So We Ran...

We've started running. Ben and I. Its been hard. And painful.

Okay, I know I'm dramatic, but seriously, what is a girl suppose to do when there are stabbing pains cramping your stomach? What about feeling like you are going to throw up or black-out? Hello? So, maybe none of that has really happen. But, maybe it has, too. You'll never know. (Just be sympathetic, please)

We keep trying out different parks for variety. I'm sure this is Ben's way to make sure I never say, "The scenery is boring." If so, its working.

Yesterday, amidst our jog and my "Ben-hold-me-up-before-I perish-right-on-the-sidewalk" plea...we passed a woman on the phone who was walking her dog. There was nothing abnormal about this, except, at one point Ben looked back and noted that this lady seemed to be trailing and gaining speed with us. It didn't take long before my mind was reeling with the possibilities of her pursuit: murder. dumping our bodies in the water nearby. a plotting attack by her dog...

It was distrubing. Nevermind the fact that it is a public park. Free to everyone and their dogs for walks. So I ran harder. From an innocent woman. Who didn't even know she was making me paranoid.

Photo/Blog Monday...on a Tuesday!

I'm so sorry I didn't post this on Monday. I remembered just as I was drifting off to sleep...at 9pm. Wow. I was exhausted.

I'm sad to say that I don't have any incredible Photos of the Week to share. I've been searching and searching and nothing has quite caught my eye. I would, however, like to highlight two awesome and upcoming photographers.

1. Tupelo Photography will always have a special place in my heart. Sam is not only a dear friend from college, but she ALSO did our engagement pictures and our wedding pictures. I've told her to never move away, because she is our photographer for life! She is so good, and her work is astounding. Sam is also willing to try ANYTHING - something I really appreciate. (I don't want to mention how especially since I've sent her thousands upon thousands of ideas and suggestions and angles and more...she has been more than gracious)

2. One of my best friends has been working really hard at her photography skills..she is super creative and I love seeing what she does. I am so excited to see what the future holds for her! Be sure to check out her "Let's Grow Old Together" Save-the-Dates! So fun!


I've known all week who would be highlighted for my blog of the week. Last week, my sister sent me a frantic text to check a blog of one of her friends...to Win a Free Magazine Subscription. I scooted over to the blog and much to my surprise....I WON! I've never won anything in my life, so this was so much fun! Ruthie blogs about a lot of different things, so I'm sure you will enjoy checking out her blog!

Who is Beating Who?

About a week ago, I got a call from my dad. At 7:45am. My Dad is one of those great Dads who is always there, checks up on you, and is the most laid-back and consistent person I know. He also has a GREAT sense of humor.

Back to my story.

"Hello?" Only my Dad can call me THAT early.

"Hey Bethany! I have this great idea." I did too...where is that cup of coffee?

"Okay?"

"Why don't you set up a basketball bracket? It would be a hoot."

(translation: you don't know SQUAT about basketball or basketball brackets, for that matter! This will be the PERFECT opportunity for both your sports-lovin' dad and husband to LAUGH at your expense)

"What? Why would I do that?"

"Because it would be GREAT!" (read translation again)

"Okay...Where do I do this?" I couldn't believe I was considering this.

"Ask Ben. He'll tell you."

(translation: this the PERFECT way for your husband to know and be prepared to laugh AT you.)

The phone call ended. I went to work. I kept thinking about the basketball bracket. I know nothing about basketball: fouls - say what? Are those referrees or umpires? I can't tell. They always wear black and white. How do I know which team color to cheer for? Turnovers? I thought that was a food? How many points? 2? 3? 1? Is it innings? quarters or halves? I hate math. I hate basketball.

It's ridiculous that I even considered this. But I did. And, with Ben's step-by-step help, I filled out my very own bracket. My method was simple. Since I didn't have time to go through to look at each team's school colors, I went by their school name. Oh...Villanova? Sounds European. Check! You get to move on up in the bracket. Lehigh? Sounds mysterious! Yes! You will beat out Kansas State. Vanderbilt? Sounds sooo academia. Okay, you will make it to the Final Four (whatever...that...is).

