Farewell twenty-twelve

Some amazing things we did:
Went to Hawaii TWICE to visit my parents
Got a second puppy and haven't regretted it at all (except for potty training)
Got a new car-love our Jetta TDI-along with the car payment
Found a piano a new home in our family room

Some things we weren't expecting to do:
Both left the medical field after many years of employment
Both got new secure and satisfying jobs
Both got promoted to higher responsibility jobs

Some things we didn't accomplish this year and want to next year:
Buy a house
Join the military
Do more outdoors activities- camping, hiking, fishing, shooting, cliff jumping
Get and stay healthy-get in shape and no ER visits like this year

Here's to 2013, and may it full of many many other great things for our family!!!

p.s. also get new family pictures taken-these are from 2011!

Say What?: Proper Denim Care

This one was a reader request, even though its not a health concern it is a general concern of anyone who wears jeans, which I can safely say is practically everyone. Since I work in the fashion industry I see jeans that sometimes are upwards of $150 go out the door and come back destroyed because the customer wasn't aware of proper denim care. If you love those designer jeans (even if you aren't willing to spend more than $20 on jeans) these tips will make any denim last much longer, and to help keep their color and shape.

The True's I found that were only $30! Ignore the unmade bed and laundry please

• Firstly you should know a lot of denim doesn't come pre-shrunk so if you are having alterations done to them you need to take them home and wash them first. They won't shrink more than half an inch at most, just don't wash and dry them in scalding water. 

• Also for designer jeans that use real indigo dye (Hudson's and True Religion's particularly) it is critical to lock in the color by washing them alone with one cup of household vinegar in moderately cold water. This will help lock in the color so those gorgeous Hudson's don't fade. This also applies for any dark or bright colored skinnies you might have that you don't want to fade.

• A seriously common misconception is how often a pair of jeans should actually be tumble dried in the dryer vs. hang dried. The rule of thumb is about every three washes, you need to tumble dry your jeans to help them re-shrink to their original cut so that they don't stretch too much. I've had customer's complain that their $100+ pair of jeans stretched out a size larger. I've even had one person say three sizes! Denim is temperature sensitive and responds when it is warm. As you wear them they are warm and stretch with your body. When you dry them because they have no resistance the heat helps them re-shrink. When you hang dry them they are not exposed to any heat and therefore do not re-shrink. 

• Make sure that you are hang drying your jeans two out of every three washes on a drying rack that you can get from Target, Walmart, or Bed Bath and Beyond. They're about $20 but totally worth it and they last forever. If you hang dry your jeans frequently the denim will last longer then if you tumble dry them each washing. This is because the denim fibers (especially if they're 'stretchy' jeans) wear out from re-shrinking under intense heat from frequent tumble drying. 

• Lastly as you should already know good denim stretches to fit your body as you wear it between washes, great denim (designer denim) is meant to fit your body and 'mold' to it inspite of washes. Don't be worried if your denim stretches somewhere you don't want it to like if you tried to do the splits in them and the inside leg is now baggy (I've personally never tried to do that). A quick solution to this is get that area wet with a squirt bottle and throw it in the dryer for ten minutes and it should be back to its normal self afterwards.

I promise if you follow these denim care rules you will be proud of that designer denim, you'll even be confident in those jeans if they're not designer! And they will last two to three times as long if you follow these tips. 

A Small Explosion

occurred at our house today. Our heater is an older gas driven heater and the pilot light often gets blown out accidentally so we have to relight it. Well before I got ready to go to work I felt it was just to darn cold in the apartment (a balmy 65° and dropping) so I wanted to get it relit.

Long story short I did it wrong and next thing I knew there was a flame ball exploding in my face and the smell of something burning. Jared rushed over when he heard me scream, and asked if I was OK and started pulling bits of curled white something off my head. I realized it was my burned hair! Once the damage was assessed my eyebrows were essentially gone, my eyelashes are halfway gone, and I now have a nasty widow's peak at the start of my part and a small bald patch.

 

White ends on both my eyelashes and eyebrows are burned parts

See the white curls? Yeah that's my burned hair. Check out that bald patch at my part!

Looks like lots of mascara, eyebrow liner, and thick headbands to cover the evidence for a couple weeks until it grows back. As the hubs said, "way to take one for the team! At least the heater is now on". He was of course joking (kind of). I was honestly very lucky it didn't make the whole house explode and my face didn't really get burned at all except my forehead a little. I have now learned my lesson about matches and gas.

