Ya know, I was not expecting the second workout to be easier, but it was!! I felt like I was quicker to get into the "groove" with the video, and didn't feel so awkward with my movements. It actually made my sore muscles feel better to get moving again, which, according to Dave, is because it breaks down the lactic acid that builds up. I did the same core workouts and ab videos (and didn't skip out on as many of the ab exercises as I did the first time).
In case you are interested, here are the YouTube links for my workouts. I will continue with these while Dave is on his "Nights" schedule. And please, don't laugh when you picture me doing these!! Who knows, maybe I will be able to hit up the clubs when I perfect my booty shakes!
Core Rhythms : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lT09bryb0C4
Abs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acVU6HGmyVk
Oooh I just found this one while searching for the links above. I think I will add this 10 minute butt exercise to my routine tonight! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2c8xSyaLpk
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Friday, January 25, 2013
My Advice After Planning My Own Wedding
There are few tasks more difficult, stressful, time consuming and emotional than planning your own wedding. I used to want to go into the wedding planning business, but after realizing that I am not good with plans, decisions or deadlines, I soon gave up that idea. There is a good reason why people pay big bucks for wedding planners- it makes the process so much easier! It has been almost five months since Dave and I got married, and I am finally feeling as though I have calmed myself down from the roller coaster ride of planning our wedding. Now I am sure there are brides out there that would disagree and say that planning their special day was stress free and pure joy, and good for them, but I am truly happy that I survived the planning and made it to my wedding alive!
No matter how good your budget is, there will always be expenses you weren't expecting. Stamps, for example. I kept the postal service in business with all the stamps I bought. Save the Dates, Invitations, return envelopes for RSVPs, Bridal Shower invites and Thank You cards = $600+!!! The average American wedding is more than $25,000, which is absolutely insane, but I saw how easily we could have spent that much.
Dave and I thought we had found the perfect place for our wedding - a fancy barn, affiliated with a fancy restaurant near my hometown. How much could a barn rental cost anyways? We were looking over the brochure and nearly had a heart attack when we read: "The space may only be rented to customers who are buying at least $20,000 on food". !?!?!??!? Needless to say we did not take that route...
Vendors jack up the price of anything that is for a wedding. As soon as they hear "I'm planning my wedding" they triple the prices...it's true!!
I saved some money on flowers and a DJ by having a gardener friend make the arrangements, and two close guy friends be our MCs. For my bouquets, I saved money buy using flowers that were in season, and not considered "fancy". My sunflowers and babies breath were lovely, "fancy" or not!
I almost signed a contract to rent an absolutely gorgeous historical building for our reception. However, it could only seat 115 people, so I would have had to be holding my breath all summer hoping that not all the people we sent invites to would be able to come. I didn't want to have to stress about turning people away or having to find a new location last minute. Not to mention, the contract had so many clauses about not being allowed to hang things from the ceiling, and big fines for any kinds of damages to the building. While it would have been beautiful, I am glad I didn't do that to myself!
I was awful at this point. I don't know why I did so many things by myself when I had friends ready and willing to help. I guess I was just afraid to ask someone to put aside an afternoon for mundane tasks like addressing envelopes. My issue was thinking that even though people offered to help, they might not actually want to. In the end, I think I offended more people by not asking for help...
Thankfully a few months before the wedding, my friend's cousin offered to help us with the decorations. She was a God-send. We would not have made it with out her help and her amazing vision. I had so many ideas floating around at once, but she helped us make them a reality. We also were so glad to have her oversee the decorating the week of the wedding while we were doing other things.
On the same subject - one awesome way to cut down on work for yourself is to use printing labels and return address labels. This saved a ton of work, and I had it all on my computer to use for Thank You cards later on.
We had this grand idea in the beginning that my parents/family would cook the rehearsal dinner, sides for the reception, and put together a "Berry Bar" of angel food cake and berries for our dessert. Thank GOODNESS we were talked out of this. The week of the wedding is a very high-strung/ stressful time. It is also when you want to be able to enjoy out of town friends and relatives instead of having to worry about pulling of a great meal and stuff. We gave some family recipes to our caterer and paid him to make them - it was worth it. We also decided to just buy a wedding cake. Though the Berry bar would have been a clever and sweet way to incorporate my new last name, it would have been stressful, time consuming, and ultimately more expensive. Plus I ended up loving my cake. Try to delegate everything you can to people outside your immediate families.
We bought a small, two tiered, cake for cutting into and pictures. Then we bought a sheet cake of exactly the same thing to be cut and served to guests. A regular huge cake can cost $3.00 per serving or so. Our sheet cake was only $1.5 per serving. Some people have said they paid $600+ on a cake, total for mine was $240. Still expensive, but not that bad!
We went through our recycling bin for jars that could be used for flower vases. I also got carafes and other vases at the Salvation Army for cheap. Having a "country-rustic" themed reception made it okay to use quirky items and furniture.