Then, much to my Dad's and husband's surprise...my bracket started beating theirs. Look who is laughing now, boys! And, much to my surprise, my bracket was really strong...Seems my method wasn't such a bad idea after-all.

Now, my Dad and Ben are chatting with me about basketball. Like I know it all. "Hey, did you see that play? Man, oh man! That was awesome! Second overtime? You've.GOT.to.be.kidding.me?!?!?" I try not to give-away my "I don't have a clue what you are talking about" reaction. But, really, we all know what they are really leading up to is - "So...what is your most recent bracket point?"

Late Night Cravings

10:30 at night and I was starving. You know, practically malnourished. Practically fainting from the fact my stomach was about to eat the inside out of itself.


"Ignore it." Ben started.

"I caaannnn'tttt" I whined.

"What do you want? We could be spontaneous and go get something. What do you want?"

I laid stomach-down on the bed. "It doesn't matter! I just need something!"

"Taco Bell? McDonald's?" Ben is so gracious. He was trying to help.

"Nah...cinnamon rolls. I want cinnamon rolls.And, we have some that only need to be made."
Ben said nothing. Apparently, cinnamon rolls are harder to get than Taco Bell.

"You don't want to go get something?"

"No."

Ben left the room. I hard banging and loud noises. "Ben? Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm good!!"

He returned.
"Hypothetically, would you promise to love someone forever if you knew cinnamon rolls were coming?"
I tried not to grin. "Hypothetically, if someone made cinnamon rolls, I probably already promised to love them forever."

He smiled a satisfied grin. "Hypothetically, can you put the other Cinnamon rolls back in the fridge?"

"Hypothetically, no." He ran back into the kitchen.
Minutes later, huge, slightly-doughy, covered in creamcheese frosting, oozing with love cinnamon rolls came out of the oven. They were wonderful. Just seeing Ben's happy-dance ear-to-ear smile was worth it all.

That, and the fact that I was no long in pain from starving.

One of Those Days...

Its days like today when I'm completely overwhelmed. Completely grateful. Completely enamored by this guy named Ben.
Lemme tell you about him.
He is taller than me.

He is a recovering picky-eater.

He adores me. (Don't believe me? Hang in there)

He tells me I'm beautiful. Every.Single.Day.

He cleans house. Unloads the dishwasher. Does the laundry.

He tells me I'm definitely thinner after seeing Jillian. (And never brings up my sudden I've-got-to-have-this-[insert random dessert]-craving)

He adores me. Really, he does. How do I know?
My house looks like the rainbow and an oversized box of Fruitloops threw up. There are explosions of color everywhere. I love it. He encourages it.
I sat in front of wedding invitations for 45 minutes. And, I called him 798 times to discuss it with him.

I gasp at sundresses, books and coffee. And, he takes me shopping.
I am dramatic about my hair, my outfit, my singular pimple, my lack of flip-flops, my blog...and he takes it in stride. ALL of it.
I yell and cry about immorality, injustice, hurting children, broken families,and again, hurting people...because I hurt so much for all of them...and, he lets me do that and then hugs me.

He watches chick flicks with me. And, I try to watch his man-movies with him, then he lets me squeeze his hand 'til it turns white when I get scared.
I cry over the Biggest Loser, my blog, my friends, my sudden I've-got-to-have-this-[insert random dessert]-craving...

He pushes me back to my Savior.

He rubs me all the time.

He just loves me. And, my love for him grows more and more every single day.
This past weekend, Ben and I celebrated 3 months. 3 months - wow. Its been amazing and fun. I'm really thankful. Looking over that list, I'm just overwhelmed. I've got a good man.

Photo/Blog Monday

Oh yes! It is Monday once again! This week, I want to highlight two sisters - Amy and Promise. They are so different, but you can definitely tell they are really close. Which is similar to me and my sisters!

