Birds on a Wire

2012-11-27T14:54:00.002-06:00

I won't be blogging here anymore. Uninterested in paying to post more pictures. Hopefully I'll be able to slowly print out all of my posts and scrapbook them for the memories...

Find me on http://www.tumblr.com!

2012-10-28T14:25:00.000-05:00

I've loved Angels In America since HBO turned it into a movie (and dreamed of playing Harper, although I can't imagine anyone doing a better job than Mary Louise Parker). I'd read and heard things about it being banned from Texas theatres, so of course I was fascinated. I would love to see it on stage. Recently I got the actual play and I think it's a very beautiful, very important piece of art. Here are some of my favorite quotes. Much respect, Tony Kushner.

(This is one of my very favorite monologues- couldn't find it typed out, but found it on YouTube.)

I hate America, Louis. I hate this country. It’s just big ideas, and stories, and people dying, and people like you. The white cracker who wrote the national anthem knew what he was doing. He set the word 'free' to a note so high nobody can reach it. That was deliberate. Nothing on Earth sounds less like freedom to me. You come to room 1013 over at the hospital, I'll show you America. Terminal, crazy and mean. I live in America, Louis, that’s hard enough, I don’t have to love it. You do that. Everybody’s got to love something.

You have a good heart and you think the good thing is to be guilty and kind but it's not always kind to be gentle and soft, there's a genuine violence softness and kindness visit on people. Sometimes self-interested is the most generous thing you can be.

Harper: In your experience of the world. How do people change?

Mormon Mother: Well it has something to do with God so it's not very nice.

God splits the skin with a jagged thumbnail from throat to belly and then plunges a huge filthy hand in, he grabs hold of your bloody tubes and they slip to evade his grasp but he squeezes hard, he insists, he pulls and pulls till all your innards are yanked out and the pain! We can't even talk about that. And then he stuffs them back, dirty, tangled and torn. It's up to you to do the stitching.

Harper: And then up you get. And walk around.

Mormon Mother: Just mangled guts pretending.

Harper: That's how people change.

Don't be afraid; people are so afraid; don't be afraid to live in the raw wind, naked, alone...Learn at least this: What you are capable of. Let nothing stand in your way.

I've lived through such terrible times and there are people who live through much worse. But you see them living anyway. When they're more spirit than body, more sores than skin, when they're burned and in agony, when flies lay eggs in the corners of the eyes of their children - they live. Death usually has to take life away. I don't know if that's just the animal. I don't know if it's not braver to die, but I recognize the habit; the addiction to being alive. So we live past hope. If I can find hope anywhere, that's it, that's the best I can do. It's so much not enough. It's so inadequate. But still bless me anyway. I want more life.

I'm not religious, but I like God and he likes me.

Night flight to San Francisco; chase the moon across America. God, it’s been years since I was on a plane. When we hit 35,000 feet we’ll have reached the tropopause, the great belt of calm air, as close as I’ll ever get to the ozone. I dreamed we were there. The plane leapt the tropopause, the safe air, and attained the outer rim, the ozone, which was ragged and torn, patches of it threadbare as old cheesecloth, and that was frightening. But I saw something that only I could see because of my astonishing ability to see such things: Souls were rising, from the earth far below, souls of the dead, of people who had perished, from famine, from war, from the plague, and they floated up, like skydivers in reverse, limbs all akimbo, wheeling and spinning. And the souls of these departed joined hands, clasped ankles, and formed a web, a great net of souls, and the souls were three-atom oxygen molecules of the stuff of ozone, and the outer rim absorbed them and was repaired. Nothing’s lost forever. In this world, there’s a kind of painful progress. Longing for what we’ve left behind, and dreaming ahead. At least I think that’s so.

Harper: I see something else about you.
Prior: Oh?
Harper: Deep inside you, there's a part of you, the most inner part, entirely free of disease. I can see that.
Prior: Is that ... That isn't true.
Harper: Threshhold of revelation.

It's 50 degrees... let's have a fire!

2012-10-27T21:01:00.001-05:00

Today we celebrated the life and mourned the passing of a dear friend's Father. We voted (and you should too). We grocery shopped. Then we came home and did this shiz...

It took me 900 years to take this picture, that's why he's not looking at the camera...

First fire of the season

2 ingredient lemon bars- eh. Not my favorite thing ever. But if you're interested (a Pinterest find): 1 box Angel Food Cake Mix, 1 can lemon pie filling; Mix and bake at 350 for 20 minutes. They taste...off to me. Too sweet, maybe? I'm not sure.

Puerto Rico, represent.

Currently on the iHome...

Tomorrow we're celebrating my Grandaddy's birthday at my Mom's house. Hopefully he'll have a great day and enjoy his presents.

Be soft.

2012-10-23T16:36:00.000-05:00

I'm repeating this to myself daily. BE SOFT.

