signing off

I can't believe this day is here, a momentous day in blogger-land for me. I'm signing off, readers. It's time for a change. I'm getting married in just a few days, and I can hardly believe it's actually here. I feel that I'm at a culmination of my life thus far. I have so much ahead of me, and I feel that my life is so bright. I'm so, so happy.

So, I'm signing off for the last time.

As Miss Wood.

Next time I post, I'll be writing as Mrs. Wilson!! (Did I scare any of you into thinking I was forsaking blogging? Psych!)

See you in November!

wedding philosophy

Whenever I tell people I'm getting married on Friday, they usually ask something like, "Whoa! Are you just going crazy?" or "You must be so stressed out!" But I'm not. I've had a few moments of being stressed out, but really, all the wedding planning has just been fun. Granted, I have an incredible super mom and a remarkably talented wonder aunt who are taking the big responsibility load, and I trust them both implicitly. I'm not worried about anything. It's just been really, really fun.

That's how a wedding should be: fun and meaningful. And really, I'm just excited to be married, more than I am for the party. This next week I want to savor every moment, have fun in the crazy, and enjoy my time with family and friends and Josh.

I'm approaching this next week with a very live-in-the-moment attitude. I'm only getting my wedding week once, and I'm going to make it count.

real quick

So I'm in a semi-frantic dash to get everything ready for my departure to Colorado super soon, but I thought I'd send you over to Miranda's blog, where I guest-posted today! I know Miranda for real instead of just through  blogging, but I still feel that she's in the celebrity blogger status. I'm pretty flattered she asked me to do this!

(Yes, I know I posted as a newlywed, which I won't officially be for another week, but posting that way was just easier. Just go with it.)

makes me happy 006

Lists make me happy. More specifically, crossing items off on lists makes me happy.

With a wedding coming up I've been doing lots of list-making. In addition to this list (I glean so much satisfaction from seeing all those crossed-out lines), I've made one for Josh of things to do before he leaves for the wedding, one of things for me to do in Colorado for the wedding, and one of things to remember to pack for wedding week and the cruise. In addition to written lists, I have several mental lists going on. While things may be overwhelming sometimes, it's all made easier with lists!

don't ask me

Does apple juice go bad after it's been opened? Don't ask me. Ask the weird, squishy balls of who-knows-what floating in my cup of juice last night.

I declined to drink any of that.

12 on 12: back in the saddle

I had a camera for this month's 12-on-12! I don't think I'll ever take my camera for granted again after this last bout without it.

 

01. I love using hot rollers to do my hair instead of using a regular curling iron.

02. The apartment is set with the internet! The Frontier guy came yesterday, and now I'm good to go. I'm blogging from the apartment at this moment. (I've been going to Jeff and Karen's to use their internet until now.)

03. I'm out of cereal and so made pancakes for breakfast yesterday. The hot cocoa was a good addition.

04. Gilmore Girls is an excellent breakfast companion.

05. I finished the October issue of the Ensign. It was good reading to get ready for my wedding next week.

06. I blogged.

07. I made more pumpkin bread because it sounded good, and I was hoping the pumpkin smell would eradicate the lingering pancake smell from breakfast. It did.

08. Josh and I streamed an Office episode from Netflix through the Wii. It's pretty wonderful technology.

09. I worked on Grandma's personal history.

10. This is the book I'm reading for October. It's creepy but fascinating. It's like City Confidential in book form.

11. Karen (MIL) and I went to get hair extensions yesterday for the wedding.

12. While Josh worked on painting his balsa wood motorcycle, I sat on the couch while we watched Signs.

makes me happy 005

Doing cheap crafts with Josh makes me happy. We pick out balsa wood puzzles from Michael's and then watch movies while we piece them together and paint them. Don't ask me what we're going to do with them, but doing stuff like this, especially with someone I love, makes me happy indeed.

makes me happy 004

Pumpkin bread makes me happy. Especially in October. I mixed it up in these bowls.

