When I started this blog, I certainly wasn't intending to wait months between posts....and yet, here we are!
Because it's been so long, I suppose I need to go ahead and get the 'catching up' out of the way.
Things are pretty average and chill for us, which is always good! The kiddo has been doing super well in school and can't wait for summer vacation to start in a few weeks. [**sigh** oh, how I miss having a summer vacation...]
Now that Spring is well under way, the hubby has started back with his lawn maintenance business! [It's his second job, and man, it keeps him busy!] He's picked up several new clients this year, which means a loooootttt more work for him....I'm super proud of him, though!
**ponders**
Now that I think about it, I don't guess there's really all that much to update on...such a huge difference this year in comparison to the wedding planning chaos of last year!
Alrighty. I will try my absolute best to post again soon. Have an awesome weekend!
As promised, here's the second-half of my previous post!
World of Warcraft
My character is 'Aertimys'...the little graph shows how much
damage everyone did during a raid boss fight...check me out
at the top of the chart!
Of course, my 'go to' game is still World of Warcraft! Although I don't spend a whole bunch of time gaming anymore [not like my college days haha], WoW still gets more time than any other game.
Currently, there isn't a ton of new content available...but there's always lots to do with this game. Right now, my biggest focus is on raising my main character's item level [getting better gear] so that I can be quasi-capable of keeping up with my guildies. [A guild is a group of people that play together in the game...I guess a lot like a club? Or a group of friends? Anyway...being in a guild makes certain aspects of the game much easier...but because I'm not a die-hard, consistent player, I'm perpetually behind my guildmates in the game. /sigh]
I really do like WoW, and I like that it's a game that me and the husband play together...but I have a hard time justifying spending a whole lot of time playing at once. To make progress, it takes spending chunks of a couple hours at a time [typically], and there just aren't many days where I have that kind of time! Especially when the kiddo isn't staying with my parents.../shrug
I suppose that's my main gripe about WoW right now. I'm sure I'll keep playing, and I'm sure I'll always be behind....but that's fine, it's just how it goes for now! ^_^
Star Wars Battlefront 2
The kiddo and I got the husband this game for his birthday, about a month ago, and he's played it pretty consistently since then!
I haven't played it myself, so I admit I don't know many specifics about this one. But I do know that's a very fast-paced FPS game [which is why I haven't played it!]. It has an online, multiplayer mode and a single-player campaign mode, and to me, looks very similar to Overwatch, but with Star Wars characters.
I've heard the husband mention unlocking 'heroes' by earning points. So, if you've been wanting an opportunity to play as your favorite Empire or Rebellion characters and like blowing things up, this game might be for you!
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds
This is another game that the husband has been playing a lot of lately.
PUBG is an interesting mash-up of FPS and survival games...as the player, you get thrown into a gaming map with up to 99 other players [so, groups of 100!]...you drop out of a plane with no weapons or armor and are left to survive, Hunger Games style. You can pick up all sorts of different weapons [there are guns, knives, and vehicles...but my favorite so far, was when the husband killed another player with a frying pan!] and items as you explore the map, but make sure you stay alert! As you're rummaging around, another player could easily sneak up on you and kill you!
This is another game that I haven't played myself. I really like the idea of it, but pretty much all FPS games stress me out too much to play! But, if you can keep level-headed about this game and not take it super seriously, it's probably tons of fun!
5-Minute Dungeon
Now, this one isn't a video game, but it's a lot of fun!
5-Minute Dungeon is a board/card game that Santa brought us this year, and we've played it a handful of times. I love it! I was wanting to find a game that the husband and I could play with the kiddo that didn't involve staring at a screen...I was looking for something that could be played in a relatively short amount of time [everyone knows how long a game of Monopoly can run!] and with a bit of a nerdy element to it....and this game fits all of the criteria!
The game uses cards, rather than dice, and plays through around 5 different 'dungeons.' There's a boss card [the final boss of the level] and several 'door cards' that the group must make it through in order to be victorious. Each player picks a character from the 10 pre-made choices, and each player gets a deck of cards that matches their character's abilities. Each player deck has cards with different symbols on it, similar to energy/mana cards in other card-based games. Players match these symbols with those on the 'door cards' and boss cards to defeat the monsters, and beat the game.
If you're looking for a fun activity for the family, we recommend checking this one out!
Well, there it is!! That's the run-down of the nerdy happenings in our house right now...well, the gaming parts, anyway ^_^
What games are you guys into right now? Do you have any recommendations for family-friendly, fun activities?
If you follow me on pretty much any social media platform [Instagram, Google+, Twitter, etc...] you've probably noticed that 'gamer' is my tagline pretty much universally....however, aside from the random screenshots that get posted on my Instagram account, I don't actually talk about video games all that much! So, I thought it might be a good time to write a post about which games are currently my favorites, what my husband and kiddo are currently playing, and maybe a game or two I'd like to try out soon...