Please tell me I'm not the only person whose ever done something so stupid as this?

Smith's Christmas 2012

We had a lovely Christmas, and hopefully you did too. We got up early and helped the dog's open their stockings and then opened up ours. My gifts were all picked out by myself, Jared just wrapped them so I wasn't expecting any surprises but he never fails to do a surprise gift on Christmas morning.

Aspens angry bird toy

an SR22 to be my concealed carry once I take the class 

After we finished our own little family Christmas gift opening, we went up to my parents for our traditional Christmas morning luncheon of egg's Benedict and Wassail and exchanged gifts. I got not only a new Dyson vacuum but also a wonderful jewelry box. Afterwards went to see Les Miserables. Honestly I was only semi impressed by the movie but maybe that's because I wasn't comfortable and I had to go to the bathroom twice. There were some wonderful moments but a lot of watch checking dullness as well.

 

 

 

Afterwards we hurried to the Smith's house and had Christmas dinner. I made my amazing Cherry Pie and we exchanged our white elephant gifts then watched Brave. I forgot to bring my camera to the Smith's, so I have no pictures of the Smith side darn it.

  Delicious looking huh?

Overall a wonderful day, and I surprised Jared with quite a few things we was not expecting at all including Black Ops 2 and some blue suede shoes. He's going to be the best looking date ever!

P.S. it's totally crazy to believe that this is Jared and I's FOURTH Christmas together! Where has time gone?

Wishing you and yours a Merry Little Christmas

Today is truly one of the most magical times of the year, not only because you get to watch little children's faces light up with absolute joy, but you get to see all the good that is done in the world because of the season. You also get to give gift to loved ones and those you care about.

But hopefully you haven't forgotten the true purpose of this special day, and the real thing we are celebrating. Happy celebration of Christ's birth. What gifts have you given him?

Merry Christmas from the Smith's

Say What?: holiday hazard

They're back!

Now that I'm just a working gal, and am done with classes on campus I decided I really wanted to bring back Say What? posts because I had so many people who got a lot out of them, just like I did. So say hello to the return of this Thursday treat! Given the time of year I really wanted to do a holiday applicable subject, and I feel like the most common hazard that many don't think about during the holidays-but they pay for after the parties-is food poisoning!

The real issue here is logistics of the food and how long it is in the 'danger zone', which is room temperature or anything below 160 degrees Fahrenheit. If your guests are bringing food and have to travel for more than two hours (bless their cotton socks cause I would never go that far for a holiday party) and their item is not kept hot the whole time, or their chilled item thaws to room temperature it will need to be reheated to at least 165 degrees to kill any bacteria that could have grown on the way. Likewise if the guests are two hours late to the party, their food can't be only kept in a 'warm' oven but needs to be reheated to 165 degrees or more. Also buffet style foods should NOT be kept out for more than an hour.

Any foods containing eggs need to be reheated to 165 degrees no matter how long they've been at room temperature to prevent salmonella, as well as turkey must be reheated to prevent Campylobacter, which is the most common source of bacterial diarrhea. Also make sure that if you actually cook your stuffing in the turkey to rinse it out prior to putting in the stuffing because bacteria can transfer into the stuffing and will then also need to be reheated if it falls into the danger zone for any amount of time. Plus cold stuffing is nasty. Happy holidays, and remember the goal is to not make family members sick with your food unless you really don't want to go or something like that...just kidding!

Don't the holidays just make you fat happy?

If you have any other questions or ideas for Say What? posts that you would like answered please email me at melissajoymills@gmail.com

Santa came early

with THE BEST gift ever to a woman whose lived in an apartment for far too long!  Jared and I both loathe doing the dishes, and its been a constant source of fighting since the day we said, 'I do' in regards to whose turn it is to do them. We actually even had a neighbor from our first couple months of marital life suggest we get a countertop dishwasher but we just waved her off. However after 2 and 1/2 years since we got married (crazy its actually been that long) and all that time having to do the dishes by hand, I finally said enough. After lots of research into countertop vs. portable dishwashers I found that the most reliable/liked/recommended machine was this beaut. It's even EnergyStar rated!

 

So as an early Christmas present from my parents+myself, I ordered it and yesterday it arrived in all its glory. I set it up today and did my first load. Let me tell you, I am in love! Complete and utter adoration for this machine that eliminates my time being spent in front of the sink.

 the boxing, almost as tall as my kitchen table!