Dave and I have so many friends and family that is was really hard, and very stressful to make our guest list. After all of the family and closest friends plus significant others are invited, the task of choosing who will have those last few invites is the worst!!! If you invited this person, then that whole group will wonder why they weren't invited... whose friend is more likely to come..... what about all the people from church? I really and truly hope that nobody was offended that was not invited to our wedding. I tried to get a few last minute invites in as people informed me that they could not make it, but there were certainly people I would have liked to include. :(
I held my breath as we invited 250 people to our event, hoping that our estimation of 150 people attending would be correct. Our number ended up being 115. There were actually quite a few people who said they were coming but then didn't show up at all. Please people - if you are invited to a wedding be HONEST about whether you can go! The bride and her family pay for every seat and meal, even if they are not used. Don't feel like you have to say yes just to not hurt someones feelings, hoping they wont notice the day of that you aren't there...
Dave flies helicopters for the Army. The coolest thing we did at our wedding was ride a helicopter to our reception, and have my dad play bagpipes as we walked up to greet the crowd. It actually wasn't an expensive ride at all - it was the cheapest personal touch we had, but it made a dream come true for Dave, and was something that definitely will be remembered. We also had a blueberry bush painting as our guest book, and had everyone make a green leaf thumbprint and sign their name. Get it? Blue berries....for the Berry couple :) Yeah...I'm cheesy like that
I decided to forgo the typical "head table" seating, for an intimate "sweetheart" table. I wanted our wedding party to enjoy themselves, so I sat everyone with their friends, spread out around the room. It was nice having our own little table, and sharing our first meal as a married couple alone, but facing our friends and family.
It doesn't matter if you find the most amazing way of organizing your seating chart....you still have to actually decide who is going to sit with who. There will always be an odd number of people who want to sit together and some people who you have no idea where to put. At the end of the day though, people will get over who they sat with.
This is one of my only regrets. All summer we reiterated over and over that there would be plenty of snacks to keep me happy on the day of, since I get low blood sugar very quickly and feel sick. Unfortunately with the nerves and a million other things on my mind, I didn't eat or drink enough. But the time we started taking pictures I was a grouch and having a hard time keeping myself together. Imagine! Feeling cranky on your own wedding day! To be fair, I had an awful cold and hadn't been sleeping or eating well that week. We didn't get all of the pictures I wanted because I was only interested in getting the pictures over with so I could get some dinner. Now I am super bummed that I don't have certain pictures that I had planned on getting, all because an empty stomach was making me feel sick
Also - make sure the bride doesn't over-do it while planning. The WORST mistake I made was setting up 3 dress shopping appointments in one afternoon. I was a mess at the end of that day. It's overwhelming and very exhausting trying on dresses. Only make one or two appointments for any given day so you don't stress yourself out, and so that you stay sweet :)
Thank goodness I had a cute, lightweight dress to change into after the formal dances at the reception. My huge princess dress was too heavy and hot for me to wear all night. I could barely breathe with the corset waist, not because it was tired too tight, but because us 21st century women aren't used to restrictive clothing. We usually wear thin and airy fabrics. I felt like a whole new person with my new dress on, and had a lot more fun dancing after that!
Try as I might, I did not get to visit with everyone at my wedding. I guess I will have to wait till it is someone else's wedding!
Thank goodness for two of my friends who stayed later at my house to get ready. We called them a million times on the ride to the church, remembering things we left behind (most importantly - the checkbook to pay our caterer and photographer!) My mom even decided last minute that she wanted to wear a different dress - so it was good to have them there. Especially since it is an hour drive between home and church.
Everyone will have their own opinion about your wedding, colors, food, service etc. even yourself! It can be really hard not try to please everyone else. This is your wedding! You and your future husband (and whoever is helping pay) should be the only ones making the important decisions. End of story.
When you go to buy your dress - buy the one you want!!I tried on my dress and immediately started crying. I knew it was my dress at once, but everyone else liked a different dress better. I am so glad that I chose the one that felt right to me!
There will be details that are forgotten in the midst of everything. That's okay!
The absolute most important detail of the wedding is the union of two people, who make a vow before God and their guest to love and honor each other all the days of their lives. It doesn't matter if everything goes wrong, as long as the bride and groom are right for each other. It's also important to know that the wedding is one day, but the rest of your life is what is important. So make sure to enjoy the enormity of being united to (hopefully) your best friend. Also - no amount of wedding plans matter - so if you feel you aren't ready to be married, even of the day of, don't do it! Marriage is HUGE! It really should not be taken lightly. I am so thankful for a wonderful, loving man that I call my husband, and I hope all my readers find their perfect match!
Click the following link if you want to read about our wedding day:
http://kendallmeetsworld.blogspot.com/2012/10/wedding-memories.html
Here are some things I learned along the way:
1. Your wedding WILL cost you more than you planned for it to cost.
No matter how good your budget is, there will always be expenses you weren't expecting. Stamps, for example. I kept the postal service in business with all the stamps I bought. Save the Dates, Invitations, return envelopes for RSVPs, Bridal Shower invites and Thank You cards = $600+!!! The average American wedding is more than $25,000, which is absolutely insane, but I saw how easily we could have spent that much.
Dave and I thought we had found the perfect place for our wedding - a fancy barn, affiliated with a fancy restaurant near my hometown. How much could a barn rental cost anyways? We were looking over the brochure and nearly had a heart attack when we read: "The space may only be rented to customers who are buying at least $20,000 on food". !?!?!??!? Needless to say we did not take that route...
Vendors jack up the price of anything that is for a wedding. As soon as they hear "I'm planning my wedding" they triple the prices...it's true!!
