Time Apart

Dave & I spent some time apart this weekend. It was probably the most amount of time we have spent apart in a really long time! It was a full Saturday apart....crazy! I know. We live on the edge.

I needed to go to San Antonio for some wedding things that Dave really did not need to help out with, picking colors for table cloths, napkins and centerpieces that will be used at our wedding reception. You see, Dave is color blind & Dave is also stubborn sometimes. He will insist that a color is a color, and will fail to admit that it may not necessarily be that color, and that he is in fact color blind. Like reds, he will often see them as brown. Greens are hard for him to tell sometimes, too. Blues he can see really well, and that is his favorite color and a main reason we are using blue as our main wedding color. Anyways, Dave being color blind is something that I really love about him, I don't know why, I think because it makes him different and it's fun sometimes to tell him, "noooo Dave that is purple, not orange."

Okay, well that was not the point of this blog, where was I. Oh, yes, time apart. My parents came to our house bright and early Saturday to pick me up and take me to San Antonio since I had asked my mom, sister and grandmother to accompany me. Dad did the driving and we all caught up on the way to San Antonio. We went to my 11 o'clock appointment with the venue man, then did lots of shopping and poking around. Watched the Little League World Series game, Mexico vs. Canada. Mexico won, of course. Had lunch at a Chinese Buffet! Yum! Seriously. Chinese buffets are my guilty pleasure. Half the time they aren't even that good really, but I think that every so often a Chinese buffet will be good enough that makes me what to try another. I did really well though and did not overly stuff my face. My mom, grandma, Sarah and cousin then went to Florisville to drop my cousin off at home and got to hang at my aunt and uncles a little bit. Then back to P-ville to my honey. I missed him, and I told him how much I missed him when I got home, and he said, "eh, it's the same as being away from each other for work, Monday-Friday." And I was like, "Oh, I guess you are right."

Sunday, Dave and I slept in!! Wooohooo. We never sleep in because we usually can't with Thor acting insane in the mornings like he ALWAYS does. He will run back and forth around the house, jumping on his couch, and then back off, and then jumping on our bed, and then jumping off when we yell "Thor OFF!" Well, Sunday, Dave threw Thor in the backyard around 5am (Thor's normal wake-up time), and it was heaven. We were able to sleep in until 7am!! We had to do our long run this morning, so we slowly took our time getting ready, sipping some coffee, stretching and putting on our sneakers. We didn't leave the house for our run until about 8am, when it really started to get too warm. We did approximately 5 miles and Thor about died. We had to take a route back that we knew would take us pass water so Thor could get a sip.

After we got home from our run, we got ready for the day, tidied up a little bit, then head for some shopping. We went to Toys R Us to Dave's nephew (our nephew :o) ), Reese, a gift for his first birthday, then to Ikea for some browsing, then we went and saw District 9 (blaaaah), then to the Copelands house for dinner and to drop off our gift for them to take to China. We had dinner at Texas Roadhouse (YUM!) with the Copelands and then Dave & I headed home. Our evening was nice and relaxing, just played with the pups, got ready for the week and then watched True Blood before heading to bed...

Life was really good.

Our running goal: 2.14.2010

Dave and I already have a date for our very first Valentine's Day together as a married couple.

We will be running the Austin Half Marathon on the morning of V-Day! So excited that we have decided to take this goal on together. I could not be happier than training weekly with my fiance. We started our 26-week training program on Tuesday of this week. We actually started 2 weeks early accidentally because Dave originally wanted us to run a race on January 30Th in Dallas, but we decided running more locally would be a better idea. (I hate sleeping in an unfamiliar bed the day before a race.) The extra two weeks for training will actually work out really well because for about 2 weeks in January we will be so consumed with the wedding events and the honeymoon.

Right now the training is jogs on Tuesdays and Thursdays, cross training on Fridays, and long runs on Saturday morning, light jog/walk on Sundays. Monday and Wednesday will be our rest days. We have been getting up at 5:00 am to do our jogs and then tomorrow we may sleep in till 5:30 for our long run, which will be 3 miles for our first long run. This program seems to be really good and a nice gradual start for both Dave and I. Right now I would say that we are starting out somewhat in shape. We are both pretty active and were working out regularly about a month ago, but have slacked off since then. I hope that we can really stick to this and that my ankles and Dave's knees hold out for the training. I keep reminding us that the key is to really really gradually build up to avoid injury and burn out and naturally get stronger. The peak run in this program is 11 miles with about 3 8 mile runs total, and a bunch of 5-7 mile runs.

Totally do able. Click here if you are interested in checking out the link to the marathon we are planning on running. There is also a cool countdown on that website counting down till the race.

