For the past two months I've been dabbling in premier, trying to cobble together memories from my family's Christmas celebration. In an effort to develop a new talent (while B is doing homework every night of my life) I recruited the help of my very talented brother to teach me a few things. Below is the result of my first of what I hope to be many projects.  Keep in mind, this is my first go at any kind of videography - so it's rough. Be forgiving.

i'm a liar.

I can't keep up with this blog for the life of me. Those details I mentioned in my last post... yeah, I lied. Don't count on those. The gist of the story is that B and I waited in a tiny Mexican airport for 8+ hours on a fast Sunday (meaning we couldn't buy anything or eat anything) before our plane showed up to take us home. It was a miserable miserable time.

Since then, our lives haves changed in a number of ways. B & I both got new jobs. I started working in software sales (and surprisingly love it!) and he scored a weekend security gig. I travel a lot for work, schmoozing prospects at Dodger games and concerts,  and B finally declared a major and passed his halfway mark with school. T-minus 2 years and we'll be finished!

Still no babies. Still no pets. - I know you were wondering.

The novelty of being married has worn off. Not to say it isn't awesome, it is. It's just not this new, life-changing thing anymore. Reading my earlier posts about that make me laugh. We're old vets now, and life without B by my side is a vague memory. I'm so grateful for my 24/7 live-in best friend, and I'm grateful the rest of my friends have learned to accept me as a married.

To end this update, I'll leave you with a quote from B. We just got home from dinner, he's playing the PS4 and I heard him say to himself, "That was the Indian-est burp ever". What a glamorous bunch we are.

if you like piña coladas...

Then Mexico is the place for you! Last month, B and I spent a bliss-filled week in Cancun, cashing in on an official honeymoon experience.  For the most part we spent our days swimming, indulging in aforementioned piña coladas (w/banana=yum!) and reading on the beach. It was a honeymooners' dream and a much-needed break from reality.

Between pool sessions, B & I crossed off a major bucket-list item and SWAM WITH DOLPHINS! You guys - it.was.awesome. We hugged them, they kissed us, we flew through the water like Superman...It was seriously so fun! I'm making it a "must-do" for all future tropical-vacas.

We also flew through the Mexican jungle on a zip-line tour!  It was SO hot, but worth it in the end when we dropped into cenote to swim. B was giving me major anxiety with his cliff-jumping shenanigans, but all was well and I would recommend it to anyone. This "wife" business has made me a worry wart.

More details on our trip home (it was long, and story-worthy), but for now a few pictures for your enjoyment:

4 things nobody tells you about married life.

B & I are coming up on 4 months this week, a small amount of time that has yielded a vast amount of knowledge. Okay, vast may be a bit of an exaggeration (sue me!), but neverthess I’ve learned a few life lessons that I think are worth sharing for future brides.

    +You won’t feel like anything changed, but your friends will. It’s a sad truth, but one you’ll have to learn to deal with – especially if you’re the first of your friends to get married. Nobody has time to hang out with the marrieds when they’re on the prowl to wife-up themselves.

    +You don’t really know who you’re marrying. B & I dated for close to a year after his mission, for 6 months before, and we wrote consistently while he was gone. I swore up and down I knew all there was to know about him (or at least all I thought mattered), but the truth is I didn’t. Since being married I’ve seen so many new sides to him, some pretty, some not. Some have made our relationship stronger, some have tried my patience on a whole new level. All are worth it.

     +You don’t actually want to spend every waking second with each other. This is a common misconception, and one I’ve come across many times as I pursue things in my personal life. People seem to think getting married means doing everything together – it doesn’t.  I suggest you start finding hobbies to do on your own. You’ll be glad your husband has homework or insists on playing video games.

     +Don’t assume your previously mentioned friends will take up your free time. Like I said, they’re busy hunting for their future mr./mrs., and marrieds cannot tag along.

    +You will smile, kiss, argue, laugh, cry, and love more than ever before. You’ve probably heard that one before, but it’s worth repeating. 

for the books.