I saved some money on flowers and a DJ by having a gardener friend make the arrangements, and two close guy friends be our MCs. For my bouquets, I saved money buy using flowers that were in season, and not considered "fancy". My sunflowers and babies breath were lovely, "fancy" or not!
2. Do not make decisions that will add to your stress levels.
I almost signed a contract to rent an absolutely gorgeous historical building for our reception. However, it could only seat 115 people, so I would have had to be holding my breath all summer hoping that not all the people we sent invites to would be able to come. I didn't want to have to stress about turning people away or having to find a new location last minute. Not to mention, the contract had so many clauses about not being allowed to hang things from the ceiling, and big fines for any kinds of damages to the building. While it would have been beautiful, I am glad I didn't do that to myself!
3. Don't try to do everything yourself!
I was awful at this point. I don't know why I did so many things by myself when I had friends ready and willing to help. I guess I was just afraid to ask someone to put aside an afternoon for mundane tasks like addressing envelopes. My issue was thinking that even though people offered to help, they might not actually want to. In the end, I think I offended more people by not asking for help...
Thankfully a few months before the wedding, my friend's cousin offered to help us with the decorations. She was a God-send. We would not have made it with out her help and her amazing vision. I had so many ideas floating around at once, but she helped us make them a reality. We also were so glad to have her oversee the decorating the week of the wedding while we were doing other things.
On the same subject - one awesome way to cut down on work for yourself is to use printing labels and return address labels. This saved a ton of work, and I had it all on my computer to use for Thank You cards later on.
4. Don't plan on cooking for your wedding.
We had this grand idea in the beginning that my parents/family would cook the rehearsal dinner, sides for the reception, and put together a "Berry Bar" of angel food cake and berries for our dessert. Thank GOODNESS we were talked out of this. The week of the wedding is a very high-strung/ stressful time. It is also when you want to be able to enjoy out of town friends and relatives instead of having to worry about pulling of a great meal and stuff. We gave some family recipes to our caterer and paid him to make them - it was worth it. We also decided to just buy a wedding cake. Though the Berry bar would have been a clever and sweet way to incorporate my new last name, it would have been stressful, time consuming, and ultimately more expensive. Plus I ended up loving my cake. Try to delegate everything you can to people outside your immediate families.
5. Your wedding cake doesn't have to be expensive!
We bought a small, two tiered, cake for cutting into and pictures. Then we bought a sheet cake of exactly the same thing to be cut and served to guests. A regular huge cake can cost $3.00 per serving or so. Our sheet cake was only $1.5 per serving. Some people have said they paid $600+ on a cake, total for mine was $240. Still expensive, but not that bad!
6. Recycling is a good thing!
We went through our recycling bin for jars that could be used for flower vases. I also got carafes and other vases at the Salvation Army for cheap. Having a "country-rustic" themed reception made it okay to use quirky items and furniture.
7. A hard one - you can't invite everyone
Dave and I have so many friends and family that is was really hard, and very stressful to make our guest list. After all of the family and closest friends plus significant others are invited, the task of choosing who will have those last few invites is the worst!!! If you invited this person, then that whole group will wonder why they weren't invited... whose friend is more likely to come..... what about all the people from church? I really and truly hope that nobody was offended that was not invited to our wedding. I tried to get a few last minute invites in as people informed me that they could not make it, but there were certainly people I would have liked to include. :(
8. Not everyone you invite will come!
I held my breath as we invited 250 people to our event, hoping that our estimation of 150 people attending would be correct. Our number ended up being 115. There were actually quite a few people who said they were coming but then didn't show up at all. Please people - if you are invited to a wedding be HONEST about whether you can go! The bride and her family pay for every seat and meal, even if they are not used. Don't feel like you have to say yes just to not hurt someones feelings, hoping they wont notice the day of that you aren't there...
9. Make your wedding special and unique
Dave flies helicopters for the Army. The coolest thing we did at our wedding was ride a helicopter to our reception, and have my dad play bagpipes as we walked up to greet the crowd. It actually wasn't an expensive ride at all - it was the cheapest personal touch we had, but it made a dream come true for Dave, and was something that definitely will be remembered. We also had a blueberry bush painting as our guest book, and had everyone make a green leaf thumbprint and sign their name. Get it? Blue berries....for the Berry couple :) Yeah...I'm cheesy like that
10. You don't have to stick with traditional seating.
I decided to forgo the typical "head table" seating, for an intimate "sweetheart" table. I wanted our wedding party to enjoy themselves, so I sat everyone with their friends, spread out around the room. It was nice having our own little table, and sharing our first meal as a married couple alone, but facing our friends and family.
11. Seating is a pain in the butt
It doesn't matter if you find the most amazing way of organizing your seating chart....you still have to actually decide who is going to sit with who. There will always be an odd number of people who want to sit together and some people who you have no idea where to put. At the end of the day though, people will get over who they sat with.