155 days till I'm Mrs. Amanda Marie Copeland!!!
190 days till we run the Austin Marathon!!!

We are skipping our cross training today (I know I know, skipping a work out on the first week!) because are going to the batting cages to get ready for our next softball game on Monday! I'm not even sure if I've even mentioned in this blog that Dave and joined a softball league! We have been playing with the Austin Heat for the past month and it has been so much fun! It is a ten week season, 8 games, and we have played 3 games so far with one bye week. We haven't won a game yet, and we haven't just lost all of our games, we have gotten MURDERED. I can honestly say that I have matured a lot because I have not taken our lost badly because 1)our team really is not great, 2) I'm having that much fun. In high school and just naturally in life, I'm competitive to a fault. I know that it originates from the competitiveness that I have always had with my brother and transpired into a lot of aspects of my life.

That Is Life

I'm trying to be a better blogger, I really am. Right now everything is just kinda jumbled up. We are technically still living out of two places. We sleep and live out of the new house, however we still have a lot of our utilities at the old apartment: washer, dryer, TV, Internet & mail. We stop over there at least once a day to check the mail and maybe do some laundry but I have not been getting online from home at all.

This blog is being written at work, while on my lunch hour of course.

So life has been rather stressful lately, more so than normal, but still manageable. The move has really taken us out of our normal routine and tested our time management skills. Additionally things just keep popping up that need to be dealt with or paid for. As in every move it can get expensive, but add a vet bill for a visit and a surgery on top of that, as well as a brake and blinker light that needs to be fixed (which may not be covered under warranty for some really dumb reason) and a ticket for turning right on red downtown...There have also been some little quirks with the house that have forced me to take some time off of work and deal with. Once the water was turned on we discovered the shower and the toilet in the master bedroom weren't working so that had to be fixed, and the water that was coming out of all of the pipes was soooo stagnant that any time all of the faucets ran the house filled with a sulphur smell. yummy! we ran all of the pipes at once for a while, opened all of the windows and doors and just dealt with the smell till the water heater and all of the pipes were clean.

Lately, it just seems as though if it's not one thing, it is another and D and I just cannot get ahead no matter how hard we try. I have been in a really poopy mood to Dave lately and he has been wonderful. He knows all to well at what times of the month he is allowed to joke with me and when to leave me alone (TMI? possibly, but that is life). He is also really good at reminding me that sometime That Is Life. Things Happen. Things often happen that are out of my control that make feel out of control. No matter how much I complain, I know that D and I are oh so very blessed and in the end the material things really don't matter. I also know that everything is a test for us right now with our first home together. These little trials and tribulations are just quizzes for our next step when we eventually become home owners and not just renters.

Side note about the house: The neighbors that we have met so far have been really cool! (with the exception of one odd one next door with 4 dogs who love to bark at 3a.m.) We have met the guy who lives right next door with his sister. He has created a real MAN CAVE out of the garage and works mornings. Every evening when we have been getting home from work their garage door is open and he is just hanging out on the couch in the garage that is also equipped with a weight bench, full-sized fridge, TV, couple of chairs and i think a dart board. I haven't met the sister yet. Then we met our neighbor about 2 houses down, and one that lives across the street.

Tonight we are finally moving the TV to the house because the cable and internet guy is coming on Saturday. The exterminator is also coming on Saturday and an appliance man to fix our fridge....busy day, I know.

Wedding planning update: booked and met with and signed contract for the DJ. Seemed like a really cool guy. My mom did 100% of the leg work getting this guy and I was really glad with how it worked out. The next thing on our lists of to-dos is a florist as well as meeting with the wedding coordinator of our venue to get the tablecloths and center pieces picked. Theses two tasks, much to D's relief, will definately be a girl thing and I hope mom, mama, and sister will be around. All four BM's dresses have been ordered...D is scoping out tux places for the guys. Some upcoming DIY's (Do It Yourself's): Invitations, card box, favors, flower girl ball, pillow, unity candle...and more that I am forgetting for sure.

The Art of a Good Marriage

I came across this passage today from a bride on theknot.com who is planning on using it during her wedding ceremony and I really like it. I don't want to use it for our ceremony because we are going to be doing more of a traditional ceremony, with possibly one exception which I don't really plan on revealing till the Big Day. Any how, I thought this was nice and reflective. I wish that I could say Dave and I practice ALL of these things, but we still have much growing to do as a couple and will just keep working at getting better towards the goal of preparing for a strong marriage. One thing that I have learned about us is that sometimes it is okay to go to bed slightly mad. I tend to get over my angry feelings better after a good night's rest and I'm able to talk about what is making me mad once I become more rational. Well enjoy:

Happiness in marriage is not something that just happens.

