Our Little Geekling

There was a thread on Twitter today talking about meeting our significant others or spouses, and I didn’t remember if I’d shared how Jim and I met. Turns out I haven’t told the story in its entirety, but just snippets here and there. I think it’s interesting. The Twitter thread was primarily focused on how incredible it is to be with someone you truly LIKE, not just love, after so many years. Jim and I have been together for almost 10 years, married for almost 9, and I have loved him since almost the moment I met him.

When I moved to Denver after high school, I visited a church near my uncle’s house (where I lived for ~two years) that my church had partnered with on a city-to-city mission trip a few years before. I visited the church service on a day when the youth group was leading the service because the pastor was on a mission trip in France. I sat in the very back row (like good Baptists do), and observed. And the most notable thing I observed was a SUPER cute, dark-haired boy in the back row of the choir loft. After the service, while I kept my eye on that boy, I went to talk to the youth pastor, because I was pretty sure I knew his sister (turns out I did), and he invited me to the youth group on Wednesday (the college-aged kids, of which there were about 6, went to the music portion of the youth group, then did a breakout for Bible study… or to go to the adult Bible study. I don’t really remember exactly). I went, and I saw that boy again, playing the piano in the praise & worship band in the youth group. Of course, that was Jim.

I don’t remember exactly MEETING Jim, per se, but I know that one of his best friends (at the time) was dating one of the college-aged girls I met, and we wound up hanging out sometimes. I fell in love with him long before we started dating. We became really, really good friends. He was my best friend in Denver. We met sometime in August 2000. He was a junior in high school. He dated some other girls in the meantime. I had a long-distance relationship with my best (guy) friend from high school. I went on a few dates with other guys I met in Denver. He dated a girl pretty seriously for a while his senior year, and she HATED me, so he and I fell out a bit. (By then I was sure I was in love with him, I was just really pissed off that his girlfriend wouldn’t let him speak to me.) He broke up with What’s Her Face (I know her name, but that’s a better name for her!) in early 2002, and in April of that year we reconnected. We immediately were REALLY close, best friends again, and I was positive he liked me as much as I liked him. I had started talking (remember “talking”?) to another guy about that time, but my whole heart belonged to Jim. I went to Jim’s high school graduation in June of that year, and we got even closer. We were soon spending every night talking till dawn, either on the phone, on AIM (remember AIM?), or in person (revolving between his house, IHOP, Village Inn, and Denny’s). At some point near the end of June, we wound up holding hands one night. Then we started cuddling pretty regularly (SCANDALOUS!).

 
June 2002, at Jim’s high school graduation party.

At the beginning of July we decided it might be a good idea to decide if we were dating or not. We both went out-of-town to see family, and decided we would take the week away from each other to think about things, go out when we returned to Denver, and figure it out. So we did. And on July 6, 2002 we went to Olive Garden and it became our first OFFICIAL date. We decided we would start a courtship, and we had very specific rules concerning our physical contact, spending too much time together, and spending time alone. Nerds. But it worked for us.

Two weeks in he told me he wanted to marry me. November 2002 we went on a road-trip to see his dad in LA and he wanted to get married at a drive-thru in Vegas but I said no. March 23, 2003 he told me he loved me for the first time and asked me to be his wife (and we kissed for the first time). July 26, 2003 we got married.

 
July 26, 2003.

It was all very fast-moving once we got going.

And the rest is history!

November 2011.

My family and I took our first long roadtrip since Eriana’s birth. It was her first time out of Oklahoma, and her first time in the car for a continuous amount of time longer than about an hour-hour-and-a-half. We went to visit the W family in Little Rock, about a six-hour drive from the OKC area. Matt was one of Jim’s best friends in high school, he and his wife, Stacyi, came to see us a couple of months ago when they were in town for a concert, and we got to meet their son, Triston, for the first time. He’s 5 and super spunky. We also got to see the L family, some friends we met when we were stationed at Yokota who are now living in Little Rock. Their daughter, A, was born in May of last year, and it was so fun to see them and meet little A.

Eriana did fantastically, all things considered. She slept the first half of both car rides, and cried for the last 45 minutes or so of each car ride (well, on the way there she cried for about 45 minutes and then fell asleep 20 minutes out from our destination). But, you know, she’s a baby. (At the time of writing, we have been home for about an hour and she has been in the best mood ever.) We slept in Triston’s room on an air mattress, and brought the pack-n-play for Eriana. She slept in our bed the first night and in the pack-n-play until about 5am on the second night. She’s been having some sleep regression issues anyway, so I didn’t really blame her or expect her to be a good sleeper all of a sudden in a new place and in her pack-n-play in the same room as us. Also, her pack-n-play is usually in our bathroom so she can play while I shower, so it’s not really a place she associates with sleep.