Which Aspen of course made into a new play-toy immediately

So far absolutely no regrets, in fact I'm seriously wondering why we didn't listen to others advice and get one sooner. Either way now that I'm done with classes at BYU (only online courses to finish now) I'm basically just a workin' gal while Jared still has school PLUS work, which means by default I'm now responsible for all the chores. Let's be honest though, that's kind of how it was before....just kidding honey. Anyways, now I can concentrate on more important things and our dishes will actually be sanitized and squeaky clean. Thinking about getting one? It's definitely worth the money if you foresee apartment living for the next couple years!

Adi's tricks: it's nice to meet you

Maybe, if you bring me treats I'll be courteous enough to shake paws with you after I stop jumping up trying to lick your face. Maybe. Better be some good dog jerky. 

Christmas Year's Gone By

I've been harassing Jared with Christmas music since FM100 started their 24/7 Christmas song marathon and I have to tell the truth: I love this song!



Mainly because it totally reminds me of the completely unrealistic gifts I asked for when I was growing up. Pretty sure I asked for a horse one year, and another a robot. I'm quite sure my parents got a kick out of reading my letters to Santa.

Was there anything completely absurd that you asked for as a kid?

Clothes-aholic in reform?

I have to admit, whenever I see the hoarders shows on TV I think of my own closet. I can honestly say I have clothing from Junior High still in my closet because I emotionally can't part with them. People, that's from TEN YEARS ago! So can you imagine what all I have that's less than ten years old I have yet to get rid of that's taking up closet space. And with my job at Nordie's my closet is expanding even faster then I'd imagined. So it's probably not shocking when I tell you that I also had to take over half the laundry room to hang clothes since they won't fit in my closet anymore (in my defense we have a TINY bedroom closet). 

I'm not exactly positive why I have such a difficult time getting rid of old or out of date items, maybe it's the fact that trends reappear every twenty years or so and I'm hoping they might come back into fashion? Or maybe it's because when I was growing up my parents never wanted me to get rid of anything that still had some use left in it? Either way a D.I. run was necessary. I spent over three hours cleaning out and sorting into every corner and depth of my closet. And guys, it was pretty sad.

Adi and Aspen displaying just how large ONE bag was in real life size. Awesome models don't you think?

I'm pretty sure the D.I. guys were thinking I was moving or something based on how many clothes I was getting rid of. Or that I was just crazy. But either way now I have SOOO much more room for new (more in fashion) clothes that I actually like to wear. And I don't even have to use up my laundry room space anymore!

This is just ONE bag from my closet clean out

So, I hereby swear that clothes I do not wear at least once a year without shame* will be removed from my closet and sent where they will do more good than collecting dust.

Am I the only one with this hoarding of clothes issue? My husband thinks its just me, but I can't be alone in this right?

I am Melissa, and I am a clothes-aholic. And I probably will never reform based on where I work...


*i.e. worn in public confidentally

Adi does tricks

and she does them dang well. I figured it was time to show off my dog training skills again (Let's just say I could be renamed the dog whisperer, or something to that effect). Adi actually learned this trick almost a year ago, and it brings a smile to everyone's face. Mainly because she looks so innocent while doing it :)

Enjoy

My second dose of Ragnar

I just couldn't get enough, although you'd think by my last experience I talked about here that I'd never want to do it again. It was a lot of fun and I was very impressed by my physical endurance for this second Ragnar compared to my first.

Supporting a runner on his last leg with all the necessaries: water, gatorade and pictures

However, it will take A LOT for me to want to do another out of state Ragnar. It would honestly need to be somewhere that I'd fly to. The driving down to Vegas to drive around in a van for 36 hours to then drive back home was just way too much in one weekend.

But it was a blast with lots of new friends made, and I have some awesome medals on my wall now. If you haven't done a Ragnar and are looking into running in organized races I highly suggest running at least one for the experience. It's so much fun, and it's all about doing your best and getting encouragement from everyone-even people who aren't on your team.

My awesome van for Ragnar LV

Ragnar Las Vegas 2012: consider yourself conquered. But as for the dirty details, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

p.s. this is how awesome my van was...in between legs 1 and 2 we went to see the newly released James Bond Skyfall movie instead of sleeping. Yes, we were slightly insane.

a glimpse of the past

Anyone who knows me personally, knows I love old black and white movies, in my opinion the best entertainers were Louis, Bing, Cary, and Audrey. I often dream that I was born in the wrong era. But maybe not. I don't think I could deal with latrines and live without technology. But alas. This is going through my mind today as I walk to classes.