A good marriage must be created.

In marriage the little things are the big things.

It is never being too old to hold hands.

It is remembering to say "I love you" at least once a day.

It is never going to sleep angry.

It is at no time taking the other for granted;

the courtship should not end with the honeymoon,

it should continue through the years.

It is having a mutual sense of values and common objectives.

It is standing together facing the world.

It is forming a circle of love that gathers the whole family.

It is doing things for each other,

not in the attitude of duty or sacrifice, but in the spirit of joy.

It is speaking words of appreciation and demonstrating gratitude in thoughtful ways.

It is not looking for perfection in each other.

It is cultivating flexibility, patience,understanding and a sense of humor.

It is having the capacity to forgive and forget.

It is giving each other an atmosphere in which each can grow old.

It is a common search for the good and the beautiful.

It is establishing a relationship in which the independence is equal,

dependence is mutual and the obligation is reciprocal.

It is not only marrying the right partner, it is being the right partner.

- Wilferd Arlan Petersen

moving starts now.

today is the first day of a bunch of days that we will be moving! we get our keys today at 2pm and get to start paying rent and moving in :o). our lease does not end at our apartment till august 11 so we have an overlap of time that we can slowly begin setting up. however, i just found out that dave rented a uhaul over the weekend so it looks like we are going to try and get a majority of the work done this weekend! yaaaay. i am so ready to get out of this apartment, we just need more room and a yard. We have been living in 920 sq. ft. for the past 15 months and now we will have just over 1,300 square feet....woooohooo. 3 bedroom, 2 full baths, 2 car garage, fireplace (in central texas??? i know.) and a privay fenced in yard for Thor!!!! now we are only renting so i can't get too excited about decorating things and making it our own, but i am pretty excited about being able to do up our room and the guest room.

the best thing about getting out of our apartment ASAP is that we will have time to make the apartment like new again. it is going to take some SERIOUS work....in retrospect, we should have done some things differently in this apartment that primarily surround raising Thor. i use to hate locking him up for long days in the kennel so we would gate him in the kitchen...well he ate all of the molding there and has destoyed a cabinet door and our laundry room door, and our bathroom door (not in the kitchen area and a different incident.) we also have to repaint the accent wall in our living room that we painted sea green....and we need to fill a BUNCH of holes that Dave and JonO have drilled into the walls when setting up the surround sound. and then there is the carpet. which was brand new berber carpet, but not the high quality type that doesn't shed, and clogged up our vacuum after just 2-3 strokes everytime we vacuumed. it even continues to shed like that to this day, 15 months and tons of vacuuming later. so there are lots of little projects that we need to work on to hopefully not owe the apartment anymore money!

i also need to prepare the new house for is to move into it. the bathrooms and counters need to be cleaned and i want to vacuum everything before we start putting furniture down...so that is our plans for our busy weekend. yipeeee. i plan on taking pictures today before we start putting things in the house that i can hopefully upload here.

on a sad note, hardin has a growth on his foot that looks very much like a big blister...its disgusting and it's causing him to limp. a lot. i have an appointment scheduled for him at 2:20 today to hopefully get it taken care of...which reminds me i need to find his leash.

20 Things Every Girl Should Do Before Marry

My absolute favorite morning show ever is on vacation right now so they are just running "Best Of..." clips. Because of this I was forced to listen to Mix 94.7, The JB & Sandy Morning Show, which honestly isn't really that bad either. I mainly don't like them as much because 1) it is primarily ran by two guys so it has a more manly vibe, 2) they are generally more conservative and judgmental, 3) the two guys are a little bit older (not that i don't LOVE older guys, but their age annoyingly shows) and 4) i just really like (LOVE) the Bobby Bones Morning Show.

So anyways, I had to drive to Lockhart today for a work-related errand and was in the car to listen. They did a list over the air about things that a woman should do or accomplish before she gets married. I thought it was neat and I was later able to find it on one of hosts' blogs. So here is what that list had to say as well as some of my commentary as well (where appropriate because my mother reads this!) ;o).

1. Live by herself for at least a year.
Nope, and no thank you.

2. Live with someone else for at least a year.
I've had 3 roommates before D and I started shacking up.

3. Recover from a broken heart.
Check.

4. Have a vacation fling.
I kinda dated a boy I traveled to Mexico with, if that counts. I wasn't technically on vacation.

5. Take a road-trip with a group of girlfriends.
Check! South Padre '06 13 of us convoyed there andd stayed at a rental house.

6. Relish sleeping in a queen-sized bed by herself.
I've relished sleeping in a full-sized bed by myself.

7. Get her finances in order.
Working on it.

8. Learn to love her body.
Check. Luckily, I've never had major body issues. It has always been my wonderland (per John Mayer).