I had some difficulty coming up with the Photo of the Week, but I liked the first one with the trolley car a lot:
(I really wanted to show the picture on the blog, but it simply won't allow that!)


My blog of the week is Promise Tangeman. She is such an awesome graphic designer AND she has such cool DIY projects that you can make using things from around the house.

Several Matters of Importance

Items of importance...too short to make an entire blog entry, but too funny to pass up. Enjoy.

* I'm the most rebellious lactose-allergetic person you will ever meet.  I promise. Dairy is (okay, once or twice a week) my downfall...I get sick every single time for hours and hours. Its miserable. And, Ben gets mad. Yet, I still do it. Misery loves company...especially if it comes in the form of ice-cream, specialty coffee and burritos.

* The other night, at precisely 1:30 am,  our neighbor, U.G.T.O.O.P.H.M.C. (Unknown-Gender-Teenager-Or-Old-Person-Having-Midlife-Crisis) was playing Ke$ha's "Tick Tock" extremely loudly. I wrote out my rant  in my mind  towards our neighbor for the blog. Then considered purchasing earphones for our neighbor; but I changed my mind. Did I mention that I truly cannot stand Ke$ha? It was a L-O-N-G and ROUGH night.

* Last week, my Blender was PMSing. It seriously threw the worst temper-tantrum in the world. Coffee and milk (lactose free, thankyouverymuch) and sugar went all over the counter. My response? After shrieking, "OH NO! OH NO! OH NO!" I threw myself on the couch and plotted a way to get rid of the Blender. Ben graciously cleaned everything up.

* I know March isn't over, but I already have a highlight: the day Ben (accidently) shaved off one eyebrow. I sat in the bathroom laughing hysterically. I was literally gasping for breath and then hurling into another fit of laughter. My sides hurt. My cheeks hurt. My life was transformed. And, Ben? Proceeded to make funny faces and jokes about his eyebrow for the next week. Man, I love him.

* Today, I used my Blender for the coffee drink I tried last week. It behaved itself. The coffee drink was incredible.

Bringin' the Gym Home

It's time...for a Gym Update. I know, I know it has been for-EVER, right? One of the perks (I can't believe I'm about to say this) of living in the RV was our FREE access to the local Gym. Now, that we are living in the Apartment, those Gym-access days are no more. We have been trying to figure out a new schedule for going to the gym or when we were going to pick up our daily exercise plan. Pre-work? After work? It's been difficult. And, if I were to be honest, (note: another 'I can't believe I'm going to say this') I've missed the gym.

No longer attending the local Gym has it disadvantages. We no longer can keep up with the Mr. & Mrs. Ironman couple. Which, is a shame, really. We will never know if they actually compete in the IRONMAN competition. And, I will never be able to collect flies in my mouth as I watch her read and run simultaneously. I will miss those days.

 Our obsession with the show Biggest Loser has taken on a whole new level. You know we bought the cookbook. But our obsession has taken a whole new level, Ben and I have taken on Jillian Michaels. We are doing her "SHRED" DVD. The good news: Ben and I might just look like Mr. and Mrs. Ironman in 30 days. Most people would assume that Jillian's usage of the word 'shred' is to lose weight. I beg to differ. It definitely stands for:
S- Single-handedly (creating)
H - Havoc
R- wRetchedly
E - (on) Everyone
D - Determined (to succeed)

I hate it. And her, too. I'm sore. I'm grouchy. And, her promise of 20 pounds in 30 days better come to pass. And, despire my (current) hatred...this too shall pass, right? RIGHT? And I will soon forget all my pain and agony each and everytime I climb all 3 flights of stairs to our Apartment return to being Jillian's biggest fan?! RIGHT?

One can only hope.

Nerf Guns: Round 2

(If you missed out on the original post about Nerf Guns, you may want to skip over here to get caught up.)

Thankfully for me, Ben did not get a blackeye. What a relief. I suppose, it should be thankfuly for Ben...but, really I am the most thankful one. What 2 and 1/2 month old wife wants to be turned in for domestic abuse?? Not me. Not me.

