Married Life

Married life. It’s quite interesting. It’s nice to have someone that is happy working our way through all the seasons of “How I Met Your Mother” on Friday and Saturday nights. It’s nice having an automatic partner when we play darts in the basement of the Flying Saucer with our college friends. It’s nice having one other person in this entire world completely understand how obsessed I am with Sparky, because he’s just as obsessed as I am (for the record, he’s the cutest, most loving, little rambunctious terrier on the planet. Even though he can’t have any toys because he’ll eat them all).

But it’s not nice to still find towels draped in random places throughout the apartment. Or to find bowls and plates in the sink that are NEVER rinsed out. Ever. Or to open the lid to the washer and find two wet socks and a pair of wet shorts stuck to the sides. Or to turn the water on in the bathtub and have it rain down on your head from the shower when you weren’t expecting it because someone forgot to turn the knob that switches from shower to tub.

But then again, there are the other nice times when I get home from work, and after Dallas has already left, and turn on the TV to find Cartoon Network, which implies that Dallas had been watched Spongebob or Flapjack or something silly. And then there’s the funny little half-finished sock rabbit sitting on the table that he had to make for a class. And then when I walk by the grocery list on the door and see something like “tangy zip of Miracle Whip” scribbled on it.

Overall, the little cute things far outweigh the annoying things. I’d say Dallas is a keeper, and married life is A-OK.

One Spoiled Pup

So how spoiled would you think Sparky was if I told you that I bought him all new bedding that matches mine and Dallas’s?

Tumblr Blog

I have just  created a new tumblr blog in honor of Sparky and other Cairn Terriers out there. Here’s the link:

Tender Love and Cairn

Sparky, that goofy dog

 

Married Life

Typically, I get home around 5:30 every evening. Dallas is always either at work or at school, that time, so I am lucky enough to come home to find little remnants of Dallas that he has left throughout the day. Without fail, this is what I find almost everyday:

• A wet towel piled on the back of the couch.
• A dirty glass with either juice in it, or some sort of smoothie made from the Magic Bullet. Or an almost empty Diet Dr. Pepper can, with enough left to cause a problem if Sparky gets up there and starts to investigate.
• Dishes in the sink that have not been rinsed out. Just to let you know, dirty, wet food in the sink absolutely grosses me out to the max. If it’s too bad, I’d rather throw out a tupperware container, rather than wash it out and use it again. It’s just one of those things. I nearly throw up.
• Beard hair in the bathroom sink.
• Dirty clothes on the bathroom floor, often laying on the ground RIGHT NEXT to the hamper. I can’t even begin to understand that one.
• If Sparky and Dallas have been running around together during the day on one of Dallas’s breaks, I’ll also come home to find numerous black socks strewn across the floor, and Sparky’s food bowl will also be hidden somewhere in the living room. On unlucky days, there will also be one of my bras under the couch, because Sparky has quite an obsession with bras. It’s weird.

These are just a few things. Granted, it’s not that bad, and it’s not every single thing, every single day. But it’s at least one thing every day. I’m training him, though. He is getting  very good about the dishes situation, because he knows that I just can’t handle wet, bloated food in the sink drain. Oh geez, I’m getting sick just thinking about it.

The good things about married life far outweigh the little annoying things, however. I’m not going to make a list because that would be too long, but one of my favorite things is in the mornings after I’m ready, and Sparky is running around, I’ll put Sparky up on the bed with Dallas. He’ll bounce along and make his way toward Dallas’s head, where he will attack him with licks and tail-wags and snuggles. Sparky loves it, and it’s pretty hilarious to watch. It’s also nice to have a handyman around when I need to hang up curtain rods or pictures, or when a really awesome, newly purchased lamp needs to be put together. And ya know, Dallas cooks a lot better than I do, so there’s that.

Stay tuned for more tales of Dallas’s housebreaking.

A grainy picture of Sparky from my BlackBerry:

So, I’m married.

I sure am. I’m married. And for all the worry about the weather that day, it sure turned out fabulous. I literally could not have asked for more perfect weather. It wasn’t hot, and it wasn’t windy. The sun was shining, and the ceremony ended just as the sun was headed toward the horizon. Lance Johnston got some great pictures of Dallas and I walking down a row of the orchard, into the sunset. He showed us some of the pictures he took, and they looked absolutely amazing. I can’t wait until they’re all ready to go, and I get a big ol’ wedding album.

The honeymoon in Forks, Washington was just great. The weather was cool and misty, and it was beautiful up there. Of course, one morning I had to take the time to go around the town and take pictures of Bella’s house, Edward’s house, Dr. Cullen’s parking spot at the hospital, and head to the chamber of commerce and take a picture with the “Vampires Thrive in Forks” banner. Dallas was a good sport about it. He kept asking me about Twilight, and by the end of the honeymoon, I had told him pretty much the whole thing.

