Monday, September 26, 2011

Fayetteville Update

Howdy from Northwest Arkansas! 
Where Razorback Love runs deep and cute little shops are around every corner!

It has officially been 11 days since we moved to our new home in Fayetteville. So far, we are loving Northwest Arkansas: the Farmer's Market is awesome, the running trail is perfect, and the proximity to friends and Walmart is amazing!

However, we have yet to fully adjust to our new home: it is still strange to wake up in a different house each morning, we keep forgetting which drawer holds the silverware, and decorating a bright orange room is proving to be a little difficult. (Actually, two orange rooms...believe me, horrible pictures will be up soon).

The Pups are loving the new house. They have an extra large play-area in the living room and their very own fenced-in backyard. Seriously, they couldn't imagine more. Their little puppy brains are in puppy heaven right now.

But surprisingly, I am already feeling more at home here as opposed to Fort Smith. This is largely due to our friend quota increasing by 500%. It is nice to have couple-friends to do things with...we actually have plans for a dinner date tomorrow night. Crazy! Having friends in the same town as you = more fun!

Also, we have already found a church! It took us over a year to find a good fit in Ft. Smith, so I am pumped that we already have an amazing place to plug in and get connected!

And even more exciting news, we are having our first guests this weekend! Our goal is to spruce up the house as much as possible, but did you know moving is kinda expensive?! After 100 trips to Walmart and a billion utility deposits our checking account is slightly lower than I would like. Decorating with a limitless budget would be so much easier. Stupid expenses.

So, as we continue to settle in, I plan to post pictures and keep you updated on our life in Razorback Country!

Monday, September 12, 2011

Disarray

My house is currently in utter disarray.
Mad chaos.
I don't function well in this kind of environment.
Blog world, please excuse me while I attempt to neatly frantically pack up our lives. 
If this move doesn't kill, I shall be back in a few days.

Wish me well.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Thankful Thursday

This Thursday I have a lot to be thankful for.

1. We have a house!

Yesterday Josh found us the perfect house and I couldn't be more excited. It might be a tad over our price range, but this late in the game we didn't care. We will be pulling into our new home in 7 days and we have LOTS to do.

2. New neighbors.

Due to #1, we will now be neighbors with cool cats Jessi and Jacob. I'm totally pumped.

2. Football!

Seriously, who doesn't love football season? College. Pro. I love it all.

3. Big Brother.

Yes. We devote 1 hour, 3 nights a week to reality TV. Am I proud of this? No. Do I want to stop. No way!

4. Running buddies.

I have been blessed by having an amazing running community here in Fort Smith. All the amazing ladies I have met are encouraging and pure awesomeness. I only wish to find people half as amazing once we move.

5. Fall mornings.

The past few mornings have been cool and crisp here in Arkansas. Awesome sauce. Perfect running weather.

What are you thankful for?

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Story Of My Life

Story of my life.

In 7th grade I was left off the nomination list for Homecoming Court because the school's office thought I was a male.

Tramatic.

Thank you 'unnamed charitable organization' for these free return address stickers. Thank you for reminding me how it felt to be a 13 year old, awkward girl who was easily confused as a boy.

Thank you Mom and Dad for giving me the most gender neutral name ever.

Now please excuse me. I need to have a good cry.

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Moving Mania

Wow. 3-day weekends rock! Am I right, or am I right? Seeing how Josh and I are moving in just a few short weeks, we took full advantage of our extra time.

On Saturday, I woke up to meet the butt-crack of dawn and some friends for my weekly long run. The schedule said 8 miles and I was ready to rock it's face off. This is how I felt before the run.

Sadly though, after bragging how well my long runs have been going, it sucked. (Karma's a B!) Miles 1-3 felt great, but 4-8 were horrible. By the last mile I was constantly negotiating with myself to go just a little bit farther.