 

These bowls also make me very happy.

And then after 45 minutes, I had these.

I can smell it just by looking at those loaves. Mmmm.

perfect Friday

If you combine a thoroughly successful hour and a half of errand running with metallic spray paint and a jewelry hanger thing

with pumpkin bread

with more metallic spray paint and pumpkins

 with You've Got Mail playing in the background

with macaroni and Diet Pepsi for lunch with a  brisk autumn day, red patent-leather clogs, and a Friday, you get one incredible, perfect, October day.

makes me happy 003

 

 My wedding-countdown paper chain. 15 links left. This makes me very happy.

a Wednesday night

Josh and I got dinner at Costco.

And then we streamed season-four 30 Rock episodes from Netflix on the Wii while we ate our inexpensive and thoroughly unhealthy meal.

And no, Josh and I did not plan to coordinate so perfectly today.

makes me happy 002

 

Diet Pepsi--especially in a polka-dot drinking glass that fits the contents of one can of soda perfectly--makes me happy. It's the perfect addition to any afternoon. I love the cold bubbles on my lips and the satisfying rush of the carbonation. I love it.

makes me happy 001

I'm riding on Miranda's tails here, throughout October posting a series of things that make me happy. I pretty much love this idea.

My Chicago Manual of Style and my Merriam-Webster's Dictionary make me happy. They really do. I love the orange binding on my Chicago, and I love how the dictionary can answer just about any question I have.

It makes me happy that I can use these tools to work on this personal history project of my grandma's. I love knowing that I can use my skills and talents to benefit my family in this way.

here's the thing

So, here's the thing. I need a job. Ideally an editing or writing one.In fact, I really to want to work. I've been looking everywhere. And I've accepted the likely possibility that I won't find something directly dealing in my favorite field. I've had a few interviews. But nothing has panned out yet.

And then I wonder if I'm being too picky. Because, you see, I really don't want to work in retail. I'm okay with reception or an office job. I've done that before. I worked my way through school and then really hard to do well in school. I graduated from a prestigious university with a marketable degree and marketable skills. I don't want to settle. I really don't.

But I still need a job.

Then, what if I'm just being a job diva? Because if I settle too much I'll wonder what the point of college was if I don't do anything with it. (That mentality hints at drama queen.) Has a college degree made me stuck up? Should I settle, at least temporarily? How much settling is too much? How do I know where to draw the line between validating my education/skills and flat snobbery?

So. I need a job. But it's not as simple as that. So, that's the thing.

a few words on the weekend

My weekend was lovely.

My church had what we call General Conference, a semiannual conference in which the leaders of our church give us guidance, encouragement, and direction. I take the weekend off on conference weekend--conference is my priority.

And then after it's all over I eagerly await the arrival of the conference addresses in the November issue the Ensign, one of my church's magazine. Conference touches me where I need it, motivates me in the areas I need it most, and always makes me feel of God's love.

Interested? Check it out. You'll love it. Promise.

Operation Superhuman Reader: since moving to Oregon

It's been a while, I know. But I have still been reading. So here's what I've accomplished since the move.

Charms for the Easy Life by Kaye Gibbons

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This was a delightful quick read. I loved the characters and the simple stories. This is a great book for a light read that still has some poignancy to it.


View all my reviews

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Wow. This book was different from anything I've ever read. The prose is beautiful and the story equally compelling. The characters--including the dogs--are so complex, and the relationship Edgar has with his dogs is remarkable. The book jacket was a little misleading to me, but I liked the actual story more than what I was expecting. Though I truly loved this book, it did wax a little long to me. However, that's pretty inconsequential considering how much this book made me think. This is a novel I'll have to go back and reread, because I know I didn't catch all the meanings and nuances the first time.

Loved it. Read it.

View all my reviews

giggling

I've been giggling randomly all day and smiling most of the time, because it's officially wedding month. Twenty-one days. Twenty if you count today as over. Which I am.

Twenty.