Much to Ben's dismay, I've hidden my nerf gun. I couldn't take the risk of putting it back in the original spot, and then getting stuck with the malfunctioned one.

The next nerf gun game has been delayed until we purchase...goggles. Yes, I said goggles. After Ben's encounter with my precise (though ironic) aim, we can't take the risk of someone else (ME) getting a blackeye.

Stay tuned...

Photo/Blog Monday

After hearing feedback on doing possible theme days  on the blog, I received this comment:

"theme days, awesome idea. i know you totally stalk blogs, and have access to photos. so you could totally do like photo monday, and just post a pic that you really like and maybe even a link to a photo blog or something cool. just saying"

Well, its true! I am a complete and total blog stalker. So, every Monday, I will be showing off my favorite photo from over the week and ALSO one - of many - blogs that I love to follow.

Favorite picture of the week is from the people at the Image is Found Photography. Check out their blog: http://www.theblogisfound.com/. They are such cutting-edge photographers. I don't follow them as closely as I once did, but this picture is incredible!

http://theblogisfound.com/

My favorite blog of the week is a new favorite of mine, but I'm totally hooked. Its written by this girl named Morgan and it didn't take long before I was wishing we were real-life friends. There is such a wealth of fun information...you can go there multiple times during the day and never, ever get bored. Go to Morgan's blog: http://mrspriss.com/.

I'm already excited for next Monday!!

The Day of the Telescope

I never thought I would be that person. You know, the person who snoops and peers out the window at her neighbors. Or, the person who drives by all the other apartment buildings within our complex, trying to look in the windows to see other's decor.

Yes, I'm that person. I'm a snoop. Borderline stalker, maybe. Borderline.

For a while, I was trying to figure out when it all began. Like, did it begin when I became obsessed with Domino Magazine (may it rest in peace), or with Ikea? I realized it went much further back than that.

My first snooping memory was when I was between the ages of 8-12. Large age group, I know, but I can't remember my exact age. My mom was a big fan of educational games and toys and anything else that might stimulate our minds. Mom had no idea.

So, in light of our mother's preference, my uncle bought my siblings and I a telescope. To look at the stars, of course.

One night, we convinced our parents to let us go outside, after dark, to look at the stars. My parents agreed. I'm sure they thought we had become intrigued by the Milky Way and how the stars were aligned in the sky and whatnot. We weren't. Instead, we steadied our telescope eye to the homes of our many neighbors who had ALL their blinds and curtains wide open. It was paradise. We peered into livings rooms and dining rooms watching our neighbors who had no idea they were under intense multi-sibling-surveillance.

After a while, we tripped back inside. Mom had no idea. Dad had no idea. And, I don't remember using that telescope ever again. It had been put to much use already, no reason to over-extend it, right?

(Disclaimer: I'm not a stalker. This is all drive-by...And, my sincere apologies to any of our past neighbors)

Saturday Mornings

I really love Saturday mornings. Its a morning with no obligations - I don't have to get up early and there is no rush. It makes "lazy" seem productive.

Ben could sleep in 'til noon. I can't. 7am and I'm wide-awake. To say that is annoying would be an understatement.

Usually around 9, I can nudge Ben awake. That's after two hours of me laying in bed, reading, or perusing the Internet.

Then, we mosey into the kitchen...Saturday mornings we make breakfast. A real, big breakfast. Pancakes, eggs, bacon, muffins, coffee, orange juice or whatever we like. But, its never cereal or something that we can just whip up... We feast liesurely, then watch VH1's top 20 Music Videos.

I love Saturday mornings. Between the blueberry pancakes, the most popular pop-culture music, and watching Ben keep a running commentary (whether by song or dance) during the top 20...I feel full and satisfied and laughter.

How else are you suppose to feel on a Saturday morning?

