Married Life

All posts in the Married Life category

We built a thing!

Published January 2, 2016 by Malia

I’ll be honest, until about a year ago I really didn’t understand how to build things with Legos. I understood the concept, but I just really didn’t know how to go from understanding the concept to actually making the concept work. Fortunately, with help from the boy, I now can make them work.

When we got married, the centerpiece of one of the tables was a big basket of Legos. The lovely thing about it is that we now have a bunch of Legos to play with. Something I haven’t done until this afternoon.

Browsing the internet, I found instructions for building the Eiffel Tower. (Eiffel Tower Instructions) Pulling out my box of Legos, I quickly discovered that I didn’t have nearly enough bricks to do solid colors, but I thought I had enough to at least try. To my delight, with some help from the boy, the Tower was completed.

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Here’s the topper. She’s the only head I have in my random collection of bricks. I’m not sure she approves of me…or anything. She seems pretty judgey.

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Don’t invite Charles Dickens to your seance.

Published September 29, 2015 by Malia

I am thoroughly convinced that my office is haunted.  Up until last week, though, I hadn’t mentioned it to anyone because I didn’t want people to think I was any crazier than I actually am. 

The way my office is situated, I sit right next to the door, but when I’m on the phone, my back is mostly turned towards the door.  Now, it’s not unusual for people to walk in to drop off results, or other things that need my attention, and if I’m on the phone they’ll usually leave the item on the file cabinet behind me.  Since it’s such a small office, whenever anyone walks in, I can feel the movement of air as they pass behind me.  On a regular basis, I’ll find myself taking a phone call and will feel someone walk in and stand behind me.  However, when I hang up the phone, no one is standing there. 

Like I said in the beginning, I’ve not been mentioning this oddness, but now I know I’m not the only one experiencing weirdness. 

Last week, I came back from my lunch break, and my coworker (we share an office) asked me if the blinds had been closed when she arrived.  I told her they were, that I had closed them mid-morning because the sun was beating in and I wanted to try to keep it semi-cool.  She then told me that when she was on the phone, she could have sworn that someone opened the blinds, but when she looked at them they were closed.  We then sat and discussed the fact that this room seems haunted.
I know there’s a reasonable explanation for most everything.  Me thinking that someone is walking behind me is likely the by-product of a change in the air pressure.  My co-worker thinking the blinds were opened was probably the sun hitting them just right.  However, I know that there are some things in this world that are just unexplainable. 

When I shared with the boy that I’m relatively certain my office is haunted, I was met with a decent amount of skepticism. 

To be fair, I understand his skepticism.  He’s been fully exposed to my super overactive imagination.  A few weeks ago, I spent the entire evening watching Mysteries at the Museum and Mysteries at the Monuments, and when it was time to feed the cat and go to bed I freaked out.  I made the boy walk me to the basement and stand there while I fed the cat, and when we went to bed, I wouldn’t let him turn out the lights until I was securely in bed…safe from Charles Dickens’ ghost and aliens.  Mostly from the aliens.  I’m not too concerned about Dickens, unless he decides Great Expectations needs another ending.

 I remember him wearily asking me, “Now, you’re scared of history?”

In my head my reply went something like, “Of course I am.  If we don’t fear the terrible things from the past, how will we learn and not allow such horrors to take place in the future?”  What I actually said went more, “Protect me from the aliens!”

At that point he rolled his eyes, sighed  (I’m sure he was envisioning the future filled with him having to protect me from every ridiculous thing I see on t.v. that’s even slightly scary), and went to sleep.  Leaving me to fight the aliens off with my pillow.

And that is why I understand his reluctance to believe my office is haunted…but it totally is. 

The Whole Elephant

Published April 4, 2015 by Malia

Today, I boxed up the boy’s old dishes, and supply of plastic glassware, and unpacked my dishes & non-plastic glassware and put it away on the shelf.  I’m in the middle of making my second loaf of bread, with my super awesome new bread machine.  I cleaned the master bathroom.  I emptied the trash out of my car (it was such a mess, it went well beyond embarrassing).  I accomplished much, and yet I’m sitting here feeling like I accomplished nothing.

If I were Suzy Q. Homemaker, I’d have everything clean, the basement would be completely organized, the laundry would be going, the thank you notes would be written and delivered, and all of my belongings would be unpacked and put away and no longer living in boxes making the guest room look like a disaster area storage unit.  (And I wouldn’t be writing long run-on sentences.  Also, I wouldn’t be using terrible grammar because I’m too lazy to go back and fix obvious mistakes.)

As of today, we’ve been married for three weeks, and I’m feeling a little overwhelmed.  It’s hard to explain.  It’s been a crazy amount of change in a very short amount of time.  Before three weeks ago, I’d never kissed a guy, let alone lived with one.  Before three weeks ago, the most responsible thing I had to do everyday was just make sure I got myself to work.  The boy has been amazing.  He’s incredibly patient with me, and that’s truly what’s getting me through this.

I had lunch with my dad yesterday, and I was telling him about how frustrated I am with myself.  Basically, I want to be SuperWife, and falling  short of mark makes this perfectionist want to cry.  I told him that I wish I had taken more than a week and a half off from work.  I had no idea how overwhelming and stressful this all would be.  He was really sweet and kind, and asked me, “How do you eat an elephant?”  Now, the correct answer is, “One bite at a time,” but lately I’ve been approaching things, “The whole thing in one bite!”

So, I’m going to do my best to hang up the cape.  Let some other poor woman try to be SuperWife.  I think right now the best thing I can do for the boy and myself is just be Wife.

I swear I can cook!

Published March 26, 2015 by Malia

Hello, World, I’m married.  It happened almost two weeks ago, and yet I’m still sitting here in a daze.

Nerd points if you can figure out both of our rings!

Nerd points if you can figure out both of our rings!

I live with a boy now.  Before we were married, I was a little worried it would be a weird experience.  However, my fears were unfounded.  Sure, it’s different, but it’s a good, mostly non-weird different.

We spent the “honeymoon” week at home, and I think that’s about the best thing we could have done.  It gave us some quality alone time, and made this whole transition a little less scary and overwhelming.

This week I’ve started learning the fine art of being a wife.  The number one thing I’ve learned?  It’s a REALLY good thing the boy loves me so much!  I feel like this week I’ve done nothing but epically fail at all things “wife.”  I’m still not unpacked.  I still haven’t finished going through what we’re keeping and what we’re returning.  I think I’ve killed the plants I’ve been trying to get to grow.  And worst of all?  My talent for cooking has absolutely abandoned me.  Wednesday I created food that was just barely edible.  Thursday (today), I made something that should have been excellent, and I’m pretty sure I missed the mark again.  I know new brides are supposed to have cooking disasters, and I’m quite thankful that so far my disasters aren’t really disasters.

That’s all the news that is news for now.  I think it’s time to go snuggle up to the boy sleeping in the other room!