12. MAKE SURE THE BRIDE EATS
This is one of my only regrets. All summer we reiterated over and over that there would be plenty of snacks to keep me happy on the day of, since I get low blood sugar very quickly and feel sick. Unfortunately with the nerves and a million other things on my mind, I didn't eat or drink enough. But the time we started taking pictures I was a grouch and having a hard time keeping myself together. Imagine! Feeling cranky on your own wedding day! To be fair, I had an awful cold and hadn't been sleeping or eating well that week. We didn't get all of the pictures I wanted because I was only interested in getting the pictures over with so I could get some dinner. Now I am super bummed that I don't have certain pictures that I had planned on getting, all because an empty stomach was making me feel sick
Also - make sure the bride doesn't over-do it while planning. The WORST mistake I made was setting up 3 dress shopping appointments in one afternoon. I was a mess at the end of that day. It's overwhelming and very exhausting trying on dresses. Only make one or two appointments for any given day so you don't stress yourself out, and so that you stay sweet :)
13. Having a dress to change into is a good idea
Thank goodness I had a cute, lightweight dress to change into after the formal dances at the reception. My huge princess dress was too heavy and hot for me to wear all night. I could barely breathe with the corset waist, not because it was tired too tight, but because us 21st century women aren't used to restrictive clothing. We usually wear thin and airy fabrics. I felt like a whole new person with my new dress on, and had a lot more fun dancing after that!
14. Don't expect to see everyone
Try as I might, I did not get to visit with everyone at my wedding. I guess I will have to wait till it is someone else's wedding!
15. Have someone stay at your house after you leave for an hour or so to make sure you haven't forgotten something.
Thank goodness for two of my friends who stayed later at my house to get ready. We called them a million times on the ride to the church, remembering things we left behind (most importantly - the checkbook to pay our caterer and photographer!) My mom even decided last minute that she wanted to wear a different dress - so it was good to have them there. Especially since it is an hour drive between home and church.
16. Listen to your heart, not everyone else.
Everyone will have their own opinion about your wedding, colors, food, service etc. even yourself! It can be really hard not try to please everyone else. This is your wedding! You and your future husband (and whoever is helping pay) should be the only ones making the important decisions. End of story.
When you go to buy your dress - buy the one you want!!I tried on my dress and immediately started crying. I knew it was my dress at once, but everyone else liked a different dress better. I am so glad that I chose the one that felt right to me!
17. Things will go wrong!
There will be details that are forgotten in the midst of everything. That's okay!
Remember - It's not about the wedding, it's about the marriage!
The absolute most important detail of the wedding is the union of two people, who make a vow before God and their guest to love and honor each other all the days of their lives. It doesn't matter if everything goes wrong, as long as the bride and groom are right for each other. It's also important to know that the wedding is one day, but the rest of your life is what is important. So make sure to enjoy the enormity of being united to (hopefully) your best friend. Also - no amount of wedding plans matter - so if you feel you aren't ready to be married, even of the day of, don't do it! Marriage is HUGE! It really should not be taken lightly. I am so thankful for a wonderful, loving man that I call my husband, and I hope all my readers find their perfect match!
http://kendallmeetsworld.blogspot.com/2012/10/wedding-memories.html
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Observations on Aging from the Senior Center
As you may know, I spend a few days of the week volunteering at our local senior center. Even though some days I think I would rather relax at home, I never regret heading over to the center for a few hours. The seniors have really made me feel welcome. It's almost like have 35 or so grandparents that all want to say "hi" and let me know they are happy to see me. We play BINGO, serve them lunch and then once a week take them on a shopping trip before driving them home on the bus. I like working with the seniors for many reasons including that they move at a pace that doesn't tire me out as much as children do - haha! It's always a good time!
1. Life get's harder and moves slower. It's no longer easy to put on clothes in the morning, get out of a chair, our walk to the front door. It becomes an ordeal of inching forward with a walker, and needing help to put a coat on.
2. Everything hurts, and "if it don't hurt, it doesn't work". Being able to walk is such a gift. There are several seniors that have prosthesis legs, are wheelchair bound, or can barely shuffle along.
3. You get to a certain age and then you are allowed to complain about anything and everything that bothers you. AND, the list of things that bothers you gets longer and longer. Today we got scolded because we didn't bring the butter out fast enough for the seniors' cornbread. Apparently this is a heinous offense that can ruin a person's meal. Though in my opinion, if that's the worst thing that happens to you today, you're doing pretty good!
4. Either you will become very frugal, a shopaholic OR a frugal shopaholic (meaning you will buy anything and everything that is cheap)! Today we went to the local FREDs which is like a Dollar Store with more selection. One of the senior ladies spent $100 in about 5 seconds. Every shirt or pair of pants she saw she grabbed and stacked up on her walker. She informed me that she spent too many years doing without, and now she was going to spend as much money as she wanted on the most important person in her life "me, myself and I".
5. Weather is more extreme. A little rain becomes reason to stay home, bundled up, smoking a cigarette and drinking hot coffee. If we are supposed to go to the store but it is raining out, 9 times out of 10 the seniors will bail on the trip because they don't want to get wet and they just want to go home where it's warm. It doesn't matter if the store is heated because nobody wants to risk being out in bad, aka drizzling, weather. That's okay! I'm happy to go home early and relax!
6. High school doesn't end. Not even when you're 85. My goodness - you should see the cliques that form at the center. And there are a few ladies that will go off on the others just for looking at them the wrong way. ("Who ya looking at!?") Getting everyone onto the bus reminds me of the school lunch room, everyone has their own seat. There's a 98 year old woman that cussed a guy out for sitting in her seat accidentally. I get a kick out of listening to them mutter about each other.
which leads me to..
