a thousand years

When Matt heard me listening to this song the other day he just started laughing. I'm not sure why...? Because Twilight is freaking awesome. I mean, what greater love is there than Edward and Bella?

You guessed it. Sarcasm.

I was such a huge fan of all the Twilight books but once Kristen and Robert embodied my once favorite vampire-mortal couple...my fan-ism died. Seriously. I had such high hopes for them. And then their awful acting, lacking budget, and badly written scripts totally killed it.

But that doesn't change the fact that Matthew and I have gone to see every single movie in the theaters. And it doesn't change the fact that at the end of the last one, when they played this song, I teared up.

I totally did. And Matthew and I sat there holding hands, looking with big lovey doe-eyes at each other. It was like watching my high school graduation video or something. And the words of the song really hit me. Sometimes, I forget what eternity means. And it takes a cheesy song from Twilight to remind me. It means waking up when I'm 99 years old and wrinkly and fat and seeing those same big, dark blue eyes, that same big smile I've fallen in love with so many times. It means when I'm laying on my death bed, holding the love of my life's hand, I don't have to be afraid because I know I'll see him again and we'll continue on loving and laughing in a whole new world.

I will never have to go a day without Matthew by my side and so even though this song is tied with such a horrible movie like Twilight, that's okay. I still love it anyway. I still even love Twilight.

welcome to your new home!

It has 2 bedroom and 1 bath. The carpets are purple. The counters are crumbling and stained. The windows are not double paned, nor sealed. The tub is sure to get you more dirty than clean. The heater only works in the living room. There is no air conditioning. The yard is in shambles. The garage is Shelobs lier and if you walk on the balcony above the master bedroom, it will cave in on you.

And for only $2,700 a month (utilities not included: gas, water, electric, trash, internet, cable) you can call this craftsman cottage home sweet home! 

Do you want an application?

O_O 

Yeah. That was Husbands response too. 

No, nice man. We don't want an application. But we'll kindly take one just to make it less obvious that we were not impressed and will not be pursuing your "craftsman cottage." Thank you for wishing us luck on our search though, we'll need it, but I have a feeling not as much as you.

california

Today is the 2 year anniversary of when Husband and I crammed all our belongings into a huge Uhaul truck and headed West. AKA: moved to California. I can't even believe it's been that long. When I think about it, it feels so much longer than 2 years, and at the same time, like there's no way possible that it's been 2 years already. Sawyer has spent the majority of his life in this house, in California. We've had more Christmas's in this house, than any other house. 

So, as a way to acknowledge that the home, this home, that I thought would just be a jumping point for us and we wouldn't be here longer than 12 months... has really become more permanent than we both ever suspected, I (no this sentence isn't over yet) present you with a list.

Yes, a list. Of all the things that I've had to adjust to since moving to good ol' California.

1. Spiders - Never thought it was possible. But when I use to see a spider I'd scream bloody murder and run for my life. Where as now, I see a spider, gasp, but I'm able to calmly communicate to Husband there is an impostor in our house that needs to die STAT.

2. Dust - With no central air conditioning it didn't take long for me to realize my once weekly dusting really needed to be 5x a day dusting. I could dust, and dust, and dust some more and within an hour my beautiful black furniture will have gathered those lovely white little particles I've grown to love oh-so-much. Not really. I don't really love dust.

3. Beach bums - The homeless really, in all their glory. And not just the kind that scream and curse and carry on full conversations with themselves. But the kids of rich parents that just want to hang out in public areas and beg for money. Well, they don't always beg, sometimes they taunt and chase you if you can't find your giving nature so quickly.

4. Fleas - Yup. I never knew this about California but they have a huge flea problem. And not just the kind that get on your dog, but sand fleas too. Fleas that attach to you, bite you, come home with you and then have little flea babies. It's cute really...again, not really. Poor Sawyer has had the worst of it, no medicine seems to repel every single flea out there. And, unfortunately for Husband (who attracts fleas like a dog) there isn't medicine for him at all.

5. No AC - At least in this part of the state, any-who. I haven't quite fully adjusted to this actually. Every summer/fall I dread the heat wave that inevitably comes. That keeps me up at night, tossing and turning and slowly stripping off articles of clothing piece by piece. I still can't help but laugh every time someone says, "You don't need AC in SB! It doesn't get hot enough."
To them I say: "Sir or Madam, the wet spots under my arms detest that statement, as does the droplets of sweat gathering across my forehead, as does the thermometer which reads 80-95 degrees with humidity." But here I am. Another summer coming and Husband and I have started looking at portable AC units. So, yeah, I'd say I've somewhat adjusted, at least my expectations. Maybe one day I'll be delusional enough myself to say SB doesn't need AC...but then again, look at the length of this paragraph in comparison to the others.