During these times (ahem... during an election) it's natural for me to feel livid when I hear things that I think are nonsensical. And roll my eyes. A lot. It's easy for me to judge people who I feel are apathetic. To judge people who don't pay attention. And think people are stupid. Which is the worst insult imaginable.

During these times, it's hard to be soft. Without feeling like you're giving in. Or giving up. It's difficult to feel like anything less than "fired up" is acceptable.

But oh, how I'm trying. And mostly succeeding.

Be better than that. Be soft. Be sweet.
... and repeat.

Honeymoon at Sea

2012-10-23T13:35:00.000-05:00

Bill's parents gifted us an amazing Honeymoon cruise to Progreso and Cozumel, Mexico. Here are a few pictures from our trip. We are still in post-vacation mourning. ;)

Dark and early Monday morning we left for Galveston. The drive seemed pretty fast (to me, anyway, I wasn't driving) while we took turns listening to our iPods, the radio -when our iPods failed- and each other's commentary on the cities we passed through. (Neither of us are fans of Houston.) We got to (what I assume was) "downtown" Galveston and found a cute little diner that also sold antiques and crafty stuff by our ship and had the first of many big breakfasts of the week. Bill dropped me and our luggage off at port and parked the car across the street... then we started the process of boarding the ship. While I was waiting on Bill, some guy came by and took our checked bags (and Bill's carry-on...my bad... everything ended up ok in the end), so boarding was pretty painless- minus the waiting, which wasn't even that long.

As soon as we got on the boat, we got the sugary-sweet-fruity-alcoholic-beverage-special-in-a-souvenir-cup (with a pineapple and cherry garnish, of course!) which would later prove to be a really bad idea for me. (Two rum-vodka-whatever else with fruit punch drinks for a girl who rarely drinks and usually sticks to vodka sodas + unexpected sea sickness = Puke City.) I'd love to go on about the trip in great detail, but after those drinks- things gets hazy ("Spring Break, whoooooo!!!")... so here's what I wrote down on a piece of Carnival stationary the last day of our trip (not very helpful):

Monday: Breakfast in Galveston, Boarded the Ship, Casino, Dinner in Dining Room, Emily gets sea sick :(

(We stuck to the penny slots and that night in the dining room I think Bill had brisket and I had salmon with cheesecake-to-go for us both because our table-mates were a little too chatty for our taste. We're usually pretty quiet people, on top of that I was more than likely having a hard time keeping food down... I'm sure they were lovely, we saw more of them several times during the trip. *The best time was in Progreso when the wife was having tequila poured down her throat and her head ...among other things... shaken by the bartender. Bill and I both did the same thing... no judging, it's Mexico.*)

Tuesday: Breakfast at Buffet, Shopping on Ship, Casino, Piano Sing-Along

(We never had breakfast in the formal dining room, but who cares because the buffet was fantastic! Breakfast is my favorite. Getting to wake up and have breakfast with my Husband on a giant boat is my favorite. I think at this point I'd gotten my sea legs <sort of, I still couldn't stomach much alcohol for the rest of the trip, which isn't really a bad thing?> at this point and am remembering french toast with blueberry butter and grits and eggs and delicious bacon and sauteed mushrooms and lots of fresh fruit. Basically, we love to eat and the food (specifically breakfast) was the bomb.

The ship had a few shops: a Carnival shop with souvenir stuff, a coffee/pastry/gelato shop, a candy shop and the one I spent the most time at, the "super expensive shop that you can't really afford but is fun to look at" shop. Makeup, perfume, skin care, watches, diamonds and other jewels, etc. But they also had some great sales and I got two pretty jewelry pouches and a giant yellow beach bag (that matched the sun hat that I never wore because it was too huge, but still, MATCHED IT PERFECTLY) for $12. The bag was a great buy- perfect size, I used it the entire trip and it carried all of our souvenirs home.

I'm sure we did the same ol', same ol' at the Casino. Neither of us are gamblers. I'm not sure which day it was (probably Tuesday, because I think it was the night before Progreso), but I won like, $20 at the penny slots and cashed out. HEY, BIG SPENDER!! DA, DA, DA DAAA!!! Bill spent a little more time there than I did (while I was being boring and napping off sea sickness or booze or sunburn or all of the above in our room)... so we definitely spent some $$$, but not a lot. I'd rather shop and he's a penny pincher.

The Piano Sing-Along Bar was my favorite place on the ship (besides our room and balcony, of course). Bill's, too, I think. We're not really the type to go booty dance at the "club" (unless, you know, we are reeeeally overserved)...so the cozy little piano bar with a slightly older (ok, ok, the much older) crowd was where we fit in- because we are OLD SOULS, GODDAMMIT (or maybe just old, whatevs). The entertainment was great- I forget the guy's name (Frank?), but he was talented and funny and awesome. I had some drinks, sang a song requested by the piano player *http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsRNCvHXHHU*, sang a song requested by someone else *http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLblaUFfHwc* and had a fantastic time snuggