Comes In Like a Lion?

They say that if March comes in like a lion, then it goes out like a lamb, but is the opposite true? If it comes in like a lamb, will it go out like a lion?

Based on my atmospherical observations, I deem this statement as true. Here is why:

1. We began March with a temperature of 45 degrees Fahrenheit. (This is pretty average for these parts.) Not much snow, not much rain, just chilly. (Kind of calm and lamb-like, wouldn't you agree?!)

2. Throughout the first couple weeks of March, the temperatures steadily rose to our first above 60 degrees Fahrenheit day that we've had in what feels like months. (Honestly, I think we had two days in February that were over 60 degrees, but that was a fluke, and we haven't had any since then.)

3. From there, the temperatures fluctuated slightly, but steadily climbed to continue offering a higher and higher temperature each day until we had a week of temperatures in the 60's and even 70's! (At this point, I distinctly remember wondering if temperatures were going to stay warm for the remainder of the Spring. I thought to myself: Spring came really fast!) The very next day temperatures dropped to the upper 30's... (So much for that thought.) From there, March has proven to be going out like a lion.

4. The warm weather brought thunderstorms and tornado watches. (Think "lion hunting prey".)

5. When the temperatures plummeted, they continued to stay below average, reminding us that we still have quite a few cold days months before we are frost free.

6. In addition to the below average temperatures, on the second to last day of March (yesterday) it snowed! Snowed! We had blizzard like conditions (that is seriously what it looked like) and ended up with 1" of snow on the ground!

7. Today is the last day of March, and we are still covered with a blanket of white snow. (I would've thought it would have melted by now...)

Now, if that is not evidence enough, I don't know what is. When folks say that if March comes in like a lion, then it goes out like a lamb, I would have to disagree. Not this March, it has clearly come in like a lamb and is going out like a lion!

That is, unless by 'comes in like a lion' they mean calm and quiet (when the lion is resting) and by 'goes out like a lamb' they mean white and fluffy (like a little lamby-lamb). If that is the case, then I would have to agree. We are definitely white and fluffy right now!

If You Never Did, You Should

I am a person that is inspired, that hopes to inspire, that seeks inspiration. I love how inspiration comes in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Sometimes it comes as a complete surprise. Sometimes it comes from a person. Sometimes it comes from words, written in an article, posted on the oh-so-wonderful world wide web for viewers everywhere to read. That's what happened to me today.

The article I read was titled If You Never Did, You Should, and while it did pose as a tribute to Dr. Suess' quote, it also had an extremely inspiring message written inside of it about fear in life.

Fear is everywhere. There are varying degrees of it, but we are each affected in one way or another, or have been at some point in our lives. Fear is a challenging opponent that holds us back, but if we have the strength to rise above it it can easily be our saving grace, allowing us to discover what we are truly capable of and to remind us of our inner strength. We can learn from our fear, grow from our fear, and more than anything, we can inspire ourselves by accomplishing whatever our fears are holding us back from.

It sounds so simple, and while the premise is, it is much easier said than done. (I've found that most important things in life are.)

The article put it perfectly, so rather than paraphrase, I've got to share what the author wrote word for word:

"...we shouldn’t allow fear to limit us. That we should try to live in such a way that we are open to new experiences; that it is ok to be cautious, and it is ok to have a certain amount of fear or anxiety, but that we can not live our lives dominated by that fear..."

Amen.

Fear is an obstacle on our path to accomplishment. It stares us straight in the eyes, assumes itself as bigger than us, and tries in every possible way to prevent us from continuing on our way, and, usually, the fear is in our own heads. We have to constantly remind ourselves that we are bigger than fear itself, that we will overcome it, and when we do, not only will we be a stronger person, but we will also feel more empowered and ready to tackle the next hurdle.

If you'd like to read the full (short) article, click here.

I hope you are as inspired as I was.

Soul Sisters

Oh, Amy! Let me tell you about my lovely, wonderful, beautiful, awesome, amazing, incredible, hilarious sis!

She is, without a doubt, my best friend. Even though we are ten years apart, we laugh, we carry on, we joke, we listen, we talk, and we get each other like we are a year apart. On top of it all, whenever I'm with Amy, people think I'm still in college like she is...or in high school like when she was. (Amy, remember that time we went to dinner when you stayed with me in Virginia and that guy asked us if we went to Chantilly High School?! That was nearly three years ago, folks. I'm not sure what that is saying about either of us, but it has always been like that.)

There is something so amazing about Amy and me. We just get each other, and it's such an incredible feeling. Amy is so easy to get along with. She's smart, funny, beautiful, and she is always up for whatever which makes for a ton of fun! Whether we tackle the adventure of Shrum Mound, which we did this weekend, or head to the movies to relax, which we also did this weekend, or get our nails done or go shopping or go to dinner or make dinner, all of which we did this weekend, we have fun! So much fun! We laugh, we joke, we talk, we laugh, and Brian gets to witness all of our silliness and goofiness and sisterly love! He laughs and jokes and talks and laughs too, of course, but I'm not sure if he laughs at us ...  or with us! Either way, we all have fun!