Doki Doki Literature Club
This game is my latest obsession! It's currently available on Steam and it's free!! Seriously, if you haven't played it yet, there's no reason not too! [Well, almost no reason...there are some warnings that the game presents before you actually start playing...and those should absolutely be taken seriously. No joke.]
I don't want to give anything about this game away...but it was definitely surprising! It plays mostly as a super kawaii visual novel...with a twist! It's one of those games, that despite me having finished it, I felt as if it left me hanging [omg]...
It was so well executed, that I find myself searching on YouTube for videos about the game, delving into hidden secrets and meanings...and there's a ton!After you've played, watch this video by The Game Theorists video [linked here]...it's crazy!
Plus! The soundtrack for this game is the most adorable that I've ever heard!! It's happy, bouncy, and will get stuck in your head for ages!
**Tip: leave the game files open and visible while you play the game...if you don't, you'll miss out!
Getting Over It
This is another game that seems to be super popular right now...search for it on YouTube and you'll see that there's no shortage of videos of gamers losing their minds while playing this game.
The premise of this game is simple....strange, but simple. You control a man while he attempts to climb a mountain made of various, random items. The catch? The man is stuck up to his waist in cauldron that's filled with water. You move the character by swinging around a rather large hammer/pick...and that's pretty much it!
This is most definitely a rage game. It's designed for you to fail and make you blindingly angry in the process! It's super entertaining to watch though!
At the request of my brother, my husband downloaded this game to give it a try...he was a pretty good sport about it, up until a moment when he lost 45 minutes of progress in less than 5 seconds...
But, if you're a glutton for punishment and you've got about $8 to spend...check this out and download it from Steam. [And make a video of your gameplay so we can see how well you do! We promise not to laugh...too much ^_^]
Freddy Fazbear's Pizzeria Simulator
For some reason, the kiddo and his buddies are super into the FNAF [Five Nights at Freddy's] games...or at least the idea of them!
This is the latest and last installment in the spooky series...and the first one that I've let the kiddo play himself. It's part 'sim' game [you set up and run your own pizzeria] and part 'jump scare'/survival...pretty on track with the other FNAF games.
There's a way to play the game and essentially make it jump scare-proof...but, really, where's the fun in that?
But if you're considering letting your small kids play this one, you might wanna stick close by the computer...because the animatronics can still give them quite a scare.
Right now, the game is downloadable from Steam for free!
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 - Zombie Mode
An older game, but it's one that's seen a lot of playtime in our home lately.
My husband has been playing this one with the kiddo...he says he's trying to introduce him to different 'big boy' types of games...but I think it's probably more that he's tired of playing Mario games and listening to DanTDM! [DanTDM is the kiddo's favorite YouTube personality...he's really good for kid-friendly video game videos....I generally don't feel like there's any problems letting the kiddo watch his channel...but, goodness, it can get old to listen to!]
Despite what you'd probably expect, the zombie mode of this game isn't terribly violent! Well, I mean, you are shooting zombies....but there's not a whole lot of blood/gore, and the zombies can't shoot back! So, really, it's more of a 'see how long you can survive' play experience.
I don't personally care for FPS [first-person shooter] games all that much, but I've tried my hand at a round or two...it's fairly fun! However, I will say that I like watching the two boys play together...I always love seeing the two of them interact and bond with each other ^_^
**yawn**
Surprisingly, this post is turning out to be quite long! I've still got a couple of games that I'd like to write about, but I think I'm going to save those for a 'part 2' post. I'll work on that in the next few days...check for it soon!
I hope that all of you have had an absolutely wonderful holiday...I don't know about you, but I feel like I need a few days to recover from all the festivities, for sure! Holidays always seem to leave me feeling pretty drained...maybe it's all of the driving around to various activities, or having to be socially 'on' for so long...not sure the exact reason why they're so tiring, but I'm typically pretty glad to see Jan 2 arrive so things can get back to normal. [Which is today! Hooray!]
I'm terribly behind on posting, but I'll do my best to catch up a bit...
Not our picture, but this is the cave we swam in!
My husband and I [still so weird to type that lol] went on our honeymoon right after Thanksgiving. We took a cruise to Cozumel and Progresso, we had a pretty good time! We cruised with Carnival and ported out of New Orleans. The boat was fairly nice, the staff was friendly, and there was literal tons of food! We did excursions at each port, cave swimming in Cozumel and a beach resort in Progresso...both were fun, but I don't think we'd necessarily recommend those particular excursions to anyone else. We both agreed that it probably would have been better to do a 'relaxing, beach' excursion in Cozumel and a 'more adventurous' excursion in Progresso. But! I guess that'd give us something to try out if/when we go back ^_^
After the honeymoon, we went pretty much straight into Christmas-mode...gift shopping and planning for get togethers...you know, all of the holiday stuff.