So now we’re back, and I’m really happy because I no longer have to plan a wedding. Now I get to hang out with my husband and my puppy all the time.

Oh, I also have a new twitter account. You can find it here: www.twitter.com/shannajones

5 Weeks and Counting…

Today marks the beginning of the 5 week countdown to our wedding. 5 weeks! Does that seem insane to anyone else but me? It’s kind of scary, but it’s more exciting. I had Misty (Misty Anderson from Studio M Salon in Conway. She’s great) practice my “wedding do” and she did a perfect job, just like I knew she would. She did things to my hair that I didn’t know was possible. But yeah, I have my hair appointment scheduled for the wedding day, woo hoo. Now I have to think about the make-up situation. Now I’m not the most…artistic…when it comes to make-up stuff. I mean, do brides do it themselves? Do they have their friends do it? Do they TRUST their friends to do it? Do they go to Merle Norman and have them practice on their face and then buy the make-up and do it themselves? What gives? If you’ve already had a wedding, please let me know what the deal is on this situation.

I met with our DJ, and I’m SO FREAKIN’ EXCITED about our reception. Yes, the wedding will be simple and outdoors-y and cute and great, but man, the reception is going to be wonderful. I already have the cake-cutting song picked out, and the song for the wedding party introductions, and our first dance song. Any suggestions for the garter toss/bouquet toss songs? I have some ideas, but I want some more input!

And now for something completely different (wink, wink, nudge nudge)…

Little ol’ Sparky finally has this crate training thing figured out. He can stay in his crate ALL DAY LONG (almost 10 hours) and he won’t use the bathroom in it. He also sleeps through the night now, so no more 4:00 a.m. whinings and cryings to make me get up and take him outside. Now I’m the one who has to wake him up, and man I love that. As a reward for how good he’s been doing, I bought him a carseat so he can look outside when I’m driving, and so he’s not constantly trying to get in my lap (it has a hook that you latch onto his harness so he can’t get out of the seat). Check this thing out:

I know. You don’t even have to say it. It’s a little ridiculous. But when you have to drive almost 3 hours to get home, you’d want one, too. It’s annoying hauling Sparky’s big crate in and out of my car, and it’s much easier to just collapse it and throw it in the trunk. Besides, he looks so cute riding in his seat. Oh, and as an added bonus, Sparky is now the proud owner of a 2008 blue Democrat Donkey squeak toy. Cairn Terriers for Obama. BARK Obama 2008!

While we’re on the subject of Sparky/Cairn Terriers, let me rant for a second. I have grown used to the fact that no matter where I go, and no matter where I take Sparky for a walk, there will ALWAYS be multiple people to stop me and ask me what kind of a dog he is. The conversation goes something likes this:

Stranger: “Oooh, he’s so cute! What kind of dog is he?”
Me: “He’s a Cairn Terrier.”
Stranger: *puzzled look*
Me: “Like Toto.”
Stranger: “Oooooooh!! Cool!”

Ok, I don’t mind that conversation. Not many people know what breed of dog Toto was (that’s not even my favorite example. My favorite is that in I Love Lucy, Little Ricky’s dog named Fred was a Cairn Terrier). But the kind of conversation that just chaps my hide is this one:

Stranger: “Oooh, he’s so cute! What kind of dog is he?”
Me: “He’s a Cairn Terrier.”
Stranger: “Oh, like a Yorkie or a Yorkie mix? My sister has a couple of Yorkies and I love them!”
Me: *gives ignorant stranger a blank stare* “No, not like a Yorkie. Like a Cairn Terrier. They are a completely different breed.”
Stranger: “Oh ok” *proceeds to ignore my lesson on the difference between the yappy Yorkshires and the spunky/awesome/adorable/better-in-every-way Cairns*

*sigh* Man. It’s annoying. Cairn Terriers are so much better than those little rats.

ANYWAY

Speaking of going home, that’s where I’m heading tonght. I’ll make my last voyage in the Oldsmobile, thank goodness, because tomorrow morning I have to go sign for my brand new 2008 copper red Mazda 3. The only thing I wanted when I realized I had to get a new car (because of the JA who caused that 4 car pile-up) was an iPod jack, and man, I’m so excited to plug that thing in. Getting a new car is great and all, but ever since the wreck I can’t shake that overwhelming fear that I’m going to get hit again. I look in my rear view mirror just as much as I look out my windshield, and it’s so stressful. If I can make until the 23rd I’ll be OK, because that’s when I move to Little Rock. No more hour-long commutes twice a day. And maybe when I move I’ll find my phone charger for my car, my wall charger for my camera battery, my USB cable for my camera, and my iPod USB cable. There’s not telling where it is now. Somewhere in the Jones’ garage, probably.

