Moving Heavy Stuff

I have always been so excited for moving in with a boy. You get married, go away to a tropical island for a week and then... my favorite part... Come back and move into your beautiful new home with all your cool new stuff.

Seriously hauling boxes, unloading stuff, painting, organizing all your stuff, his stuff and making it our stuff just sounds SO fun to me.

See Exhibit A below: Cute clothes. Big Smile. Both working hard :) FUN.

Well, well, well. D's lease ends at the end of August and he got his keys to the new pad yesterday. Spare room, deck, view, downtown, big kitchen, AWESOME location. Even thought we don't live together and I am not moving into this condo, this is still very exciting for me because I spend a lot of time at his place. So obviously, I was very excited to help him move...

So Friday Night.... Get off work, go for a run and head over to help unload the heavy stuff aka bed, couch, coffee table, desk, TV stand, TV. Piece of cake. I worked out every day this last week. I was ready ;)

See Exhibit B below: Smiling couple using the proper lifting technique and BOTH working together to move a big box.

This is how I envisioned us carrying stuff into the entry way. UMMMM. WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE? This is NOT real life. :)

OH. MY. FRICKIN. GOSH. This is maaaaaaaybe how our first trip looked for the first 15 seconds. Maybe. Probably not. I still haven't gotten used to the fact that I should always carry around my camera. I am now thanking God for not having documentation of this.

We took the bed first. Not my fault my arms aren't long enough to hold a queen size bed! But apparently that is my fault? After dropping it, ripping the mattress pad and dragging it through some leaves, we were barely speaking to each other. Also, I so graciously learned that I do not know "mover's lingo". When someone is screaming at you, "TUCK THE CORNER, TUCK THE CORNER?" what would you do? Apparently 'tuck the corner' means straighten out...? and hooooow am I suppose to know that?

The coffee table? He smacked the edge into my shin on accident?. I slammed the door on his face on purpose.

Couch? He decided it would be "better" if I just "guarded" the TV in the back of the truck while he lugged the couch inside? Brilliant idea to me. Not.

TV? We each carried an edge, but the cord was on my side. If I wasn't walking fast enough the cord would get stuck in the door when it shut. My lovely man informed me, "I know I am being mean, but I don't feel like you are performing to your potential..."????? Ummmmm. Sorry I can't sprint while carrying a HUGE TV. ugh.

By this time, we were speaking one word sentences to each other, COVERED in sweat, starving and had a HUGE mess in the condo. No longer was it fun.

It was the most un-glamorous, un-romantic,un -FUN thing I could EVER imagine doing.

I always envisioned moving in an organized, timely efficient manner.

See Exhibit C below: Organized, labeled boxes separated by room/area.

After I had unzipped a DUFFEL bag full of KITCHEN knives and almost cut my fingers off, Drew days, 'Oh yeah, be careful! That bag is full of knives!' Seriously dude? KNIVES in a duffel bag? Am I dating a serial killer? I was beginning to doubt our future at this point. I swear to God I was.

He was mad it took too long so all the restaurants he wanted to do to were closed. He says I should have told him I couldn't help as much as I thought carrying heavy stuff and we could have gotten other people to help.

I was mad that we didn't have music playing, Chinese takeout, beers open and unpacking like it was done in the movies.

We both got fooled by our expectations. :)

FIVE THINGS I LEARNED DURING OUR NIGHT OF MOVING:

1.) What is important to him... While everything else was just randomly thrown in boxes or duffel bags, his most important possessions were kept close. I actually hit his leg and noticed something hard. He had been carrying his TV remotes in his cargo shorts pockets all night... Priorities, right? ;)

2.) His XBOX 360Live "Gamer-ID tag"... Ya know, the username they use when they play video games against other real life people? His name? HylaFyler. When I asked what it meant, he told me that he wanted to have a username after some cool animals. All taken. Then. He tapped into his college biology degree background and remembered the official scientific name for a tree frog. Hyla. Flya because it is a jumping treefrog. HyLa.Flya. hahahaha. I was dying of laughter. Not only is my baby good at video games, he is nerdy too :)

3.) When things aren't going my way: I get whiny.

