An update on my last post

Ok, so he is the (slow) progress that I've made on my goals from the last time I posted.

1) I signed up for the mini! I'd say this is a point of no return. I'm too cheap to pay the money and not actually participate : ) In seriousness, I'm quite nervous to try to tackle what I consider do be a difficult physical challenge, I'm really excited at the same time. Which is why I agreed to do the next small step.

2) I joined an indoor soccer league with a friend of mine. Truth be told, the team needed another girl to help with substitutions, but I knew it would be a great way to start getting into shape. And boy was I right!

3) I've decided the comedy topic that I'll present - crazy cat lady antics! I started thinking about what I know most about and could talk about freely. It was simple - animals. I thought it would also be a great platform to inject a spay/neuter message into the routine. Truthfully, I'm moving pretty slowly with this goal because it's really scary for me. Getting up in front of a group to sing is not an issue, and neither is speaking. The thought of trying to effectively tell jokes in front of a group of people is sooooo terrifying because I don't consider myself to be a hilarious person. I think I can come up with something really good with enough practice and preparation.

The point of these goals is to try two things that are completely opposite of me and attempt to be successful at them. I am not really a runner, and I'm certainly not a comic. It should be an interesting journey to say the least!

Purposeful living

I decided to shake things up and try some new things. Wanting to squeeze the best out of life and "suck out the marrow of life," I chose to work on a couple of projects in the next year to keep things fresh.

Both projects really scare me - but I'm really excited too. The goals that I chose seem far from my reach and surreal, but I'm glad for the challenge.

The first project involves Aaron - we're going to participate in the mini marathon next May! We may not run the entire race, and we're not really racing for time. We just want to finish ; 0 I'm scared because I'm afraid of how painful it may be and because I'm afraid of not finishing and feeling like a failure.

This is Aaron's parents 4th or 5th year of doing the mini, and a friend of mine completed it last year (way to go Emily!), so knowing a few others who've successfully finished gives me some confidence!

The second project is not a physical challenge but still ulcer inducing in its own way. I'm working on writing a short comedy sketch for an open mic night at a local comedy club. You see, I have never considered myself to be a funny person. Any laughs caused by me are usually not on purpose, so this one's going to be really tough for me.

Usually, a first time comic gets about 3 minutes of time, so I'm confident that I can conjure up some laughter. I can at least survive 3 minutes! I'm actually pretty happy with the initial material that I've come up with. I'm talking about a topic that I feel extremely comfortable discussing - animals.

So there they are! Two big, scary projects that will hopefully be fun and fulfilling. I'll provide updates!

Old married lady

Nothing really has changed for us since we got married, and neither of us feel any differently. But the important thing is, we've committed our love publicly, and we had a fantastic time.

Looking back on some of the pictures from some of the guests, I am so glad that I don't look saturated in stress. I look happy, and at times during the ceremony and reception, I closed my eyes and determined to cherish the moment.

I spent quality time with my family and friends, and it did not matter whether or not all of the details matched the "signature colors" exactly. Nobody cared whether or not my invitations were hand calligraphied, or that we didn't have fresh flowers at the tables, or that instead of giving out favors, we chose to donate money to needy animals.

I'm not saying that if you want a white lace and roses that you're somehow having an unauthentic wedding, (in fact, I carried red roses, and I wore a lacy veil), but my point is that as we plan our weddings, we should all carefully consider whether or not the choices we make are a true reflection of ourselves or if we just feel pressured to conform

Yes, our wedding was a bit quirky with a pit bull in a dress, a magician at the reception, and a vegan menu, but the connection, sincerity, and time together were the only things that really mattered.

Got my wedding dress: part two

I am wearing my mom's veil for my wedding and when I tried on the handmade dress from esty, it just didn't look right. I tried dressing it up with a pair of nice heels, wearing the string of pearls (given to me on my 16th birthday from my mom), and even working my hair a bit to see if it would look right. And it never did.

Bound and determined to wear the veil, something so sentimental to my mom, I ordered another dress. Yes, it is more expensive. Yes, it is fancier. Yes, I do feel a little guilty about buying it. But I LOVE the dress, and I love how confident I feel in it. I cannot wait to wear it on my wedding day.

Just got my wedding dress

I chose to have a wedding dress handmade for me through a woman I met through etsy.com. It's a fairly simple design, made with cotton with a black satin sash, and it was made to fit my body. The woman did a fantastic job crafting it.

As an overall plan, I've had no interest in being a part of the so called "wedding industrial complex" that sucks brides into thinking their cake has to cost a small fortune and their invitations must be calligraphied by hand. Note that I said as an overall plan; on occasion, I will (shamefully) drift to theknot.com or look through pictures of friends who are married or local couples who have hired the same photographer, and I start to feel uncomfortable with some of the details surrounding our wedding.

But then I think about the end vision that we have in mind for our wedding. We want community, connection, and a true representation of our love. While the beaded gowns and imported flowers may be beautiful, the contribute in no way to the vision we have. We want to avoid a complicated, overly orchestrated event that is too focused on consumerism. We want to spend quality time with all of our guests.

When it's all said and done, I want to be sure that every detail that is planned has a purpose and fit within the vision and goals that we've established, and that may not mean spending thousands of dollars on floral arrangements. And I'm alright with that.

Seeking refuge from the fireworks

I'm the scrooge of Independence Day. Trust me, I'm all for having tomorrow off from work, but I'm not keen on my reckless neighbors having a huge arsenal of flaming rockets. Plus, we've been hearing fireworks since May, so by now, I'm kind of over them.

So, I'm hanging out inside, waiting for them to stop and hoping that they don't burn my house down. Ok, so maybe a bit dramatic, but I hate finding the remnants from the crap they shoot off in my vegetable garden.

I get that we should be happy that our nation was founded some 200 years ago, but are the fireworks necessary? There are so many examples of emergency room visits because of burns due to stupidity or faulty fireworks. More stray animals are picked up during the week of the 4th than any other week of the year because animals run scared. And what about young children whose parents are trying to put them to bed?

Not to be unpatriotic, but I could do without the Independence Day festivities.

Bah Humbug

Pet Food Pantry

Aaron and I have been working hard on a project at Animal Care and Control through FIDO and Indy Feral, and we were just over there working today. Basically, we get donations of busted bags from Kroger, we tape them up, and host the pantry the 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month. It's been a great experience because I know that there are folks who genuinely need the help.

The last time I was there I met a woman who came out to Animal Care and Control to surrender her cat because she couldn't afford to feed him. Because the food bank was there, she was able to take her cat home with her. While yes, this is a pretty dramatic example, it still felt great to have spared this cat's life. For me, that's what it's all about. : )