It's still hot here

It's practically November and it's still hot here. How is that possible? Tom and I have discussed the possibility of moving to Phoenix. We'd be near family, palm trees and the housing is inexpensive. Probably has something to do with the fact that it is in the middle of the desert and ALWAYS hot. Sigh. If you know of the perfect location for the Martins please let me know. Really, open to suggestions!

We're allowed to decorate for Halloween at the office. Like, go all out kind of decorating. It's a bit difficult to get to my cube. I promise to post pictures soon---we're still adding to the gaudiness but I think it will be completed soon.

The in-laws arrive on Thursday and we are spending the weekend in San Antonio. I love San Antonio so I'm super excited for this. I want to walk the river walk with a beer-rita and eat yummy food while exploring the haunted areas around town.

...ok everything else I want to write is really lame. You don't need to hear about me re-watching Gilmore Girls or anything like that.

I'll post pictures soon!

28! Let's Celebrate!

27 was a year of highs and lows. The highs? Tom and I got engaged and married. I got a job with the state and we moved into an apartment I really like. My cousin and some friends I love dearly are pregnant or just gave birth. The lows? My brother's accident, my mom's heart attack and the bed bug fiasco. I know life is a balancing act. I hope this year brings love, health. happiness and good times.

Today I have to work but Carissa brought me all this good stuff and coffee. Have I mentioned my recent coffee addiction. It's getting pretty bad. Tonight Tom and I are going to the Melting Pot. I've never been but I'm really looking forward to it. I'm also super curious to see what Tom got me. I won't know until tonight. I completely suck at surprises. Man this cake is crazy tempting.

Tom had cookies, ice cream and chocolate milk delivered to work. Am I married to the best guy or what??

1. Go to Mt. Rushmore with friends. Seeing Lincoln in stone seems like a great idea. *I'm taking this off the list. I've been there when I was young and now that I live in Texas its a long commute.
2. Fall in love and have him feel the same way about me.
3. Be a better friend. Celebrate all the Birthdays and be up for anything!
4. Go to Chicago in the Spring with Cindy
5. Ski the Rocky Mountains
6. Learn to drive stick shift
7. Expand my taste in wine
8. Pay off my car
9. Lose 20 pounds I may have gained some of it back...
10. Teach Hermione a trick
11. Go to a Bronco's game
12. Go to one of my favorite band's concerts --I'm doing this next month!
13. Get a passport--I'm getting this in December
14. Freshen up on Sign Language
15. Hang out with my mom
16. Make more money
17. Watch basketball again and love it like I used to
18. Try whitewater rafting
19. Dance in the rain
20. Lay under the stars with a bottle of wine and good company
21. Go camping
22. Step outside my comfort zone at least once a month
23. Memorize a Zumba dance
24. Drive until it stops scaring me.
25. Figure out what role I want politics to play in my life
26. Do what my mom did. ---I got engaged. Which is what I was talking about. I also got married. Cheers to short engagements!

Let's update the list
1. Go to at least two new cities.
2. Start to figure out where Tom and I want to live.
3. Travel outside of the country.
4. Keep in better touch with my friends in different cities. I miss ya'll.
5. Try to enjoy the taste of spicy food. I'm slowly improving.
6. Pay off at least 50% of my student loans. Long term goal: pay off my student loans by age 30.
7. Make a budget and stick to said budget.
8. Go back to New Orleans
9. Seriously, consider purchasing a house. Maybe a detailed pro/con list?
10.  Be better about celebrating my friends' Birthdays
11. Be challenged at work-find the best fit for what I want to do for a career. How long do I have to figure that all out?
12. Make a baby timeline. Is this something people can even plan for? We want one but we are not sure when it will be best for our family.
13.  Read at least one book at month.
14.  Start accumulating frequent flyer miles
15. Get to know my sister in-law better. This is challenging because she lives in Chicago and I am in Dallas.
16. Go on a honeymoon
17.  Improve my cooking skills
18. Continue building upon Martin family traditions.
19. Learn to sew
 
...ok I know I'm 28 and I'm supposed to come up with 28 goals but I'm at a lost. Maybe that's a good sign??? If I can come up with more I'll happily add them.

Aging is not something we should be ashamed of -- it's something to celebrate. Because living is an honor. Because time is a gift.

Birthday Week

Birthdays are less fun the older I get. What's up with that?

This month has been/is going to be busy. My mom was here last week for a few days. We went to a concert but spent most of the time just hanging out. It was really good to see her. Sometimes, living away from family is hard.  We have a couple of weeks before Tom's parents arrive...for a 10 day visit... 

Other than that October has been hot. We had a few days of normal autumn temperatures but now it is back to the 90s. Insufferable. Sometimes, I hate Texas. Sometimes, I'm rational and try to understand the benefits of living here ( not always an easy task). We've considered moving but that leads to a whole lot of questions we don't have the answers to. Where would we move? Do we want to live somewhere with a lot of snow? Do we want to live in a big city with public transit so I don't have to drive--is that a good environment to raise children? What part of the country? This is tricky. My family is in Ohio and Tom's family is in Arizona. Regardless of where we move we are moving further away from one side of the family. Tom has a good job here too---which is hard to leave unless he has another job lined up somewhere else.

While we are here we are making the most out of the Texas heat. We've decorated and painted pumpkins. I have an obsession with with Bath & Body Works' candles so at least our apartment smells like autumn. We are going to to go the Texas State Fair this weekend to eat fried everything.  We are considering another trip to New Orleans in the near future.

Question, is EVERYONE having a baby right now?? I think the answer to that is yes. My cousin Kasi is having a little boy in April. My friend Danielle is having a little boy is March then I have other friends from Denver, high school and college all having little babies. SO MANY BABIES!

Can we discuss Ebloa? Or are we over it? It's all anyone is talking about here. The entire situation makes me mad. Is that a normal response?? Who the hell jumps on an airline during the 21 day incubation period??? Why were they treating people when they clearly weren't equipped to handle the situation. I hope they are all okay....its just a scary situation.