All alone, all four of us...

We are finally getting settled in our new digs. I must say, as much as I've loved my roommates (some more than others, but whatev's), it is SO nice to live alone. With my amazing little family of K and the kitties. Just damn perfect. I am a lucky, lucky girl, that is for sure!

This is round two for me living in the Marine View, K's first time. I forgot the walls are constructed of solid concrete or I don't know, adamantium! Whatever they're made of makes it pretty impossible to hang pictures with nails. I have lots of pictures that require said nails in order to be hung. FML, what am I to do? How do I hang large framed pictures? I think our answer is to drill and just patch the shit before we leave. Or not hang them. Which is just a ridiculous non-option. Even if I had somewhere to store them (I don't, more on that below), I wouldn't want to not have them hung. And then what? Wait until we move out until we get to have them up? Eff that noise, they're going on the walls...somehow. We also had dreams of putting up lots of mirrors towards the back of the apartment to bring in the light from the few windows we have. We shall see about that as well.

Storage space, or lack there of. Holy crap the Palace spoiled us. Well we did pay a damn pretty penny to be spoiled by it! But the amount of built in storage space and extraneous storage closets / rooms to keep my arts / crafts / crap really was amazing. And obviously uncommon. Hello cookie cutter one bedroom apartment, where is your full wall of built in bookcases with mirrored doors? And we only have one built in mirror, in contrast to hell, 16!? mirrors at the Palace. So while K was on her mini trip to ANC to pick up the new rig, I wanted to try and unpack the rest of our totes that have been taking up all of our tiny space. And that's when I realized we didn't have enough storage. Oh I knew that was the case going into it, but that is when I really knew it. I would open a tote, rifle through it and look for stuff I could put away and not find anything. Okay, I put some stuff away, but the majority of it needs somewhere to be put. If I unpacked it, it would just be on the floor. And we don't have near enough square footage to do that. So I shoved all the un-unpackable totes in the corner, where we hope to put our dining table (with sweet wall mirrors surrounding it) someday and put the dining table semi decently (awkwardly) skewed next to the bookcases and behind our rando recliners. I arranged the recliners and side table to make our cot couch and coffee table space look much more living roomy. Looks pretty cute if you put on blinders for walking past the corner of totes and flotsam. But I digress, back to storage. I looked at freestanding shelves at Fred's, seems to be the best option. But even then, those will take up space. I'm tempted to keep our storage unit that we rented for the move. Maybe organize and keep the craft / art / crap that I actually think I will use in the next three months at the house and send the rest to storage. I don't know though, I like the idea of just living with wonky, crowded storage and keeping the $85 a month in my pocket.

In other, other news:
K flew to ANC and drove back our brand new '94 4Runner! She's cute, needs a name and possible a catalytic converter. Oy, don't get me started. I think the brief-but-felt-like-forever time apart was very good for us. K got some much needed time with friends she has been missing and I missed the shit out of her while she was gone and got in some fantastic Ver time, with a bonus karaoke appearance. Yikes!

Also while she was gone, I moonlighted at the knife shop for a weekend guest appearance. Mr. D had knee surgery and needed some help. I figured I was just going to be sitting around missing her anyway, so why not sell pointy things and make moola while being mopey. It was great, kind of funny how I was able to just slip back into the spiel. And cleaning the shop just cemented how much I LOVE having a state job. It's true, I fucking love being a state worker. I do my job (that I enjoy!), I get paid regularly, I get weekends and evenings off. I don't get calls at home, I don't work holidays and I have insurance. Yup, I'm sticking with it.

MC Lou is a plant uprooting demon. K brought back some African Violets and some kind of really cool looking plant that looks like aloe but the spikes are different. The aloe looking one is actually five or six little plants that have been replanted temporarily in one pot. So maybe that's why she had NO problem uprooting and removing ALL of them from the planter this morning while I was home sicky and sleeping. Then I cleaned it up and she did it again while I was out of the room. Really MC?! Ugh, it's a damn good thing she's fucking adorable.

Gluten free for me! This one will get its own post someday. After months of continued and unexplained sickness, I am taking the "go gluten free" advice of an incredibly smart and amazing lady who happens to be one of my best friends from forever ago (middle school) and is now a chiropractor. I was tested for Celiac Disorder by my doctor, yeah the same one who still doesn't know what's wrong with me, and didn't test positive for gluten intolerance. But then my above mentioned smart, amazing middle school bestie gave me the rundown. Basically she said the tests that they run don't test enough and that I very well could still be gluten intolerant and that most likely that's what is wrong with me. So I've been giving it a shot since the 16th or 17th. So far it is a little difficult but only because I haven't had the chance to stock my pantry properly. It feels very similar to being a vegan, reading labels and being hyper aware of what people offer you. Ugh, not that great, but if it makes me better then buh-buy delivery pizza and regular bread, hello not feeling like crap 23-6.

