I blogged even less this year than i did last year, so i need to at least do a wrap-up for my own sake so that i can remember what happened this year. In order to keep it short, i’m going to experiment with more of an organized format.
January
In January of this year we suddenly decided that interest rates looked like they’d be rising sharply soon, and so we went one night to a seminar about buying a first house. We wound up being the only two people there. Two days later we went visiting homes in the area with the realtors who taught the seminar. The first house had a crappy basement. The next three had tiny kitchens. But the fifth one had a roomy kitchen, two fireplaces, a finished basement and an enormous shower with two showerheads. We fell swiftly in love with it, even though we had almost passed the house by because it was further north than we wanted to be. We made an offer that day, and within about a week the deal was sealed. We were on our way to purchasing our first house.
(The doors are different now, this is an old photo)
February
In February we took a trip to Chicago and moved into our new house!
March
In March Nathan traded in his BMW 1-series for a BMW Z4 M. He was a happy, happy boy. I was a stressed-out bride-to-be (but i don’t regret agreeing to let him make the switch. he really loves the car).
April
In April i had my bachelorette party. It was a blast! We went to Appare for dinner, had oreo balls at the house and then went to Uncle Buck’s for some dancing action. The ladies bought me drinks and i danced until i got all sweaty and gross. It was awesome.
May
In May we got married!!!
June
In June we went to Cancun for our honeymoon. After all that stress with the new house and the new car and planning the loveliest wedding, it was absolutely fantastic to just sit on the beach and do nothing.
July
In July Dustin visited before he went back down to Oklahoma to start his internship. We went to an Iowa Cubs game with Mom and i made the game seem pretty fascinating in comparison to my talk of the books i’d been reading.
August
In August i turned 26. My guy friends had a party for me at their place. We ate BLTs and stayed up late watching Twilight with the RiffTrax on, and then we went out to a park to watch the Perseids meteor shower. I had been warned that it was going to be crappy this year because of the full moon, but we went anyway and each of us saw at least a couple of shooting stars. I want to make this an annual birthday tradition, and hopefully the skies will be nice and dark for me in 2012.
September
In September we went to Iowa City for Nathan’s birthday. We got burgers and beers at The Vine and stayed at a weird little eco-friendly/vegetarian/salvaged-everything bed and breakfast. In the morning we went to Wilson’s orchard and picked apples for pies and apple dumplings.
October
In October we went to Grinnell to see Ume. The show was in the basement of a dormitory, and for a long time it didn’t look like anyone else was coming. North America opened with some spooky instrumental music, and then the college kids (who had all brought their own beverages) really started rocking out when Ume took the stage. It was a really good show, and it was free! I got Lauren’s autograph before we left.
November
In November we learned that my brother has cancer. It’s not really my place to talk about it much, but i can say that for a minute there i was truly scared and i thought that my extreme luck in life was about to run out. It turned out not to be quite as bad as some of us had feared, but still something that was very serious and needed to be dealt with as quickly as possible. My brother came and stayed with us over Thanksgiving and it was wonderful to see him. Shortly thereafter he began his treatment. So far he’s feeling extremely well despite everything, and we’re really hopeful that this will all pass without even being terribly difficult. I can’t express what a relief that is.
December
Earlier this month we went to California to celebrate my grandfather’s 90th birthday. It’s always nice to go down there, especially in the winter since it’s still warm enough to walk around in a light jacket. My grandparents seemed to be doing really well—even better than the last time i saw them, i think—but my great aunt did happen to be in the hospital with some grave-sounding infection. She’s 92, herself. I was glad to be able to go down there and see everyone, including my Dad and his wife.
So, that about wraps it up. What a year! One of the best possible things and one of the worst possible things happened in rapid succession. I still feel incredibly fortunate. I have a husband who is wonderful is so many ways, and a dear little house in which to live with him. I did not change jobs this year, which is a first for me. And my brother is going to be fine, which i’m eternally thankful for. It was a terrible thing that he got cancer, but i’m a lucky, lucky girl to have always had him in my life and to be able to continue on that way.
I don’t want to make any promises i can’t keep, but in 2012 i hope to be a little more social and a little more creative. I’m starting to miss my creative outlets, and i plan to take some classes and/or make some time to get back into making beautiful things. I’m not sure what yet, but hopefull you’ll see.
It hasn’t been a very productive year for me in terms of blogging, but i’m pretty sure that’s one of the most obvious and overused statements in all of human existence. I have however read ten books, watched about 75 movies and listened to many new albums over the course of 2010. I’ve also gotten quite a lot done in terms of the upcoming wedding, but more about that later. Let’s take a blog moment to reflect on the year.
