh the scorched soil of summer.

Little Clover

 BIG Clover

 FIELDS OF CLOVER!!!

 Actually it is just a bunch of clover growing through my meadow grass sod. Long story short this was the 'meadow' effect that was supposed to be my entire yard. However it only ended up on the side of the house. If I haven't told that story, I will spare you. If that was included in my 10 reasons why putting in sod is a lot harder than you think post then you understand. 

Then I decided to plant 30 small plants around the birdbath in my front yard. Yes I said 30 but since they were six packs the holes were all small and easy to dig. Gardening lesson #218: if you can buy a plant small do it because digging a hole for a 1 or 5 gallon plant is about 5,000 times crappier. Plus they will eventually all be the same size so save yourself the time and money.

This is actually almost a little depressing because you should see them now. The salvia is black from frost and the violas are almost the exact same size since the lack of encouraging weather hasn't allowed them to exactly flourish. Hey good news though, the days are already officially getting longer so by the next time I write a post they will probably be beautiful and blooming profusely.

And then I finished painting the shed that I started painting in the Spring or something rediculous. Actually the trim and door aren't painted but those are just details that can be dealt with once the warm weather returns yet again.

Remember what it used to look like?

Wow...If you didn't look go back and do it. DO IIIIIITTTTTT! :)

And also I take back the last part about not needing presents because I actually really like presents and surprises. I think I may be regressing.

And then I cleaned a lot because my cousin came to stay with me and we ate a lot of food for our 4 day Thanksgiving marathon. Really we just like to migrate to different houses and stuff our faces. Yep, that's about it. Oh yeah and we go black Friday shopping to the 4 stores in downtown Oroville. I can always count on family to share the same frame of mind when it comes to large menacing crowds on this dreaded day. Yes, we would all rather pay full price and then some to avoid the likely jail time that at least a few of us would probably end up serving after attempting to brave any black Friday crowd. And not because we would be fighting people over things but because we would probably decide to take stupidity population control into our own hands. I carry a knife.

Immediately following Thanksgiving I started crafting like someone with uncontrollable OCD, which isn't that much different from how I usually am now that I think about it. I spent hours sewing cute felt ornaments and crocheting snowflakes, neither of which I actually took any pictures of. I also made snowglobes which I am only posting a picture of to illustrate the next installment of my story. Yes, there is more! Yay!

Note to self (and you): Be very sure that items you decide to submerge in water for your decorative pleasure are absolutely NOT made of any porous material. If you notice that water is disappearing and it is not on your shelf it is not an inexplainable phenomenon. It will eventually start to leak once the pressure from the festering cesspool within can no longer be contained. Also, you will be unable to compare the smell to anything you have ever experienced in your life. Even if you are 100 you have never lived to smell anything so rancid, just take my word for it. 

And then you will realize how pretty moss is.

And then after cropping just two pictures of moss you will remember why you never edit pictures because it is way to much work. 

And then I became a regular blogger who stopped writing novellas on a quarterly basis...hahaha just kidding. That's not going to happen because I didn't make any resolutions so there is no pressing reason to change my bad habits this year. Also I would totally understand if you had to take like 20 breaks while reading this because I did. Which is also why it just took me like 4 hours to complete this post. You never know when you will need to Google something, or browse around Pinterest, read all the garbage on Facebook, download some new music or make a few new Pandora stations, right? :) 

and on Wednesday I did this

David is gone until Sunday. Five days, that's right. What do I do all by myself for 5 days? Well let me give you a peak into my so called life.

Today I decided that making ice cream in a ziplock bag was what I was going to do. Thank you pinterest, you are so smart sometimes. Besides, it sounded so easy and came from a mommy blog which means she really did it and she said it worked. I can do it too!

I even got this really smart idea that I was going to slip the quart size ziplock into a large cup so that I could easily poor into it. I was going places, had this one in the bag. (haha, no pun intended!) Bag with ice cream mix, check. Put bag into gallon size bag with ice and rock salt (make sure everything is sealed very very well), check. Shake for 8 or so minutes. Okay.

....


....