Adi and Aspen: you can teach old dog's new tricks

Mom taught me how to do this a while ago, I just really wanted to show grandma and grandpa what a good girl I am and that I can be calm...even if its never at their house. I can't help myself, those chucker birds are so fun to chase!

Maybe if you bring a good enough treat when you see me next I'll do my play dead trick. Maybe.

The snow has come

and I am so glad. This means I am can comfortably wear sweaters all day long, comfy shoes and boots. One of the few downfalls is the possible ice and therefore...falling on my behind. But since that hasn't happened yet, I am glad for the snow.

Since Aspen was born in April, this is her first snow! And boy did she like it. They played outside for hours. It was wonderful except for the dirty paw prints all over my newly cleaned kitchen floor.



And of course with all this snow all I needed was a nice steaming cup of hot cocoa. And only Stephens will do. Roasted Hazelnut is of course the best.

What did you do on this lovely snowy day? It wasn't quite enough for sledding or a snowman, but I look forward to that.

A little handbag love

Yesterday I had an incredibly busy full day of just cleaning and organizing. It appealed to my OCD tendencies that have been going crazy this past week or so because I've been unable to clean since I've only had time to work, go to school, and sleep. Midterms always equal a messy house. Has anyone else noticed that? Another reason why I can't wait to graduate, I won't have stressful school weeks that are ridiculous since all your professors decide to test you within a three to five day period of each other.

Along with seven loads of laundry to run through the washer, I had a couple additional from the week before that needed to be folded: making a grand total of about five heaping hampers needing to be put away. Plus a whole sinkful of dishes and a dirty floor that needed to be mopped, the chores list was almost unending. But I couldn't help but stick in a little project of organizing my purse.

I'm the worst about keeping my recipts, and things just magically gather in my purse that my husby fondly refers to as a 'Mary Poppins' bag. If I don't clean out my lovely Coach about every two or three weeks it gets so full I feel like I'm carrying around the kitchen sink. Lotions, pills, markers, pens, recipts (lots of them crumpled in the bottom), tampons, pads, lipstick, lipgloss, chapstick, a spoon (for yogurt of course), tons of free hairties and bobby pins, nickles and dimes, kleenex, baby wipes, and even an un-deposited paycheck! All these things rattled around my purse and made it an all out war to find my phone or keys when needed.

Before:

After seeing a nifty little to-do idea on Pinterest I went to the store and got travel size's of lotion, sanitizer, a nice small container of q-tips, and a mini size sanitary wipes package. Plus I went to the school supply section and got two pencil cases with zippers and a see-through front. In these two carriers separate papers, recipts, coupons, and those embarrassing tampons and pads into one. In the other put all the lip-wear, kleenex, baby wipes, hairties and bobby pins that you can easily find.

It is amazing how much space I now have, and how easily I can find exactly what I need like my keys or phone! Doesn't it just look pretty?

Any fun cleaning or organizing projects that were a new concept for you? I love organizing websites like this: I Heart Organizing.

p.s. you can see my Coach has given a good five years of service but a new one is definitely on my Christmas List and my Bucket List.

Utilities denial

We're good about having our rent in on time. Same with our car payment (of course we pay that to my parents but it's still a real bill). So why is it that it's like pulling out my hair, or selling a kidney to pay the utility bills? Yes, as one of my wifely duties I have taken it upon myself to manage our bill along with the dishes and laundry. Because I'm organized but also because if I left it to Jared the power would be shut off and our internet would stop working. Ok, maybe not. But it's pretty darn likely.

But when it comes to paying our power and gas bill I honestly wait till the last minute on the day it is due. I just can't bring myself to pay it early. Of course it doesn't really matter because either way we pay it now or we pay it a couple days before and we're never that close on money that we can't pay it etc. but I just emotionally...can't do it. How weird is that? I don't understand my own subconscious fear regarding it, maybe it's the procrastinator in me I just have to wait until the last minute for, "the thrill of it all" just like the movie 'He's just not that into you' suggests. Or is it more that dark scary feeling that comes from doing super adult things I'm still not used to?

Whatever it is, I definitely need to get over it because I don't want to risk having to spend a day in the dark...or cold. Any suggestions of how to get over my issue of denial?

p.s. check out how much we spent in July using our 'energy saving swamp cooler'. I think not! Stupid swamp cooler.