5 Things I Can't Live Without

Alrighty, folks, because it is raining and I abhor rain, I decided that I would talk about things I love. Things I can't live without.  I've been wanting to share my absolute must-haves for a while now, but important things have gotten in the way (soup, nerf guns...you know, life). I don't know about you, but I love a good "tell-me-what-you-use" session. So, because I LOVE IT, I just knew you've been dying to hear the same from me, too. Right, right?

1. Burt's Bees Super Shiny Natural Lip Gloss (color: Sweet Pink). I love this product for some many reasons and kinda panic if it isn't with me. A) I can easily read the ingredients list. B) It is SO shiny and smooth, you just feel pretty wearing it. C) It lasts FOREVER.

2. Ulta's "Twilight" Eyeshadow. Because of a certain teenager phenomenon series, I started laughing when I figured out the name of this eyeshadow. Why do I love it? It gives me that smoky, mysterious, intriguing look. It does, I promise.

3. Clearsil Vanishing Acne Treatment Cream. Okay, when my friend recommended this to me, I was SO skeptical. I mean, who can trust a cream with the words "vanishing" and "acne" in one name? But, I was a desperate acne-attacked bride, so I gave it a try. L-O-V-E  IT! It really, REALLY works and I will always use it. It takes away the swelling and often times, if you "feel" a pimple coming on, just put the cream on multiple times during the day and JUST.LIKE.THAT! Gone.

4. Lodge Enamel Dutch Oven. Okay, so I know, after the first 3, you were probably expecting another beauty supply, right? Well, this has become an asset to my cooking and I couldn't leave it out. My dad gave it to Ben and I for Christmas. And, if I were to be honest, I thought it was one of the weirdest gifts - ever. But, I've since changed my mind. It is definitely the BEST thing ever and I use it ALL the time. It is far better than any other pot or pan I own. Truly, it is. And, after looking at the website and seeing all the vibrant colors, I want one in each color!

5. Ugly Mug Coffee, flavor - Southern Pecan. I love this coffee. It's like drinking heaven. Ben gave me two bags of it for Christmas and this week, we discovered we are about to run out of the second bag. Eeeeckk! So, we are drinking it very....very....s-l-o-w-l-y. Ugly Mug has turned me into SUCH a coffee snob. I adore the flavor of that coffee so much...it leaves feeling more southern and more coffee-happy than ever.

Nerf Guns: Round 1

Its my Dad's fault.

For Christmas, Dad got Ben and I nerf guns. To shoot at each other. For fun.

After Christmas, we moved into the RV, so the nerf guns couldn't be used. Lack of room to run and hide.

Then we moved into the Apartment and everything changed. Plenty of room to run and hide.

Tonight, I grabbed one of the guns out of the closet and quietly stalked Ben. He grabbed his and "WAR" was declared.

Like two shrieking kids, we chased and hid and tried to shoot each other with our nerf guns.

In the middle of our fun, Ben's gun malfunctioned. I promise I had nothing to do with that.

Then, because all is fair in love and war, I shot Ben, while he tried to fix his gun. He fell to the ground. I had shot him in the eye. Directly in the eyeball.

 I threw myself on top of him like one of those dramatic romantic comedy scenes where the girl accidently injuries the guy. It was mistake, a misfire, and Ben will probably have a blackeye.

Thanks, Dad.

My Morning

The beginning of a stressful day is marked by a series of unforunate events.


Part One of Unforunate Events Series:

Attempting to make a home-made blended frozen coffee drink before. Feeling very much like the product of Martha Stewart, Pioneer Woman and Betty Crocker. BRAND NEW Blender drained the entire mixture all over the counter. Why? I have no idea.

My hope for my morning coffee plummeted. I am an emotional drinker = can't make the coffee drink, means no coffee for me.

Part Two of Unforunate Events Series:

Pouring rain. Rainboots? Gotta'em on my feet. Raincoat? Still in closet. (HOW IN THE WORLD?!?!)

I hate rain.

Part Three of Unforunate Events Series:

Late for work. Ben said we could blame it on the Blender. I agree.