We have been mulling over wedding options. And bejesus it seems like the more we discuss it, the more new options we come up with to choose from. Which is making choosing just one very difficult! So I made a list of our top locations and pro's and con's, yes I am that nerd. Hopefully this will make one just stand out and we can forget the rest. I would like to have some stuff pinned down, even if it was just the colors or flowers or you know, the date! Little things like that :P It's getting closer and closer, whatever date it ends up being. I just saw that July 14 is a Saturday...I like the idea of a Bastille day wedding. I'm not a huge fan of combining holidays and weddings, like Christmas or Valentine's day, but Bastille is a French holiday, no one would know but us...and my mom. And she'd be proud and fucking love it :)

Still tickin'

So maybe it's been a while. Six months huh? That is a while! Let's see where my lil life is at...

I am currently gainfully employed by the State of Alaska, title Office Zombie I. Some day if my rational thinking skills degrade enough, I can move up the corporate ladder. It is very, very different from working in the private sector. I at least like some parts of my job (at least I keep telling myself that) and definitely love the security and benefits!

Which is good since I've also had some weird, I don't even know what you'd call it ailment, I guess. I've been sick for months and have no real clues as to what is causing it. It's just great, super fun, lemme tell you! But on the plus side, and yes I know this is vain, being too sick to eat made me drop like 20 lbs. Heck yeah! At least I get something out of it, right?! And it makes me aware of what I eat, so maybe I can get all better and just keep losing weight! Also heck yeah!

I quit smoking. Oh yeah. For reals. I quit October 20th. I have smoked probably a total of 5 cigarettes, either a full bummed one or stolen drags. And pretty much all when drinking, not when stressed. Which to me is a really good thing. I know that I still want to do that when drinking, but I also know I don't really drink much. So if say I want a puff and that's it, then I will do that. But even when drinking I haven't liked it. It's like my brain is so trained to want it, it just does automatically and now it's having to relearn that it doesn't like it. And it's doing damn good job!

My amazing future wife is just that, amazing! I won't say that it's sunshine and roses everyday but that's okay! It's better than that, it's honesty and communication! SO WEIRD! She is really a truly incredible person and I'm a lucky girl. We've decided on Spring / Summer of 2012 for the wedding. Mainly so we have more time to save up for it. We're both on the same page: this is it, let's do it right. The latest wedding plans are looking "ship shape" :) We'll see if they last, it is still a long ways off. But not that far!!

We're looking to add another cat to the fam-damily. Jack is such, such, such a sweetheart. She has become this lovey, adorable cat since we moved into The Palace. But she's also super needy. She meows all the time. Meows because you came home and didn't immediately pet her, meows because she just walked into the room and you didn't immediately look at her, meows because she is staring at the wall... Oh and she often wakes one or both of us up around 5AM. It's usually me because I'm up off and on anyway. And K buries herself way under the covers so Jack's claws can't get to her anymore. And somewhere in our crazy, lesbian minds there is some chemical seeping into our bloodstreams. A chemical that says "Yes, another cat would fix all your current cat problems." And so we are looking for another cat, preferably a kitten. I really think that if Jack is to like a new addition at all it will have to be young. I think she'd just be pissed at us for bringing another adult cat in.

Let's hope another six months don't pass before I post again...

Invention of Briday

We are still discussing the right date for the Big Day. I think we might stick with May 28th, but June 18th is in the running. It's so tricky because of my birthday on the 12th. I really don't want our wedding to be so close, but it could be the best time of year for it. Especially since we want to have it outdoors. Eek I know, what a crazy idea for this rain soaked town. Bleh I don't care, I'm gonna make it work. We have a very loose plan for the day, contingent on two locations that may not be available as we need them. So that's also scary. But ya know, we've been pretty damn lucky thus far in our amazing universe built for two that I think it will all work out.

Ideas that are floating around the ol' noggin. Here are a few things I've found on e.sty... I really like the idea of blue birds or just two birds for our cake topper.

But then there are these cuties! I love all the designs from this vendor.

But this is the one I really want. Unfortunately it's ridiculously over priced, but I could just see it on our cake. Le sigh.

I would like to have little people on top of the cake as long as it definitely looked like two girls. I think this last one is perfect, all you would have to do is change the hair color and add eyelashes and freckles to the groom. So cute.

And I found these awesome champagne flutes...
Following the bird theme..

Or following my love of sugar skulls...


And for table decorations, etc...
More birds!

And just to cement my nerd-dom...cootie catchers with bride-bride trivia.


And here is a sketch I did of a possible tying the knot dress pour moi. I'm thinking tea length and retro but posh with a little veil and flower/feather fascinator.


So those are some of my ideas so far. I'm sure I'll get many more ideas tomorrow, Briday! So until I get a job Friday's will be turned into myself and another to be wed chickie sitting around talking weddings and drinking. Aww yeah! I love me some fun-employment. Not really though. Give me a job. So I can pay for the wedding I'm planning! :)

Music To Remember

With ten zillion different wedding decisions swirling through my head, a lot can get misplaced. So I'm going to compile songs I want at the reception while they are in the forefront of my head.

Forever- Debra Arlyn


Let's Do It- Joan Jett & Paul Westerberg


You and I- Ingrid Michaelson (But I want the version with Jason Mraz)


Lucky- Jason Mraz & Colbie Caillat
Lets Get Married- Jagged Edge
Power of Two- Indigo Girls
Perfect- Doria Roberts
When I Get Up- Tegan & Sara
Anything, Anywhere- Melissa Ferrick

Anyways, that's what I have for now. At least I have them written down and maybe I won't forget about them.