Merchandise breaks the Monotony

Don't you feel that increasingly more as an adult that each day starts to blend into the other. Especially working in retail because of working five days a week and the always working the weekend: my life tends to become rather monotonous.

Wanna know how I break the boredom (which really ISN'T boredom but pure constant busy-ness)? Great fashion finds like...

Ugg boots for $50 (regularly $250)

Joe's skinnies (I could live in these) $40 (regularly $80)

And a Tory Burch dress for a killer $45 (regularly $425)

And yes, I drive my husband nuts with my closet growth. And even worse I drive him insane by pointing out people-EVERYWHERE we go-wearing Nordstrom's clothing that I can guarantee I've put away at least three times each day. But my husband loves how all of his coworkers comment on how "hot" his wife is, and "how did you get a woman like her?" I think it definitely makes up for...everything...shopping wise.

p.s. doesn't shopping just make you feel happier about your day? Anything to make me feel better about my habits.

Brazilian review

actually turned out to be a good experience! I went with my best bud/roommate from college Sasha to a quaint little spa and salon in Murray area. Of course I was soooo nervous before because we'd both heard absolute horror stories about others experiences. So I think the start was more painful because I was tensed and anxious. But once I relaxed it honestly didn't hurt. Of course, this is coming from someone who has quite a high pain tolerance. So take that as you will.

Besides the painful aspect of it, most people who knew about my appointment were secondly worried about the privacy aspect of it. But anyone whose ever gone to an OBGYN for a pap smear or yearly checkup have had to be naked like that before and it isn't that bad. Plus as the girl who did mine said, "[they] see it all day, everyday and [they] don't care."

Honestly it was an experience I plan to repeat frequently. Because let's be honest, shaving down there is not a pleasant habit. Once you start you have to continue with quick return of hair, ingrown hairs, and razor burn. I think no longer!

p.s. If you ever see groupon's or living social deals GET IT. Best deal ever!

fashion frenzy

it's been forever and a day since I last updated on here, so here's a crash course a day in the life of the Smith's...

 

• we get woken up at seven-ish by the dogs for a potty call. Each day. Everyday.
• Jared has started work at Adobe as a security guard, which is really great for him! (hopefully a promotion to a manager by December-fingers crossed)
• I am working full time at Nordstrom Rack and LOVING it! Come see me anytime.
• Along with working a ton, I have been taking advantage of tons of great fashion finds so my closet space is definitely getting...limited.
• The dogs are growing and I have been able to officially cross off something on the Bucket List. Check it out!
• My laptop (sad MacBook I've had for four years) is about on its last leg honestly it's about to die. Mainly it's stopped uploading photos from my camera and phone. So that kinda explains the lack of posts because you can't have posts without photos right? Am I right or am I right?!

p.s. I'm getting a brazilian wax done with a friend in the next couple of weeks thanks to an awesome livingsocial deal and I'm kinda nervous. Any advice? tips? horror stories? Let me know.

p.p.s. in other good news my HerModernStitching etsy shop is really taking off. I have sold seven total which is quite a bit considering it's only been open for about a month now! If you want one, email me or here's my link on Etsy.

friday calls for A TOAST

to new hopes, new dreams, and recent memories. Here's to hoping that new products work, that it's a productive weekend, that the dogs figure out how to not wrestle and knock over my plants. Here's to praying that I can find the extra minutes I need to finish my Etsy orders, to finding the determination to go running each day this next week, and to actually get my homework done on time.

 

Happy Friday. Let's celebrate!

My very first personal business

except those childhood lemonade stands. But no, seriously, it's official! After weeks of having friends and coworkers trying to convince I should take my Infinity Scarf making to a higher level, I finally listened and...made my very own Etsy store! I'm actually really nervous/excited to hopefully get some clients and orders! As of right now I'm only doing 'made to order' items, but I intend to really concentrate of getting some basic items stocked up to be ready to send immediately.

Isn't my model Khrystalle just gorgeous?! A big thank you Khrystalle!

As I tried so carefully to explain this to the hubs, "these scarfs are THE fashion accessory must-have on everyone's list for the fall/winter time this year. AND these are better quality then anything you'll find at department stores, and unique to what you want." He just rolled his eyes and said, "whatever blows your dress up honey." Men just don't get it, but these would be something ideal for Christmas presents to loved wives/sisters/daughters...or maybe even yourself if you catch my drift. Every girl needs one and they don't break the bank. Please go check it out HERE! I'm totally stoked to have my own little project that I can do in my spare time that I actually love to do and can be beneficial for our family!