And that pretty much catches you up! [Nothing out of the ordinary happened for Christmas or New Year's....which isn't a bad thing, at all!]
Hopefully I can get into the habit of posting more regularly....or at least that's the plan!
Good morning! Sorry to have taken so long to write a new post, we've been quite busy over the last week or so...doing what?
**Drumroll**
Getting married!!!
Yep!! As of this past Saturday, I'm a married lady!
It took a lot of planning and hard work from a lot of people, but our wedding was wonderful. There were a few minor 'day of' hiccups [everyone said there would be], but nothing major...I really couldn't have asked for the ceremony to go any better!
We were worried about the weather, so we ended up renting a tent for reception food and seating for some guests. But it didn't rain! Well, not until the very end of the reception...Thankfully, I think just about every guest had left by then.
I don't think it'll be possible to ever express as much thanks as my amazing family deserves...they made our big day happen! [They can likley expect to hear me say 'thank you' until it becomes annoying!]
I don't have many pictures to share right now, I was too busy with all the getting ready stuff, I never had a chance to take pictures! But, I know that our photographer got tons of them...I'll share my favorites once we have them back ^_^
Until then, I'm going to enjoy my first full week of being a Mrs. I hope you all have a wonderful week!
So, umm, I wanted to write a new post about some WoW stuff that came out over the weekend at BlizzCon....but I feel the need to address something a bit more serious and personal, first.
This past week, my family experienced a tragedy. Specifics will be left unsaid because, frankly, it still hurts like hell, and it will for a long time. However, I will say this... life is fragile and short. If it can be helped, don't let a day pass without letting your loved ones know that you love them. Stop procrastinating. Because...well...just because.
Ok, now, indulge me in my avoidant coping behaviors as I write about some gaming stuff!
At BlizzCon, they announced the new expansion pack for WoW and gave us the cinematic trailer for it....and it was amazing!! Now, aside from a couple of random blood elves I've definitely been 'for the Alliance' all the way...but, c'mon...you can't see the trailer and not fangirl over Sylvanas in banshee form, not at least a little bit! If you haven't seen it yet, check it out!
It looks like Blizzard is shifting the focus of gameplay back to the faction vs. faction rather than both sides fighting the Legion.../shrug meh, okay. Sure, I suppose it will be a decent change of storyline...I'm hoping that means that they'll wrap up everything in the Legion expansion first, though. I'm currently crawling my way through Argus, confused, but curious to see where the story goes. [Not really a huge fan of Argus, tbh. Haven't played much of it since that patch came out.]
Another big announcement pertained to the development of Blizzard-operated Vanilla servers! Now, I'm one of those who played 'back in the day'...my first toons were during the original, vanilla days...the fabled days of hardship where quest tracking was an add on, you didn't get mounts until level 40, talent trees were complicated, and leveling a toon to max cap was truly an accomplishment! I can easily see where people are enchanted by the idea of revisiting the good ole days of WoW...before all of the expansion packs and simplifying of game play...but there's one particular feature that I've noticed that players are split on and quite unabashedly vocal about...
LFR/LFG [stands for 'looking for raid' or 'looking for group'] is a tool that came out in one of the expansions that allows players that are looking for groups to run dungeons/raids to be quickly grouped together...thus, allowing you to get to the gameplay fairly quickly! Now, before the implementation of this tool, it could be quite a chore to get a group together. Typically, you would have to travel to one of the major cities [larger city, larger population, more potential players to join your group]. Now, this would take you away from whatever questing or solo grinding you were working on...meaning, while you're waiting to find a group, you can't earn xp and you can't work on leveling. [Definitely a drawback, in my opinion]
Now, unless you had a guild that was 'good' about running dungeons and such...most players were left to 'spam chat channels' to try and find players for the group. This consisted of 'LFM DM' or 'LF Tank, SM'...essentially, you'd be left to constantly type your 'advertisemnent' into the chat channels, over and over again, until you ended up getting enough people to notice and join your group. I found that venture to be painfully time consuming! It wasn't uncommon for it to take anywhere from 30-45 minutes, sometimes over an hour, for a group to come together. And! After you finally managed to get a group assembled, there was no guarantee that all of the group members would stick around to make sure the dungeon was completed! Quite often, members would bail and that left you to start the whole cycle all over again.
My fiancé posted a video about this on YouTube, yesterday, and the amount of crap that he’s gotten is a bit mind boggling. Anti-LFR players are vocal almost to the point of being rabid about their ‘if you use LFR, you’re a cissy noob that needs to stop playing’ mindset. It’s annoying.
I mean, I’ll concede to point that it can’t be ‘100% vanilla’ if LFR is involved...that’s true! But is a tool that streamlined the gaming process and gave you more time to *gasp* play the game, the actual, literal ‘worst thing that ever happened’ to WoW?!?
/shrug. Maybe it is. Maybe it is and I just don’t get it...but I seriously doubt it. I mean, did they not play during Warlords? Garrisons. Hello?? I, personally love the LFR tool! I’m not terribly social, and that carries over to gaming...so if I was ever in a guild, it was probably because I had real world friends in it, and I’m there for the guild perks. Because of that, I didn’t do dungeons or raids. I just didn’t! I didn’t want to waste the time I could use grinding experience standing around looking for a group. Plus! As someone with social anxiety, I didn’t want to risk ‘messing up’ and causing my group to fail [I actually still struggle with this, but not to the same extent] LFR kind of takes that social anxiety edge away, in regards to finding a group. I still get crap, sometimes, because I play a hunter and most other classes kind of hate us...but now, the game puts me in a premade group of players who all want to run the same dungeon, and I don’t have to worry about being ‘picked’ to play!
Also! As a working adult, parent, and family oriented person, I just don’t have hours and hours to waste sitting at my computer! Most nights, I don’t even log into WoW...but when I do, it’s usually during that magical little pocket of time after dinner and household tasks are done and before bedtime...I’m sure at least some of you know what I’m talking about! So, no! I literally do not have 45 minutes or an hour to wait for a group to form! One person commented that only ‘old people’ are so pressed for time...well, maybe! But most of us that played during vanilla (I was in college back then!) now have families, jobs, and many obligations that we simply didn’t have back then! Is that our ‘fault’? No, I don’t think so...rather, I think it’s pretty cool that despite the years passing and our lives evolving, we still find ourselves able and wanting to remain in the gaming community! WoW is often a huge part of who we feel that we are, and I truly appreciate being able to experience most aspects of the game, even though I can no longer spend countless hours playing. (Which wasn’t a smart thing to do, even back then...trust me!)
Anyway. When it comes down to it, if someone wants to utilize a brilliant, convenient tool to play content in the most efficient way available, shut your mouths about it and let them use it. If not, stand around and yell at other players to join your cause...either way, aren’t we all just trying to play and enjoy the same game? There’s no need to be assholes about it ^_^
Hope you all had an awesome Halloween....hopefully scored some candy while getting to wear a cool costume...I absolutely love getting to dress up and go trick-or-treating...with the kiddo, of course! [Who am I kidding, I probably enjoy it more than the kiddo does!]
**Hiss**
This year, we went with a Minecraft theme...the kiddo was Steve, my fiancé was an enderman, and I was a creeper ^_^ I ordered the character 'box heads' off of Amazon and we all wore clothes that suited our characters...it was a lot of fun! However, for anyone considering buying the character heads, be warned that they're not very practical...the boxes are so big, it's nearly impossible to get them to stay in position...and it's even more difficult to position them so that you can see! It wasn't as big of a deal for me and the fiancé, but the kiddo ended up holding his Steve head most of the time.
Itsa Bendy!
One thing about Halloween that I like even more than trick-or-treating is carving pumpkins! Ever since those little pumpkin carving kits became popular, it's been one of my favorite autumn things to do...now, I'm decently proficient at using the carving tools and patterns, so I like to try and branch out and carve designs that aren't necessarily 'pumpkin patterns.' This year, my kiddo asked me to cave him a Bendy pumpkin [from Bendy and the Ink Machine], so I gave it a shot! What do you think? I think it turned out pretty darn good!
However, as much as I love celebrating Halloween with my little family, I'm definitely glad to have the holiday behind us...mostly because that means its that much closer to our wedding day!! [I know, I know...I'm sure all of you will be relieved when the wedding's over with and I start posting about other things!]
Well, between now and then, don't be surprised if there are another couple of wedding-related posts...especially as all of the pieces that we've worked so long and hard on start coming together! Plus! I've got to share my crazy stress stories with someone! ^_^
Well, it's another Monday...which wouldn't be a Monday without a boat load of stress!!
Today, I received a letter from my heath insurance company, notifying me of my wonderful annual rate increase. *eyeroll*
So, as of now, my monthly heath insurance payment is already more than my rent and car payment combined! And! With my lovely increase in cost, there's a decrease in benefits!! How lovely! *more eyerolling*
My coverage was already 'meh' in the first place...and, oh boy, I can't wait to start paying more for even less services!! *so much eye rolling, my eyeballs have fallen out of my head*
Angry face!!!
Now, I'll be the first to admit, I don't know everything there is to know about politics. And I don't know much about the health insurance industry and why it's so complicated. But, I do know that it's horribly broken and is beyond ignoring or passing along to the next batch of incompetent political blowhards. What crap is this?!? Muck up the insurance system so much that even the most basic of plans in unaffordable...and then, charge us a penalty fee when we can't afford it!! Seriously?!?
*sigh*
Sorry for the mini-rant there...
It's just super frustrating. The fiancé and I are trying our hardest to save up as much as we can...but life has this obnoxious habit of getting in the way.
However, as much as I'd like to continue to complain about finances, I also need to acknowledge some of the positives!
We are in the teens of days left until our wedding!!
My fiancé and I met with our pastor to go over and finalize the order of ceremony...and she liked what I'd come up with! [I brought her a copy of my working draft of the wedding program to look at] So, in the next couple of days, I'm going to go have them printed off ^_^
Also, this week, I'm going to pick up my dress from alterations and we're supposed to be able to pick up the kiddo's suit...
I can't wait for the wedding to get here....and to finally be finished with all the craziness that comes with wedding planning!! But, I wonder, what will my brain do with all the free time when everything's finished?!? [Mostly kidding! I'm sure my INFJ brain will find plenty of other things to ponder!]
Hope this post finds you well ^_^ I'm doing okay, just more of the same [work, parenting, wedding planning, repeat...]. Just a few more weeks, though, and wedding planning will be an ordeal of the past!
Since my last post, I've taken care of a few more wedding things! We've made a practice bouquet and boutonniere...and they both turned out surprisingly great! Feeling fairly confident that we could handle the flower arrangements for the big day, we went ahead and ordered the flowers today! [Such a huge relief!! For some crazy reason, flowers have ended up being a source of contention...flowers. Of all things...] So! I'm hoping that since they've been ordered, the flower drama will end! *happy dance*
There's been lots of pencil twirling and staring at blank sheets of paper *sigh*
Over the last few days, I've been putting a lot of effort into coming up with and streamlining an order of worship and reception. [Man, I had no idea that I would have to come up with and place all the pieces to that puzzle! I guess I thought it would just...happen?]
I feel pretty good about the basic format and timelines I've come up with, and we meet with our pastor this weekend to hash out the details. As tedious as this has been, I can't help but start to get more excited about the wedding day!! Writing down the bits of our ceremony, I can't help but daydream and imagine what all of those things will be like....hearing the organ play, seeing all my friends and family there to support us, and *big smile* getting to marry my best friend and love of my life? Yeah. It's going to be pretty awesome!
We've also taken care of getting the kiddo a suit [he's going to look pretty darn snazzy!], getting some accessories for the groomsmen, and solidifying ideas for reception decor. I even got my fiancé to help out with painting some of our signs! [We're going to use these arrow signs to help guide our guests to the venue...gotta love country roads with spotty GPS service, right?!]
I feel like, as stressful as the whole ordeal is, all of the pieces are definitely starting to fall into place...
Guys...We're going to get married, and soon!! *squee!*
I've decided to move my blog from WordPress to Blogger...I find that Blogger is an easier platform to use, and I'm more able to customize my blog the way I'd like. I transferred all of the posts from my "Realism and Reverie" blog to this one and will continue to write new posts here!
So, October is a big month for TV shows...Several of my favorite shows return from hiatus this month and I am super excited!
Hehehe ^_^
This is Us started it’s second season a couple of weeks ago (at the end of September, but’s it’s close enough to be counted as October, I think), Supernatural kicked off its 13th season last week, Walking Dead comes back on Sunday, and Stranger Things returns right before Halloween! And it’s just in time, I finally finished watching all of The Office a couple of weeks ago...hanging out in Netflix limbo with nothing to watch is no fun, at all!
Favorite shows aside, everything else seems to be going pretty well! Wedding planning is still chugging along [less than a month, now!!], the kiddo made the honor roll this 9 weeks [**happy dance**]...yep! Everything's pretty great! ^_^
This is going to be a quick, short post...just wanted to write one for the new blog!
I decided to write a separate post on some of the other, non-wedding things going on...
The fiancé and I had some actual free time this weekend!! Surprising, isn’t it?
My wonderful parents kept the kiddo for a couple of nights, giving us some much needed time off (and a quiet apartment for the first time in weeks!)...it was sorely needed and very, very appreciated. ^_^
My fiancé had to work some on Saturday, so I took advantage of the time and took his wedding band to have it engraved...I think I picked out the perfect inscription, and I’m so excited for him to see it! I’m planning on keeping it a surprise for the wedding day, but I may cave and let him see it beforehand...
Pumpkin Spice frappe...would NOT recommend...
I also had time to meet up with on of my best friends for coffee ^_^ she’s awesome! We’ve been friends for about 15 years now...she’s been there for me through all sorts of ups and downs, and I could not be any more thankful! It was good to catch up with her, and she gave me some helpful tips and suggestions for our wedding. (She got married a few years ago, so she knows what stress I’m going through) All in all, it was a fantastic coffee date...two hours passed by before I’d even realized it! Good times ^_^
I’ve also had some time to play some video games, which is always a plus, in my opinion...
I’ve been playing some Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Undertale with the kiddo...and it’s been awesome!! Not gaming nearly as much as I used to, which is probably a good thing...but it does feel good to be able to do something that’s me. Plus, it’s something the kiddo and I do together, which makes it all that much better!
So, yeah ^_^ this weekend was full of friendship and fun, I’ll definitely call it a win!
All is good with us, things are chaotic, as usual. After all of the birthday stuff, the kiddo came down with a mild stomach bug...he’s feeling better now, but had gotten sick while at school twice! (He stayed home today to recuperate and seems to be feeling fine, now)
Despite the upset tummy, we managed to hit a pretty big wedding planning milestone! Today, I mailed out our wedding invitations! /woohoo!
Well, I mailed out most of the invitations...there are a few stragglers that will be going out tomorrow. Hey, some addresses are hard to find!
I expect that in a few days, I’ll have to start keeping up with RSVP responses...and that’ll be a whole new task with new stresses...but until then, I think I’ll enjoy the feeling of accomplishment from checking ‘invitiations’ off of the to-do list!
[Well, I’ll enjoy it in a few minutes...after I check on the kiddo and finish the last few invites!]
Less than 50 days left!! Will keep you all updated with the crunch time craziness ^_^
The kiddo's birthday was Sunday, so we've had our hands full with celebration stuff...this year, we let him invite two of his best buddies over to go to Treetop Adventure with us and then stay for a sleepover...now that is a daunting sentence! (The kiddo hasn’t ever had company stay overnight before, and I was seriously intimidated by the thought of having 3 boys at home!)
All of the kiddos had a blast at Treetop! (It’s like Chuck E. Cheese but with laser tag, go karts, jump houses, and bowling...it’s a ton of fun!) The boys played a few rounds of laser tag and loved shooting dinos in the Jurassic Park arcade game...the show stealer was definitely the go karts! All of the boys had such a blast driving and riding in the go karts, including my fiancé! (He’s really a big kid, which is one of the things about him that I love ❤️)
I was really nervous about the slumber party...but it turned out to be just fine!! Now, I’m not saying that I’d want to have one every weekend, but I’m actually looking forward to my kiddo having his buddies over from time to time! It warmed this mom’s heart to see them all smiling, laughing, and having a great time ^_^ Plus, hearing his friends say things like, “best birthday party, ever!,” “your parents are pretty cool!,” and “your house is the best! Can I come back over?”...all pretty awesome ^_^
So, all of that was our Friday afternoon and evening. Saturday, my brother came over and brought the kiddo a birthday gift and brought me a belated birthday present (my birthday is in August lol). Guys, my brother brought me a Nintendo Switch!!!! /happy squeals (Totally awesome move by my notoriously awesome brother...and I am eternally grateful!)
My brother had managed to get one of the newly released snes classics (the mini Super Nintendo) and he brought that with him, too...so we spent the afternoon and a good part of the evening playing awesome, vintage video games and just hanging out. Especially as we get older, there are fewer and fewer opportunities for us to just hang out together like we used to....so I cherish those times and hang on to each of them.
This brings us to Sunday, the kiddo’s actual birthday! Every year, I do birthday morning balloons for the kiddo...we blow up somewhere between 50-100 of them and flood his room with them, turning his room into a birthday celebration balloon pit! It’s a cute little tradition ^_^
I’ll admit, blowing up that many balloons is quite a task, even with my wonderful fiancé helping! (We blew up 75 this year and it took us around 40 minutes! Next year, we are getting air pumps!) However, I know there will come a time that my kiddo says he doesn’t want them anymore, he’ll grow out of it, and that time will get here much sooner than I’d like. So! Until then, I’ll blow up the balloons and marvel at how much he’s grown since the last time we blew them up for him.
So, some good news...my computer is up and running again...mostly. It's definitely more functional than before I took it to the shop, but it's still very much on the struggle bus.
The tech guy put the cheapest, most basic hardware into my pc, just to get it up and running again. Which is fine, if you don't use your pc to game with...but, I do!
Long story short, my computer is still pretty broken. It will run World of Warcraft, surprisingly...but it completely derps when my kiddo tries to play Minecraft Story Mode. [My incredible fiancé stepped in to save the day and got me a new graphics card that was a huge upgrade! However, it didn't solve the problem] So, it seems the saga of the broken pc continues...
In other happenings, I've been struggling with something lately...
I noticed that I have a really hard time letting things go. [slightly embarrassing to admit, but it's painfully true]
More than a few times in the last month or two, the topic of forgiveness has come up in our bible study lessons and sermons... and it's kind of stuck with me as something I need to work on...especially if I expect to receive forgiveness, myself!
There are certain situations and individuals that I wholeheartedly admit to purposefully holding on the hard feelings over...though, I'm not sure why, exactly. [If there ever were a time to delve into whether or not you hold grudges, it's when you're trying to decide who to invite to your wedding! With so many potentially hurt feelings at stake, I've had to consider getting over past hurts for the sake of having everything go as smoothly as possible!]
If I'm being honest, I don't know why I intentionally choose to hold on to hard feelings...it's certainly not beneficial, and I know that. Especially if the 'offense' was particularly minor, maybe even silly, in hindsight. I know I should be a better person, take a deep breath, and let go of past hurts and resentment...but dang it, it's hard!
Why is it so hard? Is it pride and ego? Or maybe habits of the heart?
Regardless of the cause, I realize this is something that I need to work on...any tips? Seriously. Any advice at all would be enthusiastically welcomed!
Alrighty, I've got a kiddo to get ready for bed...hope you all have a great night!
Good news on the computer front, I get to pick mine up from the shop today! [hopefully] The tech guy said it needed a new graphics card and hard drive....so I'm hoping that's got it fixed. Guess I'll find out when I get it home...
I'm a bit skeptical about the whole 'repair,' though...When the tech guy realized that I would need new parts, I think he should have called me to see what I wanted installed...I mean, I play games on my PC, so not just any old graphics card will do! Buuuuut, no. He didn't call and ask at all. And he told my fiancé that he put a '$30 graphics card' in it so it 'would run.'
**Unhappy Deadpan Face**
So, yeah. We'll see how it works out. Moving on!
Remember my last post? I talked about reading Marie Kondo's book on tidying and home organizing?
I'm totally looking forward to starting on our home! I sat on our couch yesterday and looked at all of our stuff...and there was just so much! So, so much of it! Add to that all of our new stuff that we got from our shower and it's just overwhelming! Something absolutely must be done or we will spend the rest of our lives surround by stuff and boxes. However, this is where I hit a bit of a snag...
COLLECT ALL THE THINGS!
As someone who loves the idea of adopting a minimalist household...how can that be reconciled with being a collector?
I'm a bit of a serial collector. At any given point in time, I'm probably working on a collection of something. I've collected My Little Ponies, Beanie Babies, and Disney princess dolls...Funko Pop! figures, Nendoroids, and more DVD sets than I can count! I've got tons of books, family heirlooms, and sentimental odds-and-ends...it's really, well...a lot of stuff!
So. How can I find a way to balance both being a collector and minimalist? Is it possible? If anyone else has encountered this, how did you handle it?
I will keep you guys updated as this whole ordeal develops...hopefully I will have some progress to report on soon!
Hope you're having a good week and that you've stayed safe through all of the hurricane mess...we are doing fine, we got some rain, but that's it. [Didn't stop all of the schools from closing, but I suppose it's better to be prepared than sorry!]
My computer is in the shop now. I'm hoping they can fix it and I'll be back online by this weekend..
We reached another big wedding milestone over the weekend...the bridal shower!
Some of the lovely ladies from my church family put together a wonderful shower for us! Everything was so pretty [they went with a vintage theme...lots of heirloom quilts, silver, and roses], the food was great, and the gifts were super thoughtful! My fiance and I are so thankful that we have such awesome families, friends, and church family!
Now comes the challenge of finding ways to store all the wonderful gifts...
We currently live in an apartment, a rather small one.. so it seems like some clearing out and rearranging is going to be necessary. Which brings me to my next project!
I've recently started re-reading The Life-changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. She is a tidying expert who emphasizes on only keeping objects that 'spark joy.' Her methods sound really good!! [I admit that I've read most of the book before but failed to implement her advice] A total-home overhaul seems like a super daunting task, but I feel confident that we will live much more comfortably if we can do it! Have any of you read her book? Have you tried her methods and how did they work for you?
Well, my phone battery is quickly dying, so I'm going to have to end this post here. Will post again soon!
Hey guys!! Hope you're having a fantastic weekend, so far!
This morning, I decided to do something that I haven't done in years... I decided to play the piano!
So awesome, but so difficult!
I found an incredible Legend of Zelda medley on YouTube a few weeks ago and made it a goal to learn how to play it. [Link to the video here ] I had a few hours of spare time at my parent's house over the weekend, so I eagerly hopped online and bought a download of the arrangement. I printed out the 7 pages of sheet music and excitedly placed it on the piano. As I glanced over the music, the realization hit me like a ton of bricks....oh man was this a challenging arrangement. I've gotta be honest, I was very disappointed in myself.../sadface
I've played the piano practically my whole life. I mean, I started to learn when I was 4! I've played pretty much every day up until about 8 years ago. [I moved, several times, and haven't had a piano in my home since then.] I was definitely more rusty than I anticipated, and it was disheartening. I know I shouldn't be surprised....it's been years since I tried to play anything new...but still.
I miss it.
I miss playing the piano. I miss being able to gracefully skip my fingers along the keys and create whatever music matched my mood...truth is, I never cared to play for anyone else. I hated to perform. Still do!
When I played, I played for myself. I played for the feeling of it, for the release of all of the emotions that clamored inside of my head and heart. Music was such a wonderful outlet for me; there were many times when my piano was there for me when it seemed like no one else was. Ask any musician, I'm sure they can relate!
I guess I didn't realize how much I'd missed all of it! And how much I need my music....
I say all of that, to say this: If you have a passion, pursue it! If you have a hobby or interest that bring light into your life, don't stop!
I've gone far too long without my music, and I thoroughly intend to change it. ^_^
Hope you've been having a fantastic weekend ^_^ Mine has been pretty good!
So, my fiancé has introduced me to my latest obsession...and I'm only 12 years or so behind! I am currently addicted to the show The Office. It is so good!!!
Awesome show, woo!!
If you haven't seen it, I highly suggest you hop on Netflix and watch it before it's removed. [Okay, I just Googled it, and it looks like the show actually isn't being taken off of Netflix] I'm not a big tv-watcher, and it's pretty rare that I find a show that I like enough to follow for more than a couple of seasons. This show is definitely an exception!
Why is that, you ask?
Reasons to watch The Office:
It's lighthearted and funny! There are a ton of serious things going on in the world right now. Sometimes, it's nice to get a break from all of the doom and gloom.
If you work in an office environment, you'll likely find this show to be pretty relatable.
I like that the episodes are short. Streaming an episode takes about 20 minutes, and sometimes, that's all of the free time I can get!
The character dynamics are fantastic! Watch an episode or two, and you'll soon learn that each character has their own quirks and the way these quirks interact are often comically brilliant.
I really like some of the relationships...well, one relationship, in particular. I feel like my fiancé and I can really relate, and it's pretty great! ^_^
Short post, but I just wanted to spend a little bit gushing about my newfound favorite show. Go watch it! I bet you'll probably like it, too!
We finally applied for our passports! Passport applications are stressful, for whatever reason...and they're quite expensive! One thing's for sure though, I know we're both glad to have passports out of way!
Another wedding thing: I ordered our invitations today!
I'd put off ordering invitations because I couldn't decide on a ceremony time. But, this morning, I bit the bullet, chose a time, and finally settled on an invitation design! Plus, there was a fantastic deal for wedding invitations on Groupon. I got the invitations and RSVP cards for about 40% of actual cost! **happy dance** With the wedding getting more and more expensive, I'll gladly jump on just about any opportunity to save money. We're doing pretty good about staying on budget, but the goal was to come in as much under budget as possible...
Not much else is going on for us right now; more of the same work/school, home, sleep, repeat. Gotta love that daily grind, eh?
Sidenote: I'm very weakly setting a personal goal to try to lose a bit of weight before the big day...the fiancé and I have been talking about it since long before we even got engaged, but we haven't really made any of the changes needed for results. I'll keep you guys posted about this, hopefully I'll have some positive updates for you, next week!
Okay, so I'm going to have to start this post off with a little complaint...
See that?? See how bent and wonky the left side of that gate is?!? That's the gated entrance to where I live...the gate had been fixed for about 3 days when that happened [this is after it had been inoperable for months!]. This, people, is why we can't have nice things. /smh
Busted gates aside, we've had a busy and productive(ish) couple of days!
Over the last week, my fiancé picked out his suit for our wedding and also picked out suits for the groomsmen! That's one detail that I think both of us are pretty glad to have out of the way!
Another pre-wedding accomplishment: We've started our pre-marriage counseling sessions!
Maybe not the most exciting bit, but I am glad to have the opportunity to sit down with our pastor and talk about potential issues that might arise after we exchange vows. Our pastor is really nice and pretty easy to talk to, so I think all of the sessions will go really well. ^_^
Another substantial thing we can check off the wedding 'to do' list? Rings!!
We finally got to pick up our wedding bands! We picked them out and bought them a couple of weeks ago, but they needed to be ordered since they were 'custom bands.' [I don't really quite understand how they were considered to be custom bands...all we did was have them ordered in our sizes....which are common sizes....sooooooo....???] Little frustrations aside, I was outright giddy when we got the phone call saying we could pick them up! I think my fiancé was equally excited about them, we went the very next to get them. Naturally, we tried them on, and let me tell you....we're totally stoked about getting married! I might be a bit biased, but we look pretty dang awesome with wedding bands on!
And, finally, I had my trial run for my bridal hair and makeup! I think it turned out pretty well...it's more makeup than I typically wear, but I think that's normal for wedding looks. I'm happy with how it turned out, so that's officially one more thing to check-off!
I know that's a lot of wedding updates...promise that wedding stuff doesn't typically take up that much of our daily lives, but it sure did the last week or so!
That's about all I've got for now, hope everyone's having a great week so far! /waves