It was so incredible to have Amy in town for the weekend! It was enlightening and a great dose of much needed ECF (East Coast Family) who I haven't seen in what feels like forever and have definitely been yearning for. We were definitely sad to see her go but happy to know that we will be back together again soon!

Amy, thanks for making the trip out to Cbus to visit! We miss you already! Love you, seester!

To the outside world we all grow old. But not to brothers and sisters. We know each other as we always were. We know each other's hearts. We share private family jokes. We remember family feuds and secrets, family griefs and joys. We live outside the touch of time.

- Clara Ortega

Little Puppy Foo Foo

Jack got a hold of my loofah yesterday, or 'floofah', as Brian says!

We're strongly considering enrolling him in puppy ballet.

European Vacation

Well, we've booked our You're-A-Peein'...I mean, European vacation, and we are SO, SO excited!!! We will be headed to Europe to visit Matt in Zurich, Switzerland (Brian's roommate and best friend from Scotland), my Dad in Stuttgart, Germany, and to explore a city we've both never been to but have always wanted to see: Prague, Czech Republic!

We will be flying from Columbus, OH to Atlanta, GA on to Zurich, Switzerland for our first leg. Then, we will be taking a train through the Swiss & German Alps to get to Stuttgart, Germany for our second leg and another train through the heart of Germany to get from Stuttgart, Germany to Prague, Czech Republic for our third leg. From there, we will be flying out of Prague, Czech Republic back to Atlanta, GA and then back to Columbus, OH.

We are just thrilled to have the opportunity to do this, and we cannot wait to see Matt, my Dad, Switzerland, Germany, and the Czech Republic. It will be full of adventure, and fun, and amazing new experiences that we will be able to share together. This will be our first trip to Europe together, but definitely not our last!

We simply cannot wait!

Blinded By The Light

As Brian revelled in the fury of March Madness (while he diligently worked, of course), the blind contractor hustled around him to hang our new blinds!

After we redid our kitchen, we left the blinds that were originally there stay, but they definitely looked out of place. And, there were at least ten windows in our house that just didn't have blinds at all when we moved in. We toyed with the idea of just getting blinds for the windows that needed them. Then we thought maybe we would replace only the windows that face the front of our house. Then we figured we might as well do them all because we'd like to eventually do them...

...And that is exactly what we did!

Here are some of our before and after photos:

Clockwork

Jack has upgraded his sleeping quarters from a crate on the floor with some blankets and a 15% stuffed pillow (he pulled all the stuffing out himself, not us) to a huge and comfy king size bed with lots of covers and two warm bodies to sleep between! (At least when he behaves he has!)

I've been pushing to have Jack sleep in our bed for a while. It's still winter - the more, the merrier, and warmer, right?! I don't think Brian, on the other hand, was ready to share half of his space! But he's come around, and we've done a few trial nights to see how Jack does. We've got a good routine down, and we are well aware of the rules:

1. Jack gets a treat for laying in the bed after we've actually gotten in and under the covers. (If we did things in any other order, we'd never get comfortable, and we'd never have any covers.)

2. After about 5:30 am, any sign of movement, change in breathing, sound of voice, or eye contact makes Jack think that it's time to get up (rolling over to get more comfortable is included, as is asking what time it is), and he will not let you go back to sleep if he sees/hears/feels this. In his world, it's time to get up, and if you don't get up with him he will plop down right on top of you and nudge his wet puppy nose in your face until you get up.

Before the time change, if Jack were sleeping with us his no turning back point (as in there is no way this dog is going back to sleep point) was precisely at 6:41 am. After the time change, it is nearly 7:00 am every morning. I swear this dog is like clockwork.

I'm tempted to stop setting my alarm clock. Can you see the 'my dog didn't wake me up' excuse flying if I am late for work?!

Perhaps I'll stick with the alarm...for now!

Smack dab in the middle! (Brian was right to be hesitant!)

World Peace

Three days ago, on Friday, March 11, 2011, at around 2:45 pm (in Japan) a huge and strong 8.9 magnitude earthquake occurred right off the east coast of Honshu, Japan. Shortly thereafter, a 30' tsunami rushed nearly 6 miles inland destroying everything in its path. Houses were literally picked up from their foundation and carried away. Planes, cars, trucks, boats, some still on fire, (not to mention the countless number of lives that were simply swept away) littered the tsunami flood and pummeled inland at a force that no one could reckon with.

The images and videos that we've seen since then are devastating. The destruction that was caused with the mighty earth rumbling and subsequent rush of ocean water coming ashore is indescribable. Where there were once cities and towns, there is now nothing. Families are torn apart, thousands are still missing, nuclear power plants are at risk of exploding and releasing noxious gases into the air and on our earth. The earthquake and tsunami wreaked havoc on Japan, and it will be years before we will even be able to comprehend the extent of this disaster.