Two minutes into shaking. Me: Mmmmm I bet that little bit of almond extract along with my vanilla is going to be great! I am a freaking ice cream genious!
Wait a minute...I wonder if mom meant to say teaspoons instead of tablespoons. That sure seemed like a lot of extract. (Check recipe). Nope, it says t-a-b-l-e-s-p-o-o-n-s (you must say this part out loud to yourself). If you do not do that then you won't suddenly remember that you halved the rest of the recipe, except for the extract. Have I mentioned that baking (or any cooking that requires precise measuring) is not my thing. Not that I ever tried to make banana bread without the eggs or anything like that, I would never do that...it was my 4th failed loaf in one night, I was a little frazzled okay.

Not to fear, I can fix this! Pour contents back out of bag into mixing bowl and add the other portion of half and half and sugar. Check!

We're in business again, shaking away. Wow, this is really cold. I am going to wrap this in a towel. Shaking shaking shaking...shaking shaking shaking. I don't remember anything in the instructions that described your muscles burning from shaking a 6 lb bag of cream and ice vigorously for several minutes. It is at this point that I decided that me and Riley didn't need to go out for exercise tonight because I was clearly already getting my workout in. Today was weights.

Me: Shaking bag of milk wrapped like baby in towel, rocking back and forth on couch singing Spirit in the Sky (you know this one mom!). I usually don't listen to songs that mention god or Jesus but this one is really catchy you know. Anyway, this is what I may be doing if you were to randomly stop by my house when there is no one here to keep me sane.This is the sort of thing I will be doing for the next 5 days.

Oh, the ice cream? It's in the freezer. I will let you know. And no I don't have any pictures, they have all turned out terrible lately. No pictures. Maybe next time.

And I also did this

Actually I really didn't do anything else exciting or spectacular. I took lots of not so great pictures at the cemeteries in town. (Coincidentally enough me and the whole fam bam went on memorial day as a spur of the moment day trip).

 

Cemeteries are understandably a little melancholy but I have to say that what you notice most, especially when at an old cemetery, is that children used to die. A lot. It is something that we don't really think of much in this day and age but back in the 1800's and early 1900's it was a part of life. Families would loose 2, 3 or even more of their children sometimes only days apart. Due to illnesses running rampant I am sure but it made me appreciate that we don't really have to worry about those things very much any more. 

 

Also, when someone dies there was often times mention of where the person was from and down to the number of days how old they were. I guess when the average lifespan was far below where it is today every day counted. I like to think that I make every day count.

I also went to NY again. It's a pretty amazing place really and I do think that everyone should go there at least once. I didn't really get it the first time I went, it took time for me to appreciate why people love it so much. I love it for many reasons. It is a place full of diversity, a lesson in history, a city of entertainment and it is like no other place. Also, you can find any kind of cuisine you could think up. And I mean anything. There are buildings hundreds of years old nestled between new skyscrapers and corporate living. There are museums and galleries and of course you can't forget all the Broadway shows. They are amazing too, I love them all. :) There are people who sell things on the street and you can just walk wherever you need to go. Walking 5 miles in the city feels like nothing at all and everyone else does it too. Lots of people don't even have cars, they walk or take a cab. I can't blame them with the cost of living as high as it is there a car is a luxury. There is always something to do or somewhere to go. I can't really explain it but there is a feeling there like a pulse or something. Like the city is it's own living breathing being that surrounds you.

And besides the Broadway shows I love Central Park the most. Because in the middle of all that concrete and buildings and hustle and bustle there is a piece of humanity. A true testament to the fact that even the city dwellers need to have a little outdoorsy connection. It is like everyone's backyard. I have only ever explored about half of it simply because it is enormous but I still find that you can never truly see it all. People walking their dogs, jogging on trails, biking, carriage rides, picnics, baseball games, paddle boats, kiddie rides, a zoo (that's right, there is a zoo in there too), people selling prints, drawing caricatures, yummy food and drink stands, you name it they got it. On this trip we found some very hungry ducks! Aren't they cute!

We had the most amazing weather while we were there. Usually the sheer heat and damp humidity are enough to put at least a little damper on my city exploring but not this time. Walking around the park for a few hours before heading off to the airport was a great way to spend the afternoon. I like to think that one day I can go with my whole loud family and David and we can all roam around the city together. Now that would be a trip to remember. :)

What have you been up to you say?