Last winter was actually a pretty content one for me. Having an SUV and big ol’ ear muffs and not paying too much attention to the bitchers all over Twitter kept me in really good spirits despite the crap that rained down on us for days on end. There was this day when i drove to work and everything was coated in a layer of frost and it was one of the prettiest things i think i’ve ever seen. Our downtown loft felt kinda like a warm cave—especially since we didn’t have to worry about paying for heating—and not having to shovel snow was a definite bonus. But the thin walls and high price eventually drove us to find a new place to stay.
In the spring we moved to our new house and i fell into a funk that lasted a couple of months. I had to stop paying attention to any and all news because hearing about the oil gushing mercilessly into the Gulf put a grimy layer of frosting on my not-so-happy cake. Luckily all of that junk passed and i had a very happy summer & fall planning the wedding details with Nathan and going to parties & shopping with my girls. My brother came to town for a couple of months and instilled in Nathan and me a humble appreciation for a really good IPA (i.e. beer). That was a very awesome way to spend the summer, if i do say so. We also took a trip to California to visit my dad’s family, including a handful of cousins who came to the U.S. from Belgium for three weeks to see the sights. It was a real treat to see them all again.
Come fall i’d been driving my stick-shift Honda almost every day for a year, and learning to drive it well taught me perseverance. I’ve gained a certain confidence that i might some day become good at other quotidian tasks, such as doing my hair, frying an egg or maintaining eye contact while speaking to people. When i lost my job in October, i was prepared to spend a couple of months doing very little and then go back to school to become a programmer, and i contemplated using my down time to practice playing guitar again. Okay—to be honest it was the hair thing that i was most looking forward to practicing, but—luckily i got a job as a web developer for August Home Publishing in November and was relieved of having to worry about what to do with my free time. ‘Cause when you work eight-to-five, you A. cook, B. clean up or C. watch movies when you aren’t at work. And on the weekends you sleep a lot and go out shopping/eating/hanging out with your friends. That’s just how it is. Well—for me, anyway.
My new job is awesome, and a major part of that may be that it’s just awesome to have a job. I was really lucky to get another job so quickly, and honestly if it wasn’t for the connections i’ve made via Twitter it wouldn’t have happened and i probably would’ve had to buy myself a new set of textbooks for Christmas. Thankfully, i have an income instead and i’m spending too much money on holiday steals and insurance premiums instead. The people i work with are awesome. The work i do can be challenging (which is great) and frustrating (which is not so great) at times, but it’s not a bad gig at all. The websites i work on have a LOT of potential, and i say that in the most loving possible way.
I’ve started working out again, thanks to the free gym access i get through work. And no, i’m not trying to lose weight for the wedding; i’m just fearful that with osteoporosis & heart disease running rampant in my family i’ll probably end up pretty miserable down the road if i don’t start taking preventative measures now. I’m getting married; that means i need to take care of myself, right? So i jog for 20 minutes twice a week and i’m going to work on finding ways to increase that and/or supplement it with some sort of weight-bearing exercise. I’m really afraid of building muscle, though. Especially in my legs. They tend to get muscular and i really don’t want them to be any bigger. But enough whining—i can already see the comments i’m going to get in response to that tangent.
I don’t really know how to segue into this topic, but a couple of people i knew from high school died this year and it’s been a really strange experience for me. The first was Tiffany Robb who frankly gave me more of a hard time in school than anyone else i can think of. She was my cheerleading captain freshman year and she was a big reason that i only lasted two seasons with it. When i heard that she had died i was creeped out by how little sadness i felt. But then i heard that she had been shot, and i just felt so angry knowing that her life had been stolen from her at such a young age. Whatever happened between the two of us back in high school is of so little significance compared to the fact that she’s been forcibly removed from the earth. It got me thinking about whether any of us is really entitled to life and for how long, and it made me wonder who would miss me and who wouldn’t if this happened to me and whether any of that really matters. And just on December 17th, Brittany Hall, who was a good friend of mine in high school, died of complications caused by her epilepsy. I had let her slip away from my life almost completely, except for a comment here and there on facebook. She was so passionate and unique and troubled and here again i’m angry that during her short life something of great importance was just stolen from her. But that’s probably not my place to really talk about. I know it’s natural and okay for people to drift apart after school, i’m just sorry that i never sat down to catch up with her over a cup of coffee or something. I wish i had heard her stories.