7. Many will lose their ability to whisper. I often hear certain individuals "whispering" something scandalous or rude about someone else with a "hushed" voice that doesn't change in volume... it only works because most people there are hard of hearing. But not me- I catch it all!
8. Every young person, looks a whole lot younger than they are. I can't even tell you how many people thought I was volunteering as community service for high school.
Me: "No Ma'am I graduated college and I am married. I'm 22."
Senior: "MARRIED!?! But you're such a baby! Couldn't be older that 14!... Hey [so-and-so], did you know this girl is MARRIED?! Wasn't I just saying how I thought she was in high school... Looks like a BABY right?! "
9. Kids aren't the only ones that say the darndest things....
African American Senior: "Imma tell that white lady to get her car outta the handicap spot. You think I'm kidding? I'm from the South, and we gotta black president, so I can say whatever I want! Here I go! Cover your ears now, cuz what Imma bout to say ain't Christian. I ain't kidding now. "
Senior: "If I didn't have this prosthesis I would kick her tires in!"
Same senior: "You see that mud? Well [company] sent me a pair of "free" shoes and then sent me a bill for them. I don't even want them. Imma come out here and fall in the mud so I can call them and tell them their shoes made me fall, and I had a heart attach, and now they gotta pay for my back problems. I'll sue 'em! You think I'm kidding? Don't help me, I told you I want to fall in the mud! I'm not kidding!"
10. You don't have to remember peoples names because you can call everyone "Honey", "Sugar", "Darling" and "Sweetheart". (Though this might just be a Southern thing)
11. It's always cold, and there will always be a draft coming from somewhere. Young people will always be crazy with their short sleeved shirts.
12. Going to the doctor every week becomes normal. (Yuck!! I hate going even just once a year!)
13. You're never too old to be frisky. They are always making innuendo comments towards each other. (seriously scrub my ears out with bleach!!). One of the younger male volunteers told me that the older ladies grab his butt all the time and have even tried to proposition him before. Thankfully I look too much like a grandchild to get those kind of advances!!
14. It's fun to mix and match lots of jewelry and bright nail polishes! Actually this really only applies to one of my favorite seniors. She buys tons of Avon jewelry - a ring for every finger and huge earrings and necklaces. Every day she paints on a new coat of pure glitter, gold nail polish. She's such a doll.
15. BINGO is a big deal! Do NOT mess with Bingo at the senior center. Do not talk, make distractions, or ask stupid questions (as I did) about how to play Bingo. It's a good day when you win, it's someone else's fault if you lose. Bingo is played every single day at the center and I am told that it can be the source of many a disagreement.
16. On a serious note, getting old often means being at the mercy of the younger people in your life. So many seniors rely on their children to do their shopping, bring their money, and take them to the doctor's office among other things. There are a few that have been robbed or taken advantage of by their own family members. Others are downright abandoned. One blind man lives all by himself in a very dirty and smelly trailer. He can't bathe, and he literally pees down his front steps out the door. He comes to the center for a hot meal. It's very sad, and I wish we were successful in finding him help. I also wish his family would take responsibility for him. The center provides a fun environment for the seniors to get out of the house, and I think many of them would be very lonely without it.
I love the seniors. Every day I go is a blast, and I have many giggle moments when I witness some of the things they do or say. I love getting my big hugs, having friends to sit with at the Methodist Church on Sundays, and getting to serve a group that is often undervalued in our society.
Going to the center is a good reminder to enjoy youth while it lasts!!
One of the ladies brought me a cotton plant today because I told her I thought it was so cool how it actually grows in cotton balls on the plant! Here's a picture or two:
Here are some observations I have made about getting older:
(And yes, I do know that many of these are generalizations)1. Life get's harder and moves slower. It's no longer easy to put on clothes in the morning, get out of a chair, our walk to the front door. It becomes an ordeal of inching forward with a walker, and needing help to put a coat on.
2. Everything hurts, and "if it don't hurt, it doesn't work". Being able to walk is such a gift. There are several seniors that have prosthesis legs, are wheelchair bound, or can barely shuffle along.
3. You get to a certain age and then you are allowed to complain about anything and everything that bothers you. AND, the list of things that bothers you gets longer and longer. Today we got scolded because we didn't bring the butter out fast enough for the seniors' cornbread. Apparently this is a heinous offense that can ruin a person's meal. Though in my opinion, if that's the worst thing that happens to you today, you're doing pretty good!
4. Either you will become very frugal, a shopaholic OR a frugal shopaholic (meaning you will buy anything and everything that is cheap)! Today we went to the local FREDs which is like a Dollar Store with more selection. One of the senior ladies spent $100 in about 5 seconds. Every shirt or pair of pants she saw she grabbed and stacked up on her walker. She informed me that she spent too many years doing without, and now she was going to spend as much money as she wanted on the most important person in her life "me, myself and I".
5. Weather is more extreme. A little rain becomes reason to stay home, bundled up, smoking a cigarette and drinking hot coffee. If we are supposed to go to the store but it is raining out, 9 times out of 10 the seniors will bail on the trip because they don't want to get wet and they just want to go home where it's warm. It doesn't matter if the store is heated because nobody wants to risk being out in bad, aka drizzling, weather. That's okay! I'm happy to go home early and relax!
6. High school doesn't end. Not even when you're 85. My goodness - you should see the cliques that form at the center. And there are a few ladies that will go off on the others just for looking at them the wrong way. ("Who ya looking at!?") Getting everyone onto the bus reminds me of the school lunch room, everyone has their own seat. There's a 98 year old woman that cussed a guy out for sitting in her seat accidentally. I get a kick out of listening to them mutter about each other.
which leads me to..
7. Many will lose their ability to whisper. I often hear certain individuals "whispering" something scandalous or rude about someone else with a "hushed" voice that doesn't change in volume... it only works because most people there are hard of hearing. But not me- I catch it all!
8. Every young person, looks a whole lot younger than they are. I can't even tell you how many people thought I was volunteering as community service for high school.
Me: "No Ma'am I graduated college and I am married. I'm 22."
Senior: "MARRIED!?! But you're such a baby! Couldn't be older that 14!... Hey [so-and-so], did you know this girl is MARRIED?! Wasn't I just saying how I thought she was in high school... Looks like a BABY right?! "
9. Kids aren't the only ones that say the darndest things....
African American Senior: "Imma tell that white lady to get her car outta the handicap spot. You think I'm kidding? I'm from the South, and we gotta black president, so I can say whatever I want! Here I go! Cover your ears now, cuz what Imma bout to say ain't Christian. I ain't kidding now. "
Senior: "If I didn't have this prosthesis I would kick her tires in!"
Same senior: "You see that mud? Well [company] sent me a pair of "free" shoes and then sent me a bill for them. I don't even want them. Imma come out here and fall in the mud so I can call them and tell them their shoes made me fall, and I had a heart attach, and now they gotta pay for my back problems. I'll sue 'em! You think I'm kidding? Don't help me, I told you I want to fall in the mud! I'm not kidding!"
10. You don't have to remember peoples names because you can call everyone "Honey", "Sugar", "Darling" and "Sweetheart". (Though this might just be a Southern thing)
11. It's always cold, and there will always be a draft coming from somewhere. Young people will always be crazy with their short sleeved shirts.
12. Going to the doctor every week becomes normal. (Yuck!! I hate going even just once a year!)
13. You're never too old to be frisky. They are always making innuendo comments towards each other. (seriously scrub my ears out with bleach!!). One of the younger male volunteers told me that the older ladies grab his butt all the time and have even tried to proposition him before. Thankfully I look too much like a grandchild to get those kind of advances!!
14. It's fun to mix and match lots of jewelry and bright nail polishes! Actually this really only applies to one of my favorite seniors. She buys tons of Avon jewelry - a ring for every finger and huge earrings and necklaces. Every day she paints on a new coat of pure glitter, gold nail polish. She's such a doll.
15. BINGO is a big deal! Do NOT mess with Bingo at the senior center. Do not talk, make distractions, or ask stupid questions (as I did) about how to play Bingo. It's a good day when you win, it's someone else's fault if you lose. Bingo is played every single day at the center and I am told that it can be the source of many a disagreement.
16. On a serious note, getting old often means being at the mercy of the younger people in your life. So many seniors rely on their children to do their shopping, bring their money, and take them to the doctor's office among other things. There are a few that have been robbed or taken advantage of by their own family members. Others are downright abandoned. One blind man lives all by himself in a very dirty and smelly trailer. He can't bathe, and he literally pees down his front steps out the door. He comes to the center for a hot meal. It's very sad, and I wish we were successful in finding him help. I also wish his family would take responsibility for him. The center provides a fun environment for the seniors to get out of the house, and I think many of them would be very lonely without it.
I love the seniors. Every day I go is a blast, and I have many giggle moments when I witness some of the things they do or say. I love getting my big hugs, having friends to sit with at the Methodist Church on Sundays, and getting to serve a group that is often undervalued in our society.
Going to the center is a good reminder to enjoy youth while it lasts!!
One of the ladies brought me a cotton plant today because I told her I thought it was so cool how it actually grows in cotton balls on the plant! Here's a picture or two:
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
New Years
While everyone else was out partying in the new year, Dave and I were home fighting colds again. Poor Dave finally caught my cold a few days before he has to go back to class, so we stayed in. That's okay, I am really not much of a partier anyways. I love being home with my man, snuggled on the couch with snacks, movies, and in this case tissues and Airborne.
We opened a bottle of wine that was a Christmas gift from a friend. Clearly we didn't buy it for ourselves because we didn't even have a wine bottle opener! We had to improvise. Here's a picture of Dave tightening a screw into the cork before using pliers to pull it out. It was SO worth it. It was probably the most delicious wine I have ever had- fruity and sweet (pretty much the way I like any alcoholic drink).
All of our wine glasses that we got as wedding gifts are in Dave's room in PA, so we drank our wine out of Oktoberfest beer mugs, finishing the bottle. Good wine, goat cheese, gummy bears and a great man - yummm!
We watched Pitch Perfect (one of my new favorites), skipping through to watch each of the song performances. Dave is such a good sport :) We celebrated the New Year twice - first for our friends and family back home who are an hour ahead in time, and then just the two of us.
A Berry Happy New Year to everyone! I hope 2013 brings me many more opportunities to make cheesy puns out of my awesome new last name! More importantly, I hope it brings peace, love and joy to this world, and that we all do something worthwhile in the year to come.
