Conundrums, quandries, and confusion

This time of year has always been a somewhat strange one. It is of course a season of holidays and celebrations, what with Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's. Last year, Reid and I added another layer of celebration by getting married on January 18, and of course, Valentine's Day is nipping at the heels of our anniversary as well. It is a time of happiness, satisfaction, and celebration.
For a few years now, this time of year also marks application time for me. I have known since my last year in college that I wanted to go to law school, but for some reason that goal has always seemed completely unattainable. Not because of inability; I've been accepted twice now. The fact is that law school is a huge decision, not to mention a massive financial commitment. In the past, it's been simpler to say that I'll take this on. It should be easier now with the support system that I have, but if anything, I'm finding it more difficult.
Reid supports me no matter what, and for that I'm incredibly grateful. My concern though, is that I'm putting an incredibly amount of responsibility on his shoulders, not just with the required commitment of time (three years) in one location that may not be great, but also the financial responsibility for our household. Add to that the incredible amount of debt we will be in afterward...it just seems overwhelming.
I'm thankful that I have an incredible husband who loves me and supports me in anything I want to do. I know that I'm amazing lucky to have him in my life, and I only hope that I can succeed at this next endeavor (provided I make it in, of course).

Ugh...So Unmotivated

So obviously my blogging is going so well. :) I just can't seem to get motivated to do anything. Couch-to-5K is still in the couch stage (although I did make it through week three before reverting back to form), and I've obviously lapsed on my updates.

Things are going well in this neck of the woods. We both still have jobs (thankfully), and we're keeping busy. Reid is about to embark on Fantasy Football season which keeps him duly entertained. We've been playing softball on our co-ed team Thursday nights, and he plays on a men's team on Mondays. As much as we loved kickball, we may not be able to do a team this year since we'll be out of the country for half the season. We may have to put it up to a vote.

In other news, my mother and (soon-to-be) step-father are finally getting married. They've been together forever, but now it will be official, complete with a luau-themed backyard wedding next weekend. I'm actually pretty excited about it, most especially the cake since I helped to pick out the cake flavors. ;) It will also be nice to see my aunts and uncles and get to spend an extended weekend with them.

However, all this is just a precursor for my favorite holiday of the year:

When we finally move out of Reno, this is one of the events I will miss the most. The rib cook-off is not only delicious (mmm...ribs...), but it's a great time to just enjoy the outdoors, meet up with friends, and really experience some of the best that Reno/Sparks has to offer.

The most exciting thing right now is the preparation for our trip to Australia. Our passports are either coming soon (mine), or locked in a safe place (his). We've got a (very) tentative schedule outline, basic ideas of what we want to do and who we're going to see. I'm excited since I've never been out of the country (except to Mexico, but as a border-baby, that doesn't count), and Reid is excited to see his friends and host families. And, quite frankly, I think we're both excited to be away from work.

Only 2 months, 1 week, and 4 days to go!

Stay tuned and I'll update about other things that are going on with us. Until then, I'll leave you with Spaz:

Mommy Guilt

I actually managed to motivate myself to go do the first day of the Couch-to-5k program today. If you've never heard of it, C25K is a training program that allows you to build up your running endurance, rather than try to jump in and either get discouraged or hurt yourself. As someone who has never been a huge running fan, I thought this would be a good way to get into the sport and give myself a healthy past time in which to engage myself. It helped today that Reid ended up gaming tonight otherwise I wouldn't have been motivated to start the program. Instead I planned on convincing him to walk the mile-long trail across the street. As he was otherwise occupied, I decided to bring along my alternate training partner.

This is Beeler.

As a doggie mommy, I have a certain responsibility to take care of Beeler and keep him healthy. This includes walking him and making sure he gets outside, so any time I go for a walk I feel guilty if I don't take him along. Since I decided to start C25K I thought I would take him a long so we could both benefit from the exercise.

Today's Stats
Time: 35 minutes
Total Distance: approx. 1.6 miles
Total # of Doggy Pit Stops: 2
Total Distance Traveled Carrying a Bag of Dog Crap: 1 mile

Needless to say, my four-legged training partner will no longer join me for these excursions. I don't think I can handle another session of carrying dog poop as I try to jog.

After coming home, I made some sloppy joes, pasta salad, and the freshly shucked corn that I picked out at the grocery store. Beeler and I shared a couple of strawberries (love when those are in season!)...the weather here is so beautiful. I can't wait until the farmer's markets begin popping up on the weekends so I can pick up some of the fresh berries and other fruits to make pies. Last year Reid and I picked out freshly harvested rhubarb and strawberries, and I managed to make my very first pie crust from scratch. The pie was a little runny, but the experience of wandering through the market and spending some quality time together made up for any of the pie's shortcomings.

As much as I look forward to moving on from Reno and starting a new chapter in our lives elsewhere (hopefully in the near future), this is by far the best time of year. The days are sunny and not too hot, the winds become breezy rather than gusty. The Thursday farmer's market in Sparks brings live music, local microbrews, Indian tacos, and funnel cakes. Now that we have a Whole Foods Market they sponsor mini-farmer's markets on Saturday and Sundays. My birthday present from Reid last year was a bike, and spring marks the beginning of my chance to explore some of the great biking trails around town. Last year I managed to survive an 8-mile journey with a friend of mine. Don't know if I'll make it that far this year.

Late summer brings softball season for Reid and I, and a short while later we can start our kickball league again. Before we know it, we'll be on our way to Australia for that amazing trip. Everything is going really well right now, and we feel very lucky.

Good times!

The first few months of our marriage have been flying by! That is likely due to the fact that little has changed. Reid and I are still very happy, he still games, I still watch terrible TV shows...the rings haven't changed us. :)

In my view we have definitely been learning more about communication and compromise, something that can never be a bad thing. We're examining where we want to be and the steps we need to take to get there. We are both incredibly grateful to still have our jobs and livelihood when so many people are suffering. We will never take that for granted, but we will continue to look for the best opportunities to better our lives. This could take us in many different directions and we both agree that we are willing to do what it takes to be successful together.

I still want to go back to school. It's always at the forefront of my mind, but sadly I have a difficult time pinpointing what it is that I want to do. Law school is the ideal, but the commitment, both financial and intellectual, frightens me. What if I can't do it? What if I get there and realize that it is the wrong thing for me? I believe I tend to be my own worst enemy, lost in a sea of "what if." I am thankful to have someone as supportive as Reid by my side, but feel bad that the "five year plan" isn't panning out. :) If you don't know what that is, you should definitely ask him.

I'm trying to get more disciplined about the food I cook and will strive to lead a healthier life (and drag Reid with me kicking and screaming!). I'm also going to work on the Couch to 5k plan so that I can try running without giving up. We'll see how long that lasts...

The most exciting news happened today though: We are in the process of planning a three-week vacation to Australia, and booked our tickets today. We will be there for nearly all of November and I cannot wait! We will fly from LA to Sydney, then on to Brisbane. While in Queensland we'll be visiting the places that Reid loves and I will finally get to meet some of his incredible friends. We can't wait to share this amazing experience together.

I'll be using this blog as a place to update everyone on the things going on in our world, and post some information as soon as we know more about what we're doing during our trip. Thanks for being a part of our lives!