Alright, time to do some work here at work, I guess.

Randomness

In the last year I have discovered several things that quickly made it up the list to become some of my FAVORITE things in the world. Since I am here at work, bored, with nothing to do because my boss is out of the office, I guess I’ll make out a little list. I’m sure I will edit this a million times today, but at least it’s something to do, right? And by typing on my computer at my desk, it makes me look like I’m really busy working on something.

• Banoffee pie. I had my first little taste of heaven when I was in London last July/August. Now I’m not a huge fan of banana desserts. I mean, to me, if it ain’t chocolate, it ain’t dessert. But whatev. I figured I’d give it a shot because it was a British dessert, and if there is one thing the Brits do right, it’s their dessert. So out comes this banana/toffee/whipped cream thing, and OH MY GOODNESS. It is seriously the richest, sweetest, most wonderful thing I have ever had. When I got back to the States, I wanted to make one so bad, but I could only find recipes that used the metric system, and let’s face it: there’s a reason I got a liberal arts degree. I’m not much for math or science or converting or anything like that. But Paula Deen saved the day and provided a recipe using CUPS and TEASPOONS. Actually, her recipe was a little complicated, so I combined it with another I found and the end result was scrumptious (if there was ever a time to use that word, it’s now). The recipe is quick and easy, apart from the fact that you have to boil two 14 oz. cans of sweetened condensed milk for an hour and a half. But anyway, the point of this story is that I made banoffee pie and it was amazing, and I was proud of myself. I think I was even more proud of the fact that I managed to find “heavy whipping cream” at Wal-Mart by myself, without having to ask someone where it was.
  
• The Heather and DC Show. The only morning show I ever remember really loving was John and Zack on B98 when I was in elementary school and junior high. Then Zack left and it became John and Jen, and it lost its appeal. After that, I kind of boycotted radio for a while, and especially when I got my iPod. Now I had always heard of Heather and DC on Alice 107.7 (Little Rock). Everyone around here has heard of them, I think. But I hated Heather with a passion. I mean, I couldn’t stand to listen to her talk. I don’t know why. But then I started listening a little more, and before I knew it, I was completely obsessed with Heather and DC. Heather is hands down one of the funniest women I’ve ever heard of, and when you combine her and DC, it’s just pure entertainment. Throw Poolboy in the mix, and it makes the morning commute to Little Rock not only tolerable, but enjoyable. I mean, I’m excited to get in my car and start the drive, because I get to listen to Heather and DC! I love them so much that I permanently moved my iHome to my desk at work so that I could listen to them until 10:00, when the show ended. And I don’t leave my car to walk into the building until a commercial break or a song. Now that’s the sign of a good morning show.
  
• Steamed Broccoli. Ok, this is one thing I never thought I would have a love affair with. Growing up, my parents were never real sticklers about making me eat vegetables. We had an endless supply of Little Debbies, and my mom would let me drink Sprite for breakfast and when my brothers got suspicious, she’d tell them it was water. I grew up on fried food and the thought of steaming something was just foreign to me. Steaming vegetables and whatnot was for fancy folk in pricey restaurants, right? And come on, you’re telling me that steam is all you’re going to do to cook up those veggies? No thanks. I carried this snobbery about steamed broccoli with me until November of my senior year in college, which was less than a year ago. Then Dallas (who is now my fiancee), asked me out on a date after I took care of OTHER business (ahem), and after we bonded over several episodes of The Office. Part of our first date consisted of him cooking dinner for me. (Sidenote: I was very impressed and quite smitten by this point already). The dinner was lemon-pepper chicken, couscous, and disgusting healthy steamed broccoli. What was I going to do? He went to all this trouble of steaming this broccoli, and I was going to have to tell him that I didn’t like it! Now, I’ve been that person all my life (you know, the picky person, the person who always finds something wrong with a meal, who will never eat everything someone offers), and I really didn’t want to be that person on our first date. So I made the decision to suck it up and eat as little broccoli as I could get away with and still appear grateful. So this is what I did. But what was this? This broccoli didn’t make me gag. It didn’t make me want to spit it out. In fact, it made me want more of it! I’m pretty sure I ate more broccoli than anything else that night, and this is when I realized my love for steamed broccoli. So thanks, Dallas. And thanks to Birds-Eye for making those microwave steambags already full of broccoli.
  
• Blogging. I really love it. I could spend all day perusing through strangers’ blogs. Who are they? What are they like? What was their childhood like? I’m not a stalker, I swear. I’m just genuinely interested in what people write about. I look forward to new posts by favorite bloggers (Amy) every day, and I’m always a little disappointed when there is no new post. No pressure, though. And I love reading people’s blogs so much that I’m setting my mom up with one this weekend so I can read hers. I also have a goal to get Kathleen involved in this world (sorry Amy, but she’s entertaining). I love blogging so much that if I were to make a pro/con list for doing something new and unexpected, like moving to Alaska to teach for a year, blogging would be a pro. I would consider moving to Alaska just so I could blog about it. Dallas asked me the other day if I would mind going to Alaska for a while (his family is from Alaska), and the first thing out of my mouth was, “I could blog about it!” As you can see, it doesn’t take much to get me to agree to ideas like this. Anyway, I used to be an avid Xanga user, and then I stopped when the Facebook phenomenon happened, and then I had a blogspot when I went to London, and now here I am. I just can’t stay away.
  
• Indie Pop. This is my #1 choice of music genre. And of this #1 choice of music genre, The Format is my #1 favorite band of all time. Ok, to be fair, they’re actually tied with Dashboard Confessional because I can’t pick one over the other. (Sidenote: I was hooked on Dallas when he heard 3 seconds of my Dashboard ringtone, “The Best Deceptions,” and proceeded to pull it up on his iTunes. Dashboard is pretty special to us, and if you get a wedding invitation, some of their lyrics are on the inside of the front flap). Anyway. The Format is completely and utterly amazing and FUN and I am absolutely brokenhearted that they broke up. But I can listen to their music and I am suddenly 21 (like it was so long ago) and walking across the street to hang out with this really cool guy I just met named Dallas, who loves the same things I do and turned me on to this really cool band called The Format. But anyway, indie pop. Death Cab, The Format, Imogen Heap, The Postal Service, The Shins, Sufjan Stevens, etc. It’s all wonderful.
  
• Sparky Jones. I haven’t even had my Cairn Terrier puppy a whole month, and I have no idea what my life was like before this little rascal. The first two weeks were terrible, with the pooping and peeing in the house all the time. But now that he can hold it for longer in his crate, and now that he rings a bell every time he has to go outside to go potty, it’s pretty awesome. He has the best personality I’ve ever seen in a dog, and he’s so smart, and he’s so incredibly cute. The best thing ever is when I wake him up from a nap, and he’s still really sleepy, and he makes little grunting sounds when I pick him up. Man, that’s the best. And I’m completely obsessed with him. I know I am. It’s just that I’ve never had an indoor dog, so this is new to me, and I love it. That’s why Sparky gets the expensive Canidae all-natural dog food, and that’s why I boiled him a chicken tenderloin for breakfast this morning. Dallas thinks I’m a little ridiculous at times, but he’s my puppy and I just can’t get enough of him.
  
• Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends. One of the greatest shows ever, even if it does come on Cartoon Network. It’s clever and wacky and hilarious. I admit, it scared me a little bit at first, but once you get past the strangeness of it, it’s so good. My kids will definitely watch this show, and I’ll watch it with them. Once again, this is another favorite thing influenced by Dallas.
  
• Entertaining Websites I Visit Daily/Weekly. This includes Dinosaur Comics, PostSecret, Stuff White People Like, LOLcats, Feministing, That’s Punny! (by the way, I totally had this idea a year ago and I never got around to starting it), Passive-Agressive Notes, Cute Overload, etc. This all provide me with a good deal of amusement, especially LOLcats.

Poop and Presents

Sparky is making progress. Instead of pooping in his crate and stepping all in it, now he poops in his crate and then covers it up with his puppy pad or whatever else is in there with him. It’s a start. At least that shows me that he doesn’t like laying in his own filth. I think we’ve reached a great milestone. In addition to that, we rarely have any accidents in the house anymore. The bell system is working, and at least now when he needs to go to the bathroom, he’ll go stand in front of the door. This isn’t foolproof yet, but I can at least let him wander into the kitchen without worrying about whether or not he’s going to leave me a surprise.

But seriously, Sparky is just the best thing. Everyone who sees him thinks he’s the cutest thing in the world, but he gets to go home with me. Getting a puppy was a good decision. I love that little guy.

On a different note, wedding planning is coming along nicely. I think. I mean, I thought I was almost finished, so I was just taking it easy and not really worrying about anything. That is, until I wrote a list of every little thing I had left to do, and the number was close to 40. 40 Things! It’s almost overwhelming. But it feels really good to cross a Thing off of my list when I finish it. Like when I ordered my wedding invitations (simple seal-n-sends), and when I ordered my bridesmaids gifts (which are super cute). Never mind the fact that while I ordered their gifts, I also added a brown, quilted tote bag with my new monogram embroidered into it in orange thread (SMJ, woo hoo!). But I deserve a little reward for being so responsible and efficient, right?