Here's a pic of Dave with his handsome Christmas beard. He shaved it off today in preparation for starting back to Army classes. I miss the scruffy ruggedness, but he is still my handsome man! <3
Survival and Stuff
After our big storm adventure, came our sickness adventure. I came down with a really bad cold, and Dave's body was on the verge of catching it. The great thing about getting sick over break is that you don't have to function like normal people, so you have a excuse to be couch bums.
Dave and I started watching this show on Netflix called Jericho. It's about a town out West that survives after every major city in the US is bombed. The town bands together to survive and protect themselves from other towns that wanted their resources. You later find out it was our own government that did it to us. I'm not into conspiracy theories, and I usually don't like shows like this one, but I was hooked! We watched 31 episodes in 48 hours. Finishing a show like this is like finishing a season of 24, for a few days you feel like life is an adventure in HD, and you start noticing cars on the road, people walking past, and strange noises. Basically, you become a little paranoid because for the last 48 hours you have been living and dreaming about the world ending and needing to survive. Now it's pretty comical really, when you realize that you've started thinking like a weirdo, but since I am usually a bit naive when it comes to street smarts and common sense, maybe it's good to every once in a while realize that the world is not all rainbows and ponies.
Though the world went back to normal, I made a realization: if I were all of a sudden in a survival situation I would be completely helpless. Completely! Sure, I could figure out how to make a fire if I was lucky enough to have dry wood and matches or a lighter on hand (not likely). But I wouldn't know how to build a shelter, find food, or figure out how to stay alive if I was by myself. It's a little bit alarming when you think about how fragile humans are, and how reliant we are on our technology and comfortable living situations. I can't go two hours without a snack, let alone a day looking for food. I killed a chicken once in Africa, but I didn't have to find it first, or clean out the insides afterwards. And when it comes to snakes, bears and other predators...count me out!!
Before Jericho, we were watching this awesome show called Man, Woman, Wild. The husband. Mykel Hawk, was a captain in the US Special Forces. He takes his wife out into various wilderness situations and teaches her how to survive. He wants to know that his wife would be able to take care of herself . Dave feels the same way. He may be Mr. Survival Expert, but the reality is there could be a time when he isn't with me, like say a plane crash, car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, or, God forbid, I got kidnapped or something. I can't use a map. It could happen!
We took a drive into the nearest town with a mall (about 40 min away). First we hit up Barnes and Noble. We found the survival section and found Mykel Hawke's easy to read book about survival. There were many different books but this one seemed easiest for a beginner. It's actually quite funny in some parts and I like reading the different ways of starting a fire and building a shelter. I am actually pretty excited to try it out for practice. We also bought a book on identifying edible plants. When we get back in PA we will put together a bag we can grab in case of emergency. would have been nice to have one during our tornado adventure the other day.
We also hit up Dick's Sporting Goods. We checked out the sleeping bags and tents - always a good idea to have those things on hand, and unfortunately Dave's stuff is all back in PA at his parents' house. We were shocked when we got to the gun section, and it was completely bare except for a few hunting rifles and paintball guns, and there was no ammo to speak of. We've been hearing reports that people have been buying up all the guns and ammo around the country but it was shocking to actually see it. We are going to try to get on the waiting list for two different hand guns sold at a local shop. I am going to try to get my concealed carry license down here as well.
In the end, we bought some fire starters and a pepper spray gun for me. I had been wanting one for my walks alone to and from the senior center, since one of the ladies said she had been followed home the other day.
Now this probably all sounds extreme and paranoid. I know that I have nothing to truly fear because God will protect and provide. But I also think He gives us a brain connected to hands and feet so that we can learn to do things for ourselves as well. I don't want to sit around hoping for the best, knowing that I wouldn't survive a day in my own back yard if I had to. Plus, I'd like to know that in a crisis I wouldn't lose my head, but that I would be at Dave's side, rubbing sticks together and making a fire - caveman style!
Dave and I started watching this show on Netflix called Jericho. It's about a town out West that survives after every major city in the US is bombed. The town bands together to survive and protect themselves from other towns that wanted their resources. You later find out it was our own government that did it to us. I'm not into conspiracy theories, and I usually don't like shows like this one, but I was hooked! We watched 31 episodes in 48 hours. Finishing a show like this is like finishing a season of 24, for a few days you feel like life is an adventure in HD, and you start noticing cars on the road, people walking past, and strange noises. Basically, you become a little paranoid because for the last 48 hours you have been living and dreaming about the world ending and needing to survive. Now it's pretty comical really, when you realize that you've started thinking like a weirdo, but since I am usually a bit naive when it comes to street smarts and common sense, maybe it's good to every once in a while realize that the world is not all rainbows and ponies.
Though the world went back to normal, I made a realization: if I were all of a sudden in a survival situation I would be completely helpless. Completely! Sure, I could figure out how to make a fire if I was lucky enough to have dry wood and matches or a lighter on hand (not likely). But I wouldn't know how to build a shelter, find food, or figure out how to stay alive if I was by myself. It's a little bit alarming when you think about how fragile humans are, and how reliant we are on our technology and comfortable living situations. I can't go two hours without a snack, let alone a day looking for food. I killed a chicken once in Africa, but I didn't have to find it first, or clean out the insides afterwards. And when it comes to snakes, bears and other predators...count me out!!