4. When things don't go his way, he gets short and snippy :)

5.) Cleaning supplies are important. Kleenex tissues with lotion aren't good for dusting. They get everything lotion-ey.

So we moved everything in, and then we started putting stuff away and organizing. Before I even knew it, I was laughing at something he was saying, and he was telling me what I great idea it was to put the dishes in the cabinet by the sink, instead of by the stove. I couldn't even remember why half an hour ago I literally was ready to sneak out and walk home!

Once we both realized that it was FINE that things weren't going how we were expecting them to go, things were still getting done. I didn't HAVE to be the strongest girl he ever met, and he didn't HAVE to be the the best packer I know.

So instead of Chinese food and beer on the patio for dinner, we had Cheetoh Puffs and a sandwich on the floor around midnight.

And it was one of the most fun times we have ever had together ;) (that being saiiiid... if we ever have to move in the future when we have acquired a LOT of stuff, I think we will splurge for professional movers. That, or a marriage counselor :)

Coin Toss

AniMEG

This is what bored older sisters with makeup will do to ya. :)

Mountain Biking, Anyone?

Whistler is known for it's mountain biking courses and there are always LOTS of mountain bikers whenever we go up. What we didn't know before we went up last weekend?

It just happened to be the weekend of the Crankworx 2011.

What is that you might ask? Because I certainly did when we checked into the hotel and there were signs everyone that said, "OFFICIAL HOTEL OF CRANKWORX 2011". There were also Kokanee beer signs EVERYWHERE. I mean I know Canadians like their brewskis but a village that is sponsored by Kokanee? I had no idea what to expect :)

Turns ouuuuut, Crankworx is a HUGE, HUGE mountain bike race/trick competition that is yep, sponsored by Kokanee. As in a kind local told us that on Saturday 15,000 people would swarm this little mountain to watch these amazing bikers. Well, then. :)

This pretty little mountain and it's trails and gondolas?

Full, full, full of mountain bikers. I have never seen so much FOX brand racing gear in my entire life.

ALLLLL weekend these bikers were EVERYWHERE. At the restaurants all sweaty and dirty enjoying a cold beer and some burgers. Rinsing off their MUDDY bikes wherever there was a hose. Walking their bikes back to the hotels, enough mud on their face to seriously need like 6 showers.

So where am I going with this? I felt SOOOOO depressed! Being around sooo many people that were so invested in something they LOVED and were GOOD at? I. was. so. jealous. My competitive juices were seriously FLOWING. The feeling of being in LOVE with a hobby, and being able to travel all over the world doing what you love?? AHH. I WANT THAT!

I seriously had to force myself from not staring at most of them. It just looked SO FUN! Getting to your hotel, getting your registration number, putting it on your bike. Carbo-loading (umm heck yeah! Pasta, anyone?) Getting all dirty and sweaty and just doing what you love.

Being up there, made my life at home seem so empty, so passionless. Wake up, go to work, complain, get on the elliptical, eat dinner. Repeat (exaggeration but you get the point?)

I continued to mop and imagine my life as Lindsay the "BMX biker babe" (I would probably go by BBB for short :) and my hot bike racing helmet and hot pink mountain bike while we tanned at the pool.

I think God got annoyed with my wishing to be someone else. Heck, I don't even like biking! Last summer I kinda got into biking and one day rode my bike to the public library (umm, is that not the nerdiest thing you have ever heard?) Anyways. On my way home up a hill, I totally crashed into blackberry bushes. On a main rode. At age 24. Ummm... embarrassing? So yes, of course I didn't want to be a mountain biker! All of a sudden I was thinking about all the things that were on my bucket list that I wanted to accomplish. What was I waiting for????