Summer '14 has been one for the books, so far anyway. Let me fill you in.

     +We took the plunge - literally. B & I spent Memorial Day weekend w/some friends at the Green River KOA, you know.... really roughing it. We hiked Goblin's Valley and Arches National Park, and when Monday rolled around, we willingly jumped out of a plane. We went skydiving at 10k feet and boy was it a thrill. People often ask, "Was it scary?" - to which I have to say - "Obviously", but so so worth it. The jumping itself all happens too quickly to be scary, but the plane was a tight squeeze and my chlostrophobia was full-force.

     +I'm feelin' 22. If you really know me, you know birthdays are a big deal for me - especially my own. Call me conceded, but my birthday is my favorite day of the year. I admitably revel in the attention, and who doesn't love a junk-food pass for the day? B took me to the Living Planet Aquarium and learned one of my favorite songs on the uke. I swooned.

     +I've been doing a lot of reading lately. Among my birthday spoils was Mindy Kaling's book, "Is Everyone Hanging Out W/Out Me?" - I laughed out loud on more than one occasion. If she wasn't already, Mindy is now my number one woman-crush.

     +I'm a carnie at heart. I love the rides, I love the food, I love the people. So much love. Lucky for me, the carnival came to town and, as per usual, it was a great time. Later that week, B & I watched the fireworks from the rooftop, and I have to say - it too was pretty swoon-worthy. Oh B... he knows just how to get me.

    +B & I also hosted a slumber for his nieces and nephew, and by that I mean they stayed the night at our house one Friday. If I do say so myself, we pretty much killed it as the "cool" aunt/uncle. We fed the ducks, ate lots of popcorn, and took a trip to Bridal Veil Falls. Nobody died, but all cried at one point or another, and one niece fell right into the pool at the bottom of the falls. But by my account, they lived so we rocked it.

     +We're kind of big hikers these days. Please don't mistake that for serious hikers - anything more than 3 miles and I'm almost certainly opting out. We've had some good ones though, my favorite so far is Stewart Falls. Easy, Breezy, Beautiful - aka my kind of hike. 

best husband ever - period.

There comes a time (usually once a month) in every woman’s life where she is crippled by the pain of her babybox and the demons that reside therein. This was my case yesterday as I was making dinner (ya know- being domestic and stuff) for B. Something had been awakened and was cutting me open from the inside out - or so it seemed. Really though, and while I’m sure my menstrual cramps are fascinating to you all - let’s get to the point: B handles periods better than any man ever in the history of the world. Let me tell you why:

+B spent a good hour finishing dinner - and refused to let me help. “You need to rest” he would say.

+He set me up on the couch w/ our most recent Netflix addiction and took care to heat up my rice bag every 10-15 minutes for the entire night.

+ Promptly following dinner - ice cream and sour patch kids were delivered to said couch.

+B laughs instead of being grossed out when I tell him things like, “I feel like I’m going to throw up my uterus”

+Intermittent back massages.

+ Words like, “Let me hold you”

So why am I telling you this? Because B is the best and totally brag-worthy, that’s why. I am so blessed to have married my best friend and a bonafide saint. Also- there is a slight chance a male might read this, and for the benefit of women everywhere, take notes guys. That’s how it’s done ^^^.

#MarriedLife - 10 Things That Defined Our First Month of Marriage

+Setting the alarm 10 minutes early everyday as a cue for B to start cuddling.

+Lots of carbs and lots of dairy - because it's cheap.

+Consequently, tighter pants. 

+B-, C-, or D-list Netflix shows because we've gone through all the good ones. 

+"So when are you having kids?" - yeah.. we've been married a month. 

+A lot of mis-guided expectations, from both parties. 

+Consequent arguing, and then of course, a glorious make up. 

+Homemade breakfast more days than not- because B is awesome and demands real food. 

+Setting and breaking a budget for some sour patch kids and Captain America.

+Pure, unrestricted joy.