We had a great, great time. Man, will it be nice to sleep in our bed tonight, but it was really nice to get away. The W family was awesome. Totally accommodating and great. So accepting of Eriana’s craziness, so great with allowing her to make a mess of their home. They took us to a fancy restaurant and introduced us to the most amazing brownie ever on the Earth, they made us delicious fajitas and a wonderful breakfast (well, Stacyi gets all the credit for both meals), Jim acted like a teenager again and stayed up until 4am talking and giggling with Matt like they were girls. It was awesome to see him with someone who has known him since they were freshmen in high school and who truly knows him. I love that. Plus, Triston and Eriana are equals when it comes to energy levels and ridiculous busyness. So, that was fun.

The L family was amazing, too. They cooked us a super delicious brunch, Eriana got to play with A (and, apparently, show her how much fun crawling is, because A nailed that skill later on in the day) (totally not Eriana’s doing, I know, but it’s fun that it happened that day), and we got to catch up after about 2 years of lots of stuff going on.

All in all, it was a fantastic weekend, and we’re really glad to have gotten to go see all of them, spend a weekend away, and get to have some fun outside of the confines of the Oklahoma City metro area.

Here are some pictures from our trip. All were taken/filtered in InstaGram on my phone.

Intense “Yo Gabba Gabba” watching in the car.

Eyelashes. She was super, super grumpy and then finally fell asleep again with 20 minutes till we reached Little Rock.

Eriana and A playing together. So, so cute. About the same size, even though Eriana has 5 months on A. I adored A’s personality. And her big blue eyes are almost hypnotic!

I discovered that sweet potato tater tots exist (at Sonic), and Eriana passed out mid-bite (tot remains on her belly) after we left the Discovery Museum.

Eriana and Triston in a rare, quiet and calm moment when we were getting ready to leave. These two together, man, were so, so crazy. Love the spunky kids!

Oh, and a big shout-out to my baby sister, Kendal, for hanging out at our house with our pets all weekend! WOOHOO! (Here’s a picture someone took of her that I stole from Facebook that I ADORE. )

So, y’all. I have been meaning to write this post for awhile. But I forgot. Or life got in the way, as it does. So here’s the situation: I finished the Whole30.

January 30-February 7 actualities:
-CrossFit four times. Heh, no. I was sick and couldn’t workout. I worked out the Monday and Tuesday of the end of the challenge (Feb 6-7), but NOT AT ALL the whole week before.
-Do 60 sit-ups after each workout that isn’t sit-up centered. See above. But yes, I did.
-Try to SLEEP at least 7 hours per night. Yes.
-Participate in Whole30 eating. Yes. I didn’t cheat, despite being sick. And I HIGHLY recommend the Czech Meatballs from Melissa’s site. So, so good. Dip them in olive oil mayo.

So. I lost 11 pounds. But only 2% body fat. I was surprised by that, because I thought if you had more fat to lose (and oh, holy moly, do I have a HIGH body fat percentage), the fat would come off more easily. I also lost one and a half pant sizes. Jim noticed a change in my appearance, as someone who saw me everyday, and my friend Amy said I looked smaller and my face thinner.

We had to write an essay and submit it to the trainers, answering the questions: What did you expect; what did you want; what did you get? Here’s what I wrote.

            My expectations were as follows: jumpstart weight loss, feel better, feel stronger, easier recovery after workouts, and feel happier. My expectations were largely met. My weight loss of 11 pounds was satisfactory to me. I lost one and a half pant sizes (the size two down will zip, but give me a muffin-top, and nobody likes a muffin top). I feel healthier, and when I have had cheat meals since the Whole30 end I have not felt well. I do feel stronger, and after the initial week of the Whole30 made workouts really, really hard, I felt more capable, and my recovery time was, all around, a lot shorter with a better diet. I did feel happier. I still don’t think I’m ready to give up my antidepressant, but I am ready to start cutting the pills in half to take half doses (at my doctor’s consent, of course). Endorphins really go a long way! And a healthier diet seems to make them flow more readily.

            In signing up for the Whole30, I wanted: to lose weight, to adjust to a lifetime eating lifestyle, to feel more comfortable in my skin, to, eventually, get off of my antidepressants, and to be able to keep up with my daughter. Overall, I feel like the Whole30 Challenge assisted me in beginning these goals. I did lose weight – more than I’ve lost in one month since I was nursing right after my daughter’s birth. I did adjust to a new eating style, and when I’m hungry I snack on sliced bell peppers or cold chicken breast instead of reaching for a string cheese or a box of crackers. I am more comfortable in my skin (and it helps that my husband has noticed a difference, despite seeing me every day). And I’m on my way to being able to keep up with Eriana. I can easily get down on the floor with her, and I spend most of my days with her playing on the floor, without worrying that I won’t be able to get back up.