" Run 10 more minutes and you can get some ice cream"

"Run 5 more minutes and then you can walk for 30 seconds"

"Run 1 more minute and you will never have to run again in your life"

"Run 30 more seconds and you can buy a new car...screw Josh and your savings!"

This is how I felt after my run. Now where is my new car?
Of course, I have to blame my bad run on something other than my abilities, so I contribute it to: 1. Speed work of 4 miles the day before, and 2. Not enough calories before and during the run. Now that I'm upping my mileage and running more than 1hour at a time, I really need to start some calorie intake during my runs.

On Sunday Josh and I got serious about our packing situation. We completely packed up our guestroom and closet, broke down the bed, and took all living-room decorations down. It's nice to know we already have so much accomplished. Good thing I consider myself a 'professional mover' seeing as how I have moved in and out of dorm rooms, apartments, and houses 5 times in the past 4 years. Yikes!

So now we have boxes filling up our guestroom; the only scary thing is we have no place to move to. Apparently, people do not want to rent to a married couple with a good steady income. Boo. I have a feeling it has something to do with our picky 'must-have' list and these two crazy mutts.

Adorable, Yes.
Ideal for rentals? No.

Speaking of my two perfect furr balls; we took them to the dog park for the first time on Monday. This was Sully's first trip and she loved it!
The dog is the complete opposite of her big sister.
Water-Loves it! Fetching-A natural!
Despite the stress of moving, this holiday weekend couldn't have gone better!

Friday, September 2, 2011

September Goals

After reviewing my goals for August, I'm eager to get my September goals rolling!! Although I didn't meet all the goals I set for myself last month, I'm pretty certain I did more than I would have if I hadn't set any (*cough* research articles *cough cough*).

My September goals are:

1. Personal: Intentionally Improve My Marriage- Sarah from Peas and Thank You posted earlier this week an email-exchange her and her husband use to do to keep connected during the day. So I did what every good blogger does and stole the idea (and giver her credit of course!) Each day I will text three things to Josh: 1. Today I feel...; 2. I love you because...; and 3. [insert any question].

The first day went like this:
From Alex: "1. Today I feel excited about our new adventures; 2. I love you because you calm me when I'm stressed out; and 3. How are the puppies doing today?"
Josh responded: "1. Today I feel relieved from a poop I just took; 2. I love you because you are my sugar momma; and 3. What time are you getting off work?"

Wow.

So sentimental.

Thanks Hun.

2. Random: Walk the Dogs Daily- Ajax loves to go on walks and walks on a leash perfectly; we want Sully to walk just as well. Seeing how Sully will be a much bigger dog, we want to train her now, instead of waiting a trying to yank around a 50 pound dog. Plus, they could both use the exercise.

2. Fitness: Complete All Speed and Long Distance Runs- I did so well with this goal last month that I decided it needed to stay. A small gift for myself, if accomplished, may or may not be involved.

Ps. My long runs have ROCKED! I look forward to them every week. I actually enjoy waking up at the butt-crack of dawn each Saturday. Who am I?! Tomorrow I have 8 miles on the schedule and I am pumped!

3. Professional: Transition To My New Job With Limited Hysteria- That's right friends. I have put in my 2-week notice with my current job and my first day at the new one will be Sept 19th.

I am torn with emotion over this huge change: First, Josh won't be driving an hour to school for all his classes and I've always loved the Fayetteville area, but I have the perfect job with the best coworkers and we have no place to live in Fayetteville yet. I'm scared, excited, nervous, and stressed all at the same time!

So much change happening so fast!

So, while I don't have a lot of listed goals this month, I know I will be crazy busy and will be happy if I merely survive it all. Moving and changing jobs is going to be huge and stressful, so if I become MIA for a while, I'll probably be in a corner hoping the boxes will pack themselves.

Please pray for my husband during this time. I'm afraid my text messages my turn out like this...
1. Today I feel like I could strangle a baby kitten; 2. I love you because despite the fact that you are a horrible packer; 3. I'm so nervous starting my new job I could vomit...will you hold back my hair?