Part Four of Unforunate Event Series:

It was a rough morning. Then, I laughed. At Ben. Because he is funny. Hilarious, really. Because Ben has an incredible ability to brighten my coffee-and-raincoat-less-day.

'Ode to the Soup

Tonight, I made soup. Asian Meatball Soup, to be exact. It was yummy and filling and healthy and straight out of the Biggest Loser Cookbook (yes, we own it and yes, we use it....all because of Jillian. It's her fault. Completely). Because of this experience, I made two discoveries:

1. I like to cook and I am a good cook (Dad, I know you already knew this...).

This leads me to a story: Once upon a time, a teenage girl was learning how to cook. She timidly moved through a vegetarian cookbook. The journey was going well until Eggplant Parmesan entered. It was a disaster! A COMPLETE AND TOTAL DISASTER. I was DEVASTATED. Oh, wait, this is a third-person story. Anyway, all the brothers and sisters complained. And gagged. And eggplant entered the perpetual (and rare) family-food-hate-list. The girl cried. And, from then on told everyone that she couldn't cook. The end.

2. A way to a man's heart is really through his stomach. Don't believe me? Cook Asian Meatball Soup. Trust me. Ben was smacking his lips and praising my goodness as a wife. God bless'em.

My life has been transformed. I'm planning menus and delving bravely into this world of cooking and food. My days of making people gag are over! My days of convincing the world and myself of my inability to cook are GONE! From this point on, I will proclaim: I COOK!

All because of Asian Meatball Soup, my life has been transformed.

If you will excuse me, I'm off to read a cookbook for the night.

Mall Creepers and Bedroom Vines

This past week, I decided to take a break from talking about food on the blog. I realized I talk about it a lot. Constantly. I never would have considered myself a lover of food. But, I guess when you build "frequent-food-blogs", reality sets in. I felt like I did pretty good. However. It was difficult finding other things to talk about.

Tonight, Ben and I made our way to the local mall bookstore. I wanted a book, and so did he. Perhaps, I should preface this by saying, the local mall is the creepiest place in the world. IN THE WORLD.

While walking through the mall, I observed many things. Here is my collection:

- If you work at a "Brow Line" kiosk, make sure you do your own eyebrows before coming to work. Imagine the hairest eyebrow female trying to get you to let her do YOUR eyebrows.

- Gangsta boys in skinny jeans. Did I miss the memo on this one? If you are sportin' the gangster Pants On The Ground look, at least wear those HUGE jeans. Gangsters in skinny jeans. Enough said.

Back to the bookstore, I bought the book Julie & Julia. It was between that and a memior of Paula Deen. I guess I'm hoping that by reading about inspired cooks, I will be inspired myself. We'll see.

I have other things I'd like to blog about; like, how I feel empty without the Bachelor drama in my life every Monday and other important things as well. But, all that will have to wait. I have convinced Ben that hanging vines from our bedroom ceiling is a brillant idea. I'm not sure if he agrees to the "brillant" part, but he just pulled a kitchen chair to the room, so I'm going to go "help".

Showin' Off Ben

Did you ever watch Stepford Wives? Such a fascinating movie. The premise is showing off perfection.

While Ben is not perfect, I have a wonderful opportunity to show off my trophy husband. Tonight, several of my college buddies and I are gathering together for a reunion. Some haven't met Ben yet, so it will be the perfect time to parade my husband around and show'em off.

Yes, yes, yes. This is my husband.

Aw, thank you. I think he is cute too.

He has no idea what he is in for!

The other twist to this entire evening is that we will be returning to our first date location. I know, I know, isn't that sweet.

I'm done gushing now.

Update on My Life

Dear Forsaken Blog,

I'm sure you are wondering what has been going on in my life of late. Allow me to summarize in one word: Unpacking.

This is a task that never ends. And, because I aspire to be a "go-getter", I've done the most normal thing ever - Thrown my hands up in surrender, quit and I'm now giving you much needed attention. Which is why Ben, the blessed husband that he is, is unpacking.