9. Have a relationship with at least one person she’d never want to marry (or introduce to mom).
Um...not really.

10. Find reliable birth control.
It has worked so far! (knock on wood.)

11. Pay off as much credit card debt and student loans as possible.
Monthly.

12. Spend way too much on a something frivolous.
Does a pet count? Lol. I have too much buyers remorse to splurge too much.

13. Exorcise all past relationship demons.
For the most part, yes.

14. Travel somewhere exotic.
Tampico & Hawaii, lots of non-exotic travels elsewhere too.

15. Establish a strong circle of friends.
Yes, I feel like I have a few forever-friends and then my family also.

16. Forgive her parents for not being perfect.
My parents weren't perfect?? I don't really have any mommy or daddy issues, so: check.

17. Have at least one night she can’t quite remember.
Check.

18. Experience some really bad first dates.
I never really dated like that. Relationships just tended to evolve.

19. Find hobbies that fulfill her.
Running, shopping, hiking, outdoors stuff.

20. Celebrate her 25th birthday.
That's stupid.

wedding on my brain

seems like everything i think about and focus on, and get distracted by pertains to the wedding. whew....i admire those who have long engagements, there is no way i could be this distracted for that long. 180 days more. that still feels like a long time, however we have a couple events coming up that will provide a little break from the wedding planning.

Saturday and Sunday coming up Dave and I are going to go to Oklahoma City and meet my parents there for a mini weekend getaway. we are planning on watching a USA Women's Softball Tourney and doing some sightseeing, possibly having dinner with some of Dave's college buddies and swimming. it's Monday and I'm already looking forward to the weekend. (story of my life).

this past weekend was very productive and exhausting as always. early Saturday morning Dave i loaded up Thor and headed to San Antonio. we had an appointment with our possible photographer at our wedding ceremony location and then we had an appointment at our reception site venue to show my mom and grandmother (and aunt and uncle and 4 cousins, and sister).

the thing about my family, which i would never trade for the world, is we have a habit of making most events a "Mexican field trip". my grandmothers house is usually bursting at the seams on the weekends and when going places almost always everyone tags along. it is so much fun! one of the great things about this weekend was we were able to show one of our ring bearers, Adan, and flower girl, Kelsi, where they would be walking in the church. i think it helped to easy a little of their anxiety about my wedding. that and i have had to bribe both Adan and Kelsi with 5 bucks :o). later after we dropped off the guys we went and did a little shopping for the flower girls dresses...and found them! perfect. check.

Saturday evening about 16 of us went for dinner at little red barn in San Antonio. we took both sets of grandparents and it was good to see everyone. Dave and i didn't plan to stay the night in San Antonio, but it got late after we got back from dinner. it was a better idea to get some sleep rather than face driving through Austin on a Saturday night.

Sunday once we got back to the apartment we were beat so we did some of our obligatory running around. dog food, groceries, best buy. and then went home to get some down time in before the week start. laundry, dishes and tidying up got done and then we were able to watch the 2ND disc of True Blood.

once Dave and I get back from Oklahoma city we must start packing and getting ready for the move into our new house. new to us, and not quite ours, but nonetheless exciting. the thing about the house that many people may not understand is the relief it will be for us as owners of a huge puppy dog. Thor requires a lot of work, a lot more work than i have ever had to do for the poodles that i have owned. i also think that i am very determined on raising him to the best of my ability because of his breed and for the reason that eventually Dave and i would like to introduce babies to our household. a rottweiler is such a wonderful animal, if raised responsibly. i am very lucky that Dave knows how to discipline him and train him, however, i am the one who tends to his exercising needs. once we have that fenced in yard in a couple of weeks my life will become 20times easier. i won't have to wake up at 5:30 am any more to take him for walks and runs. i can just throw him in the backyard! we also won't have to go to the dog park nearly as much because of the yard. i still would like to go to the dog park at least once a week to continue to socialize him.

Dave and i recently joined a recreational softball league and tonight is our first game! I'm beyond excited! i played rec league for 3 seasons while in college, but i did not play my senior year and did not play while i was in grad school. i looked around for leagues, but nothing would ever work with my schedule. we have just fallen into a routine because we are both done with school, and with our jobs and a friend asked us to join. it seemed perfect and tonight is the first game. our season is 10 weeks long and we play 8 games during this time, every Monday. i think i may be playing second base which should be fun! i am usually on the left side of the field somewhere, however i get hesitant to play there when playing coed. (this fear originates from getting popped in the collarbone by Ryan when i was pitching to him in high school). i think our team's name is Austin Heat....wish us luck!