five days later.

it's official.  i went back on the road on tuesday.  it's been nothing short of a major life change on the homefront.  new jobs for both of us, even if it is only part time for one of us, and for me its been adjusting to giving up life's more simple pleasures.  as i've said before this was to make me appreciate the "little things that make life worth living" and this week, more than ever, i am full of appreciation.

i am so happy to be doing what i love doing again--managing hourly employees and working alongside managers are two completely different ballgames. i only had one person to hang out with tuesday thru thursday (life without friends is one of the hardest parts).  last week, more than ever, i am thankful that my boss is awesome, and also doubles as a great friend.  i didn't have a computer to piddle around with in the evenings.  i am thankful for the ability to digitally "check out" every once in a while (believe it or not, life goes on without facebook).  i am thrilled that my violin case fits comfortably in the overhead compartment of even the tiniest of aircrafts, as it was my saving grace on wednesday.

i took every chance i could this weekend to enjoy the things i love about charleston.  exhausted, i stopped for coffee on the way home from dc to visit with my best friend.  i lazed on the couch while the cats ran laps around me (followed by getting lazy too and curling up on my lap or above my head), a perfect way to start an otherwise perfect evening.  i went to the usual friday night places and had my favorite beverages (watermelon shots at the red carpet lounge can cure even the worst of ills) with some of my favorite people.  i even met some new people that were actually quite interesting and entertaining.

a road trip with my friend amber to columbus for a book signing was a simple yet enjoyable saturday adventure (sorry i wasn't better company but 350 miles the day before will do you in!).  hours in a barnes and noble is actually something i recommend. i was able to learn all kinds of things i need to check out while i'm in dc for the next three months, almost got into a fight with the barista at starbucks (hey, i take my americanos quite seriously), and finally got my very own signed copy of the "pioneer woman cookbook"!  truly an afternoon to remember.

a past supper club!

the boys cooked us a delicious feast of three varieties of ribs (om nom nom) and more french fries than i'd care to comment on.  supper club is my favorite part of the weekends, a rotating dinner party that's not all gussied up, where we can feast and booze for a fraction of the price of doing it at a restaurant.  i love nothing more than going to someone's house (or hosting here) and spending a quiet evening with friends.  we always have the best food.  i am thankful to be surrounded by friends who can cook!

tonight? keeping it low key with dinner at the neighborhood indian restaurant followed by cocktails and live music upstairs at the lobby.  today was about spending quality time with the husband and i'm looking forward to a delightful evening!

simple pleasures, man.  simple pleasures.

reflections on a percentage.

i am twenty-four years old.  yesterday marked the point where i realized i had spent twenty-five percent of my life with my husband.  wow.  it really made me take a step back and think of what that meant.

i met thomas after playing a gig in beckley.  special guest had played that night with a few other bands and it was a homecoming of sorts for me, having not played since i went away to college.  he was there supporting his brother, who had played bass for one of the bands that night, and it was the first time i had met him, even though i had agreed to spend the rest of that week before christmas helping him on a film, lifting and toting and the like.  i had no idea what i was getting out of the deal.  i thought it would just be some work experience in my field.  look what i ended up with.

fast forward to now.  we've been married three years, together for six.  as i posted on love several weeks ago, my ideas on what marriage is and isn't have changed significantly, though i believe it's for the best.  i got myself locked into a partnership, not a romance.  it's a series of challenges, a teammate to help me get through this thing called life.  i love where we've made it so far.

there are a lot of people i know that knew me for many years before they knew my husband.  it warms my heart to know there are also a lot of people that have never known us apart.  to many of our friends, we have always been a unit, our names generally used together, not ever knowing one without the other.  and while we are both very independent people and i sometimes cringe at the idea of being even slightly dependent on someone else (i am thankful for someone who can reach the cabinet above the fridge and unscrew stubborn jars), i like knowing that without that twenty-five percent of my life with him in it i would be a very different person, probably not nearly as happy and successful as i am now.

tres.

three years ago today, about this time, i was standing in the middle of an outdoor pavilion, crying over table arrangements.  i was upset because everything wasn't "exactly how i wanted it to be."  two hours later, i stood at the back of a church and stared in awe at the gathering of my family and closest friends as i made the biggest decision of my life to that point (and probably this point, as well). it made table arrangements seem minuscule in the series of events that day.

three years ago today, i got married.  it certainly hasn't been easy.  i didn't think the first year was ever going to end.  now, i feel like i blinked and it's been three years.  we have a cute house, two of the coolest cats ever, a great group of friends, and a stupid little life in this town i have a love-hate relationship with.

but we love it.

today especially, i'm taking time to appreciate all the little things in my life.  like having the day off to (poorly) iron my husband's shirt before he goes to work, and be thankful that i have a husband.