Let's talk about some important issues in my life:

1. I'm dehydrated. Not of water, but of books. Every single book in my (still packed) home, I've read. I need a new, fresh read. Fiction, biography, interesting-self-help book. SOMETHING. I need to curl up and forget everything. (including unpacking)

2. I'm not very good at "nesting". I tried. But when the boxes don't decrease, I dream of Ikea shopping trips and, and, lighting candles. The end.

3. We have a bathtub. I'm planning to make it my best BFF. But I'm dreading the look on Ben's face when he gets the water bill. He may discourage my newfound friendship.

4. I'm contemplating the idea of having a theme day(s) on my blog. What do you think? Maybe I'll tell a story, or maybe I'll highlight my favorite websites or lip gloss or place to buy magazines. What do you think? Is there something you want me to blog about that I haven't?

5. Our apartment neighbor U.G.T.O.O.P.H.M.C. (Unknown-Gender-Teenager-Or-Old-Person-Having-Midlife-Crisis) plays the top 20 pop songs EVERY SINGLE DAY as loud as possible at the oddest times of the day. It needs to stop. For real.

6. In the midst of moving and unpacking, my phone charger has gone MIA. This has caused both my husband ans boss to nearly have heart-attacks when I had a 2 and 1/2 hour coffee meeting. I need to find that charger for their health.

Well, those are the top priorities in my life at the moment.

The End.

My husband

I debated long and hard what to blog about tonight. I could blog about The Bachelor Finale. But, I won't. And, I could blog about the return of the Biggest Loser. But I'm not. I could also update you on the progress of Apartment-unpack-organize-and-establish-our-home. That is for another day, though! (Ha! How'd you like that teaser?!?!?!)


Tonight, I want to discuss two things. Both relating to Ben.

My husband has successfully put together - A bed. A desk. A dresser. A nightstand table. 3 lamps. All within 24 hours. I'm exceedingly proud and impressed and thankful I didn't have to do it. I'm spoiled to be married to man who is afraid I will injure myself if I lift or put together anything. I like being spoiled.

Tonight, I discovered that prior to us actually dating, Ben use to pretend I was his girlfriend. Some may think this is weird. But I don't. I kinda think it is endearing that I was once his pretend, invisible girlfriend. That is almost like the multiple invisible or pretend husbands I use to have as a child. The plurality of the word "husband" is not a mistake or typo. It is accurate. Anyways, back on subject. I was so astounded by this discovery, I asked Ben to repeat the story in full-techni-color-detail about 5739 times. He willingly obliged. At the end of each rerun, I came to the same conclusion: He was either very confident that I would eventually become his real and visible girlfriend or very deprived of female attention. The conclusion is still out.

You had me at "Hello".

Do you ever read a blog that oozes with raw honesty? So much so that it makes you cringe just a little because you can't imagine being that honest?

Well, Internet, prepare yourself. If you haven't read one before now, you are about to.

Today, marks a new chapter in my life. In our life - mine and Ben's. Today, we officially moved out of the RV. Not into the cabin, but into an Apartment. Suffice it to say: it is a good thing.

I, for one, am exceedingly relieved. Living in the RV has been difficult for me. Yes, humbling, too. In fact, I've hated living in the RV. I started this blog as a way to cherish this chapter - the uniqueness, the ability to laugh at this one-of-a-kind, this-only-happens-to-you (that would be me), movie moment. I started this blog as a way to laugh at the beauty of this season; so that when the time came to look back, I'd remember funny, laughable moments NOW.

It worked. I laughed. Ben laughed. And, hopefully, Internet, you laughed too.

Today, marks the end of my RV livin'. But the good news: it does NOT mark the end of my bloggin'. So, good-bye - turning on the water pump, RV toilet paper, frozen shampoo, and so many other things. Hello, chapter 2 of the newlywed life: spacious walls, a REAL tub, regular Charmin EXTRA SOFT toilet paper, and a HUGE water heater.

I know its the little things; but oh, dear luxurious Apartment, I love you already.