Before Jericho, we were watching this awesome show called Man, Woman, Wild. The husband. Mykel Hawk, was a captain in the US Special Forces. He takes his wife out into various wilderness situations and teaches her how to survive. He wants to know that his wife would be able to take care of herself . Dave feels the same way. He may be Mr. Survival Expert, but the reality is there could be a time when he isn't with me, like say a plane crash, car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, or, God forbid, I got kidnapped or something. I can't use a map. It could happen!
We took a drive into the nearest town with a mall (about 40 min away). First we hit up Barnes and Noble. We found the survival section and found Mykel Hawke's easy to read book about survival. There were many different books but this one seemed easiest for a beginner. It's actually quite funny in some parts and I like reading the different ways of starting a fire and building a shelter. I am actually pretty excited to try it out for practice. We also bought a book on identifying edible plants. When we get back in PA we will put together a bag we can grab in case of emergency. would have been nice to have one during our tornado adventure the other day.
We also hit up Dick's Sporting Goods. We checked out the sleeping bags and tents - always a good idea to have those things on hand, and unfortunately Dave's stuff is all back in PA at his parents' house. We were shocked when we got to the gun section, and it was completely bare except for a few hunting rifles and paintball guns, and there was no ammo to speak of. We've been hearing reports that people have been buying up all the guns and ammo around the country but it was shocking to actually see it. We are going to try to get on the waiting list for two different hand guns sold at a local shop. I am going to try to get my concealed carry license down here as well.
In the end, we bought some fire starters and a pepper spray gun for me. I had been wanting one for my walks alone to and from the senior center, since one of the ladies said she had been followed home the other day.
Now this probably all sounds extreme and paranoid. I know that I have nothing to truly fear because God will protect and provide. But I also think He gives us a brain connected to hands and feet so that we can learn to do things for ourselves as well. I don't want to sit around hoping for the best, knowing that I wouldn't survive a day in my own back yard if I had to. Plus, I'd like to know that in a crisis I wouldn't lose my head, but that I would be at Dave's side, rubbing sticks together and making a fire - caveman style!
First Married Christmas and a storm
Everyone told us we should stay in Disney for Christmas, but I have to say, we had the merriest of Christmases cozied up in our little apartment, just the two of us. I wouldn't have had our first married Christmas any other way!
On our way home from Orlando, Christmas Eve, we stopped in at our local Publix and bought all the yummy appetizer food we could get our hands on. It's my family's tradition to sit around the tree together and eat delicious cheeses, meats and spreads. The "samples guy" in the store really suckered me in with his little cheese and crackers and we bought the whole set!
We arrived home in time to go to the candlelight service at our local Methodist church. One of the seniors at the senior center had invited me, and we were in the mood for a more traditional Christmas service than the chapel on base would likely have had. The cute little church reminded me a lot of my grandmother's church and felt very homey. The congregation is very small, about 40 people, and 90% of them look to be above the age of 70. I recognized many faces from the senior center, and got a big, welcoming hug from the nice man who had invited us. The service was beautiful, and we both got teary a few times - missing our families but feeling so full of love for each other and for our God who came as a baby to save us.
Back at home we got out all of our goodies, arranged the cheese and crackers, made a baked Brie with honey and berries, poured some sparkling cider and snuggled up together to eat our fill and reflect on a wonderful year. We each opened a gift. I got a warm stone massage kit from my thoughtful and loving husband who already gives me great massages every night before bed (seriously, I am so spoiled). He got a pretty wooden box set of the game Risk.
Christmas morning we slept in and cooked a big breakfast before opening presents. We spent a few hours playing Dave's new games - Stratego and Risk (I ALMOST one a round of Stratego).
Around 4pm our phones started ringing emergency alerts from our radar app. They said that a tornado warning was declared for our area. I opened the door and started hearing the siren on base with the loudspeaker shouting "TORNADO WARNING! SEEK SHELTER IMMEDIATELY". We looked around our apartment - no basement or good shelter here! Dave decided we would drive to base and go to their storm shelters. I filled up a water bottle, grabbed some snacks and we raced towards base. At the gate we asked where the shelter was located and the guard said that everything was closed for Christmas. GREAT! We turned around and raced home
The next 8 hours were very tense. Dave sat in front of the radar watching the meanest, reddest (with areas of purple!), scariest looking storm we had ever seen pass over us. I'm a northern gal, I want nothing to do with tornadoes! Dave laid towels in our tub and seriously freaked me out by saying that if only one of us could fit in it he wanted me to be the one. Thankfully we figure out a way to both get into the tub and be protected. The plan would be when we heard the tornado, we would pull the mattress into the bathroom and use it to sheild us in the tub. They say tornadoes sound like freight trains, whatever the heck that means. I guess we would know when we heard it.
Our families and many friends stayed up with us watching the weather, praying and checking in. It was amazing. Dave watched cells in the storm get close to us and then disperse around us. There were 34 tornadoes over the course of the evening, and not a single one hit us. We barely even had heavy rain. A town next to us had a tornado go through a trailer park, but we were kept safe. That was the power of prayer at work! We're still thanking God for his protection of us, and for protecting our base and all of the very expensive aircraft that were out in the storm because it was Christmas and nobody was around to take them to safety.
I was so relieved when the storm was beyond us at midnight. We fell into bed and had a much needed, peaceful sleep. What an adventure!
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