When something of this scale happens, we are all reminded that we are but a small component of this earth, of this universe, and that life is an extremely precious gift.

When something of this scale happens, we are also brought together.

Countries unite to help those involved in the tragedy, and aid is accepted. People come together to help those that are searching for family members, those that are homeless, those that still hanging on to their precious lives. It makes the wars in Iraq and the Middle East, the uproar in Libya, and the increasing gas prices all seem irrelevant, at least for a short while.

It's unfortunate that it takes a catastrophe to bring us, as a world, together, and even then we are not really 100% together.

I understand that not everyone feels this way, but I kind of feel like asking, 'why can't we all just get along?' We are shaming our kindergarten rules.

We live on this Earth together. We need to work together to stay alive. We need to work together to have a future. But as easy as it is to say and comprehend it is much, much more difficult to achieve. Sometimes nearly impossible it seems.

Having not experienced such a destructive nightmare, I cannot imagine what the people in Japan are going through, but my hopes, my thoughts, and my prayers go out to everyone affected. The inspiring stories of rescue and survival have brightened the recently dimmed light. I hope that there are many, many more survivors out there just waiting to be found.

And I hope that we can continue to work together to rescue these fortunate people.

Where Do We Live Again?

4 months ago, we moved into our new house.

4 months later, I am still driving past it every now and then because I forget where exactly the driveway is...

...Until I pass it...
I did that tonight.

In my defense, it was dark. That's a good enough excuse, right?!

Music to My Ears

I can't tell you how much I love music. If there is a mood, there is a song that represents that mood. And sometimes when it's hard to put words to the emotions you are feeling, there's a song that you can listen to, relate to, or sing to to relieve or enjoy the feelings you have. I.heart.music. And always have.

If I'm cleaning, the music is on. If I'm in my car driving somewhere, the music is on. If I'm working on a design at work, the music is on low (if I'm allowed to have it on). If I'm working out, you better believe that music is probably on too loud. But there isn't a day that goes by that my ears aren't delighted with the presence of music!

A few months ago I lost all of my music. (I had to have my laptop reformatted, and, consequently, all my songs were erased...) iTunes, however, has been extremely helpful, and I now have a majority of my songs back on my computer! I am delighted to have these back, and it's been absolutely wonderful to hear some of my favs that I haven't heard in forev!

Thank you, iTunes!!!

Bulbtacular!

We have bulbs in our yard! Bulbs!!! And not just any bulbs: daffodils! And lots of them! I am so excited to see them all bloom!

Since Brian and I moved in November, we haven't had a chance to see what exactly is in our yard, landscape and critter wise, and while we've noticed that the yard definitely wasn't a priority to the previous
owner(s), we are still very excited to see what's going to come to life this season! (Well, I am, at least!)

In early December, I planted a handful of bulbs - a few daffodils and some lovely pink tulips. It was a little late to plant the bulbs, but I was hopeful and excited to at least get something in the ground that we could enjoy in the spring. Brian noticed that they are coming up too!

Spring is definitely on it's way! And we hope our yard is full of some other enjoyable surprises!

The Price of Freedom

Vet Bill: $520.00

Extra puppy treats: $4.99

New comfy pillow to lounge on: $5.99

Freeing yourself from that ridiculous cone: PRICELESS.

Things We've Learned This Week

-Frozen chicken does not cook easily in the oven.

-Dinner parties are fun but require a lot of work.

-Cooking is way more exciting when you enjoy the space you're cooking in!

-Having someone else make dinner for you tastes better than you making it for yourself.

-Home cooked meals don't even compare to those you get at restaurants. (Unless you've tried cooking with frozen chicken.)

(Yes, we have thoroughly been enjoying the kitchen.)

-It's not as dark when we get up in the morning which means the days are getting longer and Spring is on its way!

-Dogs with cones on their heads are extremely dangerous to legs, tables, corners, walls, doors, chairs, couches, cars, etc.

-Dogs with cones on their heads are also pretty funny looking!

-Fresh flowers (especially tulips) brighten any indoor space!

-I'm not a huge fan of chocolate (I would choose vanilla over chocolate any day), but, for some reason, a lot of people think that I am.

-In China, the government imposes 'internet censorship' which regulates what their country can and cannot find on the internet. For example, in China you are not allowed to access facebook. (Though we also learned there are ways around this.)

-Craigslist has helped us sell a ton of our wedding stuff, and we are now down to a very small pile.

-Amy is coming to visit in three weeks!

-The birds don't really care (at all) for our new kind of bird seed, which, by the way, was recommended as 'the best out there'.

-Speaking of birds, the red-bellied woodpecker, which we've seen but not been able to snap a photo of, doesn't, in fact, have a red belly at all. It has a red head. This is why it is so difficult for Brian and I to identify our feathery friends.

-Good books are hard to find but finding a good one makes trudging through all the not-so-good ones worth it.

-A sliced banana with a little bit of vanilla ice cream and even a smaller bit of chocolate syrup is literally one of the best desserts ever!

Quite an intuitive week, if I do say so myself!