Well as usual I have been simultaneously very busy any yet haven't gotten nearly as much done as you would think one could get done in 1/3 of a year. That's right. Four months to the day. However, despite the fact that I am sure you were looking forward to one of my novella size meanderings over the many things I have done over the months but I have decided to disappoint you. I am going to stick to 3/4 of the story of installing a sod lawn. Yes, I just said 3/4 of the story. :)

Step 1 & 2: You have to work harder than you have ever imagined for days on end to prep your site. They say it is the most important part and so I gave it my all. This was our last shot since we have tried seed three times to no avail. I still ,even months later, remember how much physical pain I was in during the process. I can honestly say that I have never worked harder in my life. Needless to say, after upwards of 30 hours of hard labor we were ready for sod- which is why it counts as part 1 and 2.

So you caught me. I am terrible at taking pictures of a process. This is almost ready. The easy part was spreading a couple inches of good soil on top of this terrible soil we have. I think you get the point anyway. Plain old dirt that has been flatted and rid of rocks, massive tree roots and don't forget the 18 wheelbarrows of clay that I carted out from one area and completely replaced. That was really fun.

Yup, that's more dirt. Just what you wanted to see. :)

And don't forget that this very same thing was being done in the front yard too.

You caught me again. I am not good at pictures of processes I tell you. None of these are actually true before pictures but they tell the story nonetheless.

There you go, there's that pretty soil that cost lots of money and was ever so conveniently delivered to my little driveway. Why yes I did plan out that pretty design, thank you for noticing. And no I wasn't thinking at the time how hard this pretty little set up would make installing sod. Squares and rectangles are much easier. Don't bother wasting your money on a fancy sod cutter, trust me, a serrated steak knife works perfectly. :)

I am really bummed that I didn't get any pictures of the sod on pallets or the delivery. :( Or any pictures of actual working for that matter. Since I was solo during most of the process and I don't like taking pictures of myself it just wasn't in the cards I guess. (Just so you know David did the roto-tilling (which didn't eliminate several hours of my own handy pick work since our soil sucks as previously mentioned) and helped me install part of the front and we tag-teamed the back (thank god!) I am sure he would want you to know.)  I do remember thinking that sod is a lot heavier than I thought. It really shouldn't have surprised me since it has about an inch of wet soil attached to the bottom of the grass but really I learned a lot through the process.

The ultimate best thing about sod is that after only a days work you have an instant gratification yard with a beautiful lawn!

IT'S SO GREEN AND FLUFFY!!!

OOOOOOOH, AHHHHHHHH!!! BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE!

THE TRANSFORMATION IS COMPLETE! MUAHAHAHAHAHA!

Okay, maybe it's not that exciting for you but it was for me. :) Oh yeah, that was part 3. You don't get part 4 because it is still a work in progress.

Beth's Turf Grass 101 (things you NEED to know):

1. It is a lot of work to put in sod.
2. It is A LOT of work to put in sod.
3. It is...haha, just kidding. :)
4. Make sure you count your rolls and are sure what grass is on which pallet if you are doing more than one kind of grass (we are not going to talk about part 5 which is when I found out that I put the shade mix in our full sun front yard).
5. Whatever clothes you wear will be permanently stained brown from the mud. You will be so muddy that it will hurt because the mud will dry and crack on your skin several times over seemingly ripping your skin underneath. Also, on the plus side, your skin will be slightly browner for a day or so despite washing. :)
5b. Parts of your grass will die without reason no matter what you try to do. It's okay to cry. I mean I didn't, definitely not, but you can if you need to.  
6. Enough about that, dogs are terrible creatures that will try to thwart your grass growing efforts. They like to dig up the mesh holding it together and shit all over it. Then when they do that and you pick it up it will regularly rip out enough grass to cause grass pattern baldness.
7. I will let you know how the rose canes/grass patching work out and then maybe you will get to see current pictures which will complete the odyssey we have begun and will complete your training on what not to do when planting millions of little grass babies.
8. Don't have carpet installed on the same day. Try to focus. One thing at a time I say!

Aren't you glad I only told you one story. :)