I am NOT going to post my before and after photos. But I am really proud of everything I accomplished. And I think I could have accomplished more if I hadn’t been sick for a week. Man, croup can really knock a mother OUT. (What? I’m totally cool enough to say that.) But I will say that I am really excited at what I was able to do, and I am even more excited to keep going in my journey with a Paleo diet and CrossFit. I have lots more goals to try to accomplish.

Do you ever wish that fertility were transferable? I mean, I am done with mine (I don’t know if I’m done becoming a parent; I would duplicate Eriana a million times over if I could. But I’m done with my fertility – I don’t know that my psyche could handle pregnancy again.). But I have lots of friends (more than I like to say, because it makes me sad) who need to be more fertile, who WANT to be more fertile. Meanwhile, I have to make actual effort to NOT use my fertility. I have to (TMI alert!): use birth control, or make an appointment to have an IUD put in (which seems the best option, except the last time I had one inserted I passed out and went into convulsions, so I’ve been dragging my feet on making an appointment; plus, my cycle is so, so messed up that I can’t determine for the OB/GYN’s office when my cycle will start so they can tell me the best time for my appointment), or figure out if I’m REALLY ready, at the age of 29, for permanent birth control. And my friends are struggling with infertility or miscarriages or a little of both. And then this shows up on Facebook (posted by several people; just so we’re clear, I’m not targeting one person specifically for the insensitivity I see in this issue):

and it pisses me off because some people evidently don’t get that pregnancy is NOT a joke for a lot of people! A lot of people (myself included) associate pregnancy with fear or anxiety or death.

So I just want to transfer my fertility. It took us 2 weeks to get pregnant the first time, and 2 months to get pregnant the second time. I’m fertile, but for me two easily achieved, healthy pregnancies didn’t translate into two healthy, living children. I don’t want to be pregnant again. If I got pregnant again our insurance company had better weigh the costs of my psychological health over permanent birth control. I want to give my fertility away. Maybe to the friend who has blogged about her infertility, struggles with IVF, and eventual removal of BOTH fallopian tubes? Maybe to the friend who doesn’t ovulate regularly, got pregnant against all odds, then miscarried and has not (at least not publicly)? Maybe to the IRL friend who has one incredible and beautiful daughter, but can’t seem to get pregnant with a second child? I would gladly give my fertility to any of these amazing women, and they are just a few.

But I can’t. And that kills me. Because I have this thing that I no longer need. And they need it. And I don’t know how I can help them.

Maybe she can bring smiles to the faces of these beautiful friends.

Back to Listless Mondays. Because I can’t think of anything else to talk about today. You’re welcome.

9 things I’m looking forward to consuming once my Whole30 is over!

1. WINE,

2. Margaritas,

3. Diet Dr. Pepper,

4. Occasional chips and salsa/queso,

5. Something sweet in my coffee,

6. Occasional things with CHEESE,

7. Occasional desserts,

8. Occasional legumes,

9. Occasional sweet potato fries at restaurants (I could have the homemade kind now if I wanted).

Wednesday night I am GOING CRAZY and I am probably going to feel like crap on Thursday, and you know what? I don’t care. (I do a little, but not a lot.) Jim is taking me to Tarahumara’s, and I am going to eat chips and salsa and queso and tortillas with butter and chicken enchiladas with sour cream sauce and beans and drink Diet Dr. Pepper. I am going to Sonic for Happy Hour on Wednesday. I am going to the liquor store tomorrow for the first time in more than a month, just to prepare!

Photo is of the Enchiladas Verdes, not the chicken enchiladas I will be enjoying in a couple of days. But doesn’t it look delicious, nonetheless?

Photo from Oklahoma Food Mongers.

My Whole30 is over as of tomorrow night. I will post my results (body fat loss, weight loss, etc.) when I get it all. I think they will do the measuring Wednesday morning at CrossFit. But I’m not positive.

*I am NOT planning on going back to my previous diet. I love sour cream, cheese, sugar, carbs, etc., but I understand how they make my body carry weight and put on weight and make me feel badly. But despite not going back to the way I used to eat, there are things I am really, really looking forward to having, either in moderation, or anytime I want. So some things listed above are occasional, and some are going to be more regular!

So I don’t forget, here are some things about Eriana that make me smile lately:

-She’ll crawl up and lean in with her chin up and eyes closed for a kiss.

-She says “UP” when you lift her up, and giggles.