P.S. I made my own banner and everything. Whatcha think? Can you see yourself wearing one?

First day of my last semester

ever at BYU. I will graudate in December and walk in April. Craziness? Yes. But I'm warming up to the idea already as I know that even with only 8 credits this semester, it will be just as busy of a semester as a previous semesters when I was full time (15-16 credits).

And since the hubs and I carpool down to school and he woke up late (so did I) we didn't have time for fun right-outside-the-door pictures. We settled for them once we got to the UVU parking lot where I dropped him off.

December can't come fast enough. Then I can cross of another something from my Bucket List!

Worth vs. Cost

It's hard especially in a multimillion retailer world to find the best 'deal' out there. There are so many options. And of course it's extremely hard to say that one thing is right for everyone. But what is important is understanding the difference between cost and worth. So many people just want the cheapest thing. If they can buy it for less, then they are all for it. And I completely understand that, especially in a budget lifestyle and low end jobs, you have to be careful with your nickels and dimes.

However you also want to remember that it's not just about being conservative with your limited resources, it's how you invest it. For example for $40 over two years you could buy three pairs of $7 Old Navy sandals that look cheap, fall apart, and don't provide support; or you could buy one pair of Rainbow sandals, have stable flip-flops and good support that could last more than two years if they are well taken care of. Most people would prefer to get the three pairs of sandals because they feel the quantity is more important, not the quality. Yet again, it is different for everyone, but a good deal is where the quality is high enough and cost is low enough that they are equal to each other. I.e. the item is worth its cost.

It is surprising how many people have adjusted to the Wal-Mart mentality. They want the cheapest price, no matter the quality they are provided. So instead of investing in their products or the merchandise they purchase, they merely put a 'band-aid' over their needs, temporarily fixing the problem as cheaply as possible. And then when that item breaks they have to do it all over again, instead of just spending the extra amount at the initial time of purchase for the better quality item. They are sacrificing the worth of their items for something of 'the lowest' cost. Our parents however, knew and understood that to really stretch your dollar you buy things of good worth (where cost and quality meet) and take care of them. Not just by buying the cheapest thing available. It's an indication of the difference between ours and older generations.

We are so caught up in having the most of the lowest costing items, while they bought something of high quality and ensured it's long life by taking care of it. They were fixers, we are discarders. And that mentality is evident in almost all aspects of our society. We'd rather get divorced than fix our marriages, we'd rather replace our household items instead of fix them, we'd rather throw out clothing items with minor tears or holes instead of repair them, and we'd rather get surgery and liposuction to loose weight instead of exercising. We have become a society of lazy and 'just right now', instead of working for long term solutions and investing in our futures.

No wonder our society is so broken. We do not understand or appreciate the concept of worth in the items we purchase and unfortunately the market is following these habits. Developers want to know how to make things 'cheaper' while sacrificing quality. Workers want to know how to make their jobs easier so they don't have to work as hard. Mothers want to know how to do it all, keep in touch with all their media (blogging, fb, twitter, pinterest) and look great doing it while sacrificing all attention to their children. Don't be those people. Don't be those who want to sacrifice the minimum cost (time, attention, or effort) to get the most gain. Understand the relationship between cost and quality. You will be grateful you do in the long run.

Where will we be?

I feel like right now in our lives, we are in a transitional period. Both Jared and I just changed jobs recently (Jared more than me), and my bachelors is coming to a close (come faster April). We're at one of the many crossroads that are going to shape the rest of our lives. Is it time for children? Should we join the military? Should we move or stay in this apartment for a while longer? It is time for a drastic hair change? Wait, that last one doesn't qualify.

It's like choosing which college to go to all over again. Each big decision is going to have permanent effects on us in every dimension of our lives. Scary? Yes. Worried? Trying not to be. I know we'll be guided in our decisions, even if we don't necessarily ask or pray for that answer specifically. It's just now the waiting game. And if you know me at all, you know I loathe waiting. Once I make a decision to do something, I make it happen. And if it doesn't happen right away I lose interest. Bad habit? Yes. I'm working on it.

But as we play the waiting game, I can't help but wonder where we will be in our lives in just a short eight to nine months. Will our family grow? Will we join the military? Be in grad school? Will we even still be living in the state? It's so hard to mentally process what is next in store for us. All I've known for the past sixteen years is steady school. What will it be like to not have that obligation anymore?

I have a feeling it will be nice. Because we'll have more time to do this,

this,

and this.