6. Beach life - I live a good 3 min walk to the beach. And when I say beach, I mean sand between my toes, waves crashing on my feet, beach. Which means I also have the pleasure of listening to the sound of waves crashing when I sleep, or when I walk out my front door, or when I open a window. I've completely adjusted to leaving my windows open all year round.

7. Beach hair - I wont pretend like I've ever been that girl to have the perfect hair. In high school I use to try a lot harder. But now...it's not that I've gotten lazier but that my taste has changed and I just find the natural look more appealing. So the laid back, California waves has been awesome! The fact that I can let my hair air dry, in all it's natural frizzy glory, is just the bomb. (...sometimes it's annoying when I want to get dressed up but the humidity has other plans. Also, the wind hates fancy hair. They work together to insure all the time you spent making your hair fancy will, indeed, go wasted.)

8. The Habit - Is it sad that a restaurant/fast food place is on my list? It's delicious! The burgers are like $3.00 and you don't leave feeling greasy and disgusting after. It's like a legit home cooked burger. Plus their onion rings, forget about it! They're mighty tasty. Even their chicken salads are so good and filling. If we ever run out of food and don't want to go grocery shopping, Habit is our go-to spot. I love it. And when we move, I will miss it.

9. Dog friendly - I've noticed you can get away with taking your dog anywhere in this city. Nordstroms? No biggy. Dinner? Grab a table outside. So many businesses and people are so warm and friendly to pets here. I love it! It means so much to me knowing I can bring Sawyer with me and that 99% of the time we'll run into at least 1 or 2 shop owners that have a doggy water dish and treats for him. Plus, it makes him feel pretty special too.

10. Vacation central - It's so close to Disneyland, 6 Flags, Sea World, Catalina, an airport 20 min away, even skiing and snowboarding are available. You may have noticed on the blog, but Husband and I have gotten a traveling bug this year. It's like we've just realized we have all these fun and amazing experiences right at our fingertips! And we're ready to start taking full advantage of them.

So basically you can see it's like any relationship; a little give and a little take. But I've been on a mission to make our time here the most enjoyable it can be. It's not always easy, but I find the work it takes, is every little bit worth it.

if your husbands an entrepreneur part 2

Just incase the first post didn't capture it...

If your husbands an entrepreneur part 2:

You've probably spent days playing and messing around when Husband has no work to do, and don't mind one bit.

You've also probably had days where you have to pry his laptop away, hide his phone, and force him to quit working so he'll eat, sleep and bathe. 

You've probably taken vacations you can't afford and people have probably looked at you like you're insane for it.

You probably have piles of "How to Grow Your Business" books and articles that people give you because it made them, "think of you."

You're budget is probably changing constantly depending on the month.

You've probably had people ask for favors and free service. 

Which probably led to an awkward conversation you hoped never to have.

You probably have hopes, goals and dreams that most people roll their eyes at, because they haven't seen your Husbands potential. They haven't seen what he's capable of and how hard his passion can drive him. 

You probably get to choose the city and state you live in. (And if you did, could you help a sister out and tell me how you were able to choose? Thanks!)

You might get to travel more frequently, depending on Husbands schedule, because he can work from anywhere.

soybean

When Husband and I first got Sawyer someone asked me, "So, have you guys decided how much you'll spend on him before you get rid of him? Like if he gets sick or something?"

Longest pause of my life.

I know not everyone is a dog or cat or pet person, but seriously? How could you put a price on a living creature that you love so so much? That's a part of your family just as much as you are? Especially one as cute as this??

 I literally love him like my own child. Well, not having had an ACTUAL child that I birthed to compare with, I love him as much as I know how. Husband and I were watching a movie where a girl is kidnapped and the parents have to pay the ransom. Being the emotional bawl bag that I am, I was tearing up and Matt, being the sweety that he is, noticed and paused the movie to find out why I was getting so upset. 

We had the following conversation:

Matt: Baby! What's wrong??

Me: *sniffling* What if someone kidnapped Sawyer? 

Matt: Then we'd get him back!

Me: *tears trickling down my cheeks* How much would we pay to get him back?

Matt: I don't think there's a limit.

Me: *relieved* Really? Because I would pay anything!

Matt: Of course. I don't think we could just not try to get him back. Ya know? He's a part of our family. 

And as I write this, he is walking in circles in his bed, kicking and nudging his blanket trying to make the biggest and fluffiest nest he can. He's been doing this for a full 3 min now and I'm just dying inside of his cute and sillyness. He has brought me so much joy and happiness. His little personality is perfect in every way, and I realize he's a dog and not human, but I love him, and he loves me.

Because I am his Mama and he is my puppy child.