On a lighter note, i’m looking forward anxiously to what 2011 has in store. This is the year i get married. It’s something i’ve always secretly wanted but rarely dared to believe could actually happen for the right reasons. But here i am, and here we are, and i am so excited i can hardly breathe when i really think about it. The wedding is about five months away now, and i’m going to savor the days from here until then carefully, because the anticipation is so sweet. I’m definitely looking forward to actually being married to Nathan, but i’m also enjoying the planning and designing and choosing and checking items off the to-do list in good time. The day itself will be wonderful no matter what happens or what color the flowers end up being. And then there will be a honeymoon in Cancun. And then a long and happy life together. And i. Am so. Pumped.
Due to recent developments in the life of Steph, i may have to come up with a new theme for this blog. I’m more like 50% Disaster and 50% Dreamer now. I’ve been laid off from my position as a web designer, and that’s three strikes. I don’t plan to return to design again; from here on out i’m either a web developer or studying to become a programmer, depending on what happens in the next few weeks.
In the personal realm of life, Nathan and i have been enjoying the season together quite a bit, despite having opted for Thai food and a zombie movie at home rather than a party on Beggars’ Night. We made a trek to Iowa City a few weekends ago and visited an orchard, picked up some seasonal microbrews, had dinner with Nina & Karl and went to a hookah bar after discovering that the band we had traveled to see had cancelled the show due to van troubles. At the orchard we picked a couple of ill-fated little pumpkins and enough apples for Nathan to double our current stockpile of delicious homemade pies.
The treasure was a small decorative gourd.
Evidently the squirrels around here have a taste for pumpkin.
More recently, i walked the Race for the Cure with my mom, a thirteen-year cancer survivor. It was quite a sight to see a river of pink filling the streets of Des Moines and all the names written on their backs of survivors and victims alike. It wasn’t quite the feeling of accomplishment that i got two years ago when i ran/walked it, but it was definitely more of a sense of sisterhood. This time it was about relationships rather than endurance.
Autumn has been pretty kind to us this year; we haven’t seen a snowflake yet, but it is getting chillier as the days pass. Most of the leaves have fallen now. It’s time to pick up the pieces.
I was going to write two separate posts about my birthday and the Iowa State Fair, but once again i’ve procrastinated too long and so i’m just going to post photos and talk a little bit about them.
For my birthday Nathan got me tickets to three different shows that happened here in Des Moines right around my birthday: Rooney, Phoenix and Tegan & Sara. Rooney was first, and it was a really fun little show in an intimate venue, and it was early in the day which turned out to be nice for us working types. Phoenix was the very next day, and their show was a little too loud and a little too packed and a little too blinding as far as the light show, but it was still fun.
Next came my actual b-day, which i spent trying on wedding dresses, watching Eat, Pray, Love and playing Apples to Apples with a handful of my lovely friends.
A few days later we saw Tegan & Sara, which was definitely an interesting show. They performed at Hoyt Sherman which is a really lovely old venue here in Des Moines. There was no opening band, and T&S played two sets: an acoustic set and one with the full band. During the first set they did some Q&A sessions which got to be a little long-winded, but they’re funny people so it was interesting to hear them talk about some adventures they’ve had both in the recording studio and on the road. We had to cut out of the second set a little early, but i still got to hear all of my favorite T&S songs.
Nathan’s gifts (comic books & concert tickets!)
First thing i saw when i got to work Monday. Love it.
The day after Tegan & Sara, we went to the Iowa State Fair. If you haven’t been to our fair, it’s pretty much the best one in the country. And i say that because i think Martha Stewart said it, or something. It’s all about excess: who grows the fattest pig, the biggest pumpkin, the most enormous stalk of corn; how many calories can we pack into a single $6 fried-on-a-stick commodity; how many big ol’ corn-fed Iowans can you pack into a few hundred acres? I used to absolutely hate it and now i think it’s great fun.
I really wanted to steal a little chickie. They’re SO CUTE.
Our famous Butter Cow. Life-size, all butter.
The biggest pumpkin weighed over 1,000 lbs.
So *that’s* why they call it eggplant.
That cabbage in the back was the size of a beach ball.
…And these were tiny! I like photographing produce…
A sampling of the many, many pretty quilts
This year we ate: mini doughnuts, some rootbeer, a couple of exorbitantly priced brewskis, fried cheese curds (a must), i had 2/3 of a tenderloin (it took a while to find one that wasn’t the size of a dinner plate), and a turkey leg which we took home and made stock with. Have i mentioned that we’re getting really into the whole “domestic” thing?
It’s that time of year again when i get to spend an entire day doing whatever i want! Today i’m on vacation from work so i slept in and looked at all my messages on Facebook, and soon i’ll be going to try on wedding dresses with a few friends and then celebrating the rest of my day with them and Nathan. My lovely friend Jennifer did my nails last night so that i’d look extra glamorous in the dresses:
Happy Birthday to Me! 