-When she says “uh-oh”, it sounds like “uh-ah-ah” and I love it.

-She will dance to any sort of beat. The busy signal on the phone (or phone off the hook beep), any song, etc. If she is screaming and a song comes on she’ll look at you and dance.

-If she hears clapping or applause or someone says, “Yay!” she will start clapping.

-She waves, more often than not, with both hands.

-She points to EVERYTHING. Mostly it’s for stuff that looks like her favorite foods (i.e. anything purple she points to because she wants some multi-grain cheerios (which are in a purple box), anything yellow she points to is because baby mum-mum boxes are yellow).

-She says, “Hi!” and waves to the kids who dance on Yo Gabba Gabba between segments.

-If she’s in the right mood, she’ll try to catch a stranger’s eye and wave to them.

-She is still stubborn as all get-out, and hardly ever talks or waves or anything for others. She has to want to.

-She will throw ALL of her snack or meal on the floor and then come to us to steal food. Stinker.

-When she’s starting to get tired she’ll cruise over to where someone is sitting on the couch and lay her head down (even if it’s a dog).

-She giggles and talks to our pets, usually opening with “Hi, Dog” or “Hi, Cat” and then babbling away while patting them furiously.

-When she gets excited she clings to whomever has her and hugs.

-When she gets tired she puts both hands behind her head, or if she’s on her stomach or facing the person snuggling her she puts them both under her belly to snuggle in.

This is all I can think of now. She’s so cute. I love this kid.

In my quest to read 25 books this year, I’m on my way with my reads from this month:

4 down!

FIRST: Everyone look at my new blog theme! (No, seriously, if you’re reading in a reader, click through. Worth it.) Jen is awesome, isn’t she? I highly recommend her work. Plus, I’ve met her and she’s great.

_____________

Now on to Whole30 talk. WOOHOO! 3 weeks down. Hooray!

Last week:
January 23-29 goals:
-CrossFit four times. YES! Barely. Lots of life conspiring against me this week. I awoke with a stomachache one morning, and then one morning my trainer slept through his alarm. BUT! I still was able to squeeze in 4 workouts: Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday. And I’m still sore from Friday and Saturday.
-Do 60 sit-ups after each workout that isn’t sit-up centered. NO! I did on three workouts, but not on Saturday. I forgot, truthfully.
-Try to SLEEP at least 7 hours per night. HA! No. Eriana was sick, and, apparently, Zyrtec makes her stay awake and angry, instead of knocking her out. So that was a fun night. The rest of the week was fine, though.
-Participate in Whole30 eating.  YES! I did. And I survived another week.

Aaaannnddd this week to the end:
January 30-February 7 goals:
-CrossFit four times.
-Do 60 sit-ups after each workout that isn’t sit-up centered.
-Try to SLEEP at least 7 hours per night.
-Participate in Whole30 eating.

Menu:*
-Shepherd’s Pie (didn’t get to this last week)
-Meatza Pie (didn’t get to this last week)
-Maki Rolls
-Rogan Josh (not a person)
-Egg Foo Yong and vegetable stir fry (made with stir fry sauce)
-Machacado & Eggs with Avocado Relish
-Czech Meatballs with Cauliflower Rice Pilaf

For breakfasts I got fruit, eggs, bacon, and sausage.
For lunches I got tomatoes, mushrooms, artichokes, ground beef, Italian sausage, and onions to make hot plates.

You guys. I’m ALMOST DONE. 30 days. I feel good! My clothes fit better. I still haven’t gotten up the nerve to try on my pants that are 2 sizes down from where I started, but the ones one size down are loose. I’m on a new hole on Jim’s belt, and I might get to wear MY belts again soon! I started swimsuit shopping this week for our trip to Mexico in April, but I’m going to wait until late March to buy anything, because I feel like through Paleo and CrossFit, I have no idea what size I’ll wear in just 2 months. CRAZY.

So. That’s that! HOORAY, ALMOST DONE!

*All recipes from Well Fed by Melissa Joulwan. Links for recipes go to her blog.

Hi, Friends,

My friend Kelly is running a half-marathon soon, and has joined a team that pledged to run $15,000 for The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, a non-profit camp for kids with terminal diseases. Kelly has pledged to raise $1,000! If you are looking for a cause to support, and a great gal to help out, go visit Kelly’s page and pledge a gift!

Thanks, in advance, for any generosity you can provide!

Thank you all for your kindness and support. I have the best friends. My IRL friends are wonderful and bring so little drama to my life (for which I am DEEPLY thankful), and my in-the-computer friends get me through every day. Thank you so, so much. Hugs to you all. (Unless you don’t like hugs. In which case: high-five!)