Okay so maybe I am not meant to be a professional mountain biker. Maybe I am not even meant to make 6 figures a year. With media, celebrities and our culture's OBSESSION with success, it is sooo easy to got sidetracked and feel like we are just not good enough. Why didn't I get blessed with a beautiful signing voice to try out for American Idol? Why aren't I 6 feet tall and a professional basketball player? Why couldn't I have invented the Post-It note? It just doesn't seem fair. My talents? My dad said I am extraordinary at painting. Not like water-color or acrylics. Like painting our house. The fence? Ohh my specialty :) Umm. Who in the world wants that talent?

Ya know what those stinky mountain bikers taught me? Each and every one of us has something that gets us up in the morning. Something that we think about before we go to bed. For these guys? It was flying 60 feet in the air and doing a back-flip. Maybe for you it's being a teacher. Or even being a better mommy to your little babes. A better wife. Maybe you are a great, loyal friend.

Trust me! It's sooo hard to find this. Some lucky people find their passion right out of high school. Others? Takes awhile. Did you know that Martha Stewart didn't start crafting until her thirties? Or that Suzy Oreman (money guru on Oprah) was a waitress well into her thirties???

It's not like tomorrow we will all wake up with a brilliant idea of our life calling, but just remember we are all talented... Some are just harder to discover than others, but so, so worth it :)

WHEN I STAND BEFORE GOD AT THE END OF MY LIFE, I HOPE THAT I WOULD NOT HAVE A SINGLE BIT OF TALENT LEFT, AND COULD SAY, "GOD, I USED EVERYTHING YOU GAVE ME."

~Erma Bombeck

3 Things Tuesday

1.) IT'S NOW!
Ok this is sooooo cool and I wish I could find a better picture but you get the point. It's a watch. and the middle says "IT'S and then instead of the numbers it says "NOW" all around the face of the watch. Sooo. When someone asks you what time it is or you glance down?
The time? It's Now.
This concept was invented by a monk who hired another monk from LA to design it for him because he believed in savoring every moment. So awesome. Such a great way to look at things. Easier said than done, I will be the first to admit.

2.) WATCH OUT WORLD, HERE I COME!

So you know how I have been trying to perfect my magnetic makeup board? Look at this idea!!!! Cookie sheets!!! Already magnetic and in a cute little shape. Where do these people come up with these ideas? Brilliant! I am going to combine these ideas... Watch out... I just might be able to magnetize every single thing I own before the end of the year ;)
3.) TREEHOUSE!

I am trying to find a publication of the magazine to share, but I just want to brag. Our tree house was featured in a magazine! My dad and grandpa built it for us when we were really little, but it recently was in a feature on treehouses in our local county magazine!!! Complete with a system to pull up a bucket and a trap-door, lots of fun times went on in that thing. From sleepovers with our dolls, to waterballon fights to sleepovers with boys??? hehe. just kidding mom and dad. every girl needs a treehouse ;) Anyways... Cool, huh? :)

Now, go do something FUN this last Tuesday of July :) <3 <3

Sprinkles

DESSERT is STRESSED spelled backwards!

So I saw this quote, and literally had to read it four times and yes i ever wrote out desserts backwards cuz I didn't believe it... I will save you the embarrassment. It is true.

Have a Pampered Chef Spritz cookie gun that you only bring out at Christmas to make cute little Spritz cookies but takes up precious room in your kitchen the other 360 days of the year? Well. Is it your lucky Monday or what?

Y'all know those cookies. So good. but the Christmas wreaths and snowflake cookies are always waaaay too small, and kinda hard? My precious auntie makes her Spritz cookies a little bit bigger, sandwiches some frosting between them and adds sprinkles. Delicious. Cute. and not Christmasy :) The picture doesn't do them justice. Put that Spritz cookie gun to use this summer!!!!!

I also just realized that after my little spiel about starting WeightWatchers my first post is about cookies and frosting? Yeah. I am one of those people. When I am trying to eat healthy I bake up a storm and try to shove it down other people's throats. I say it is a workout for my will-power :) My dad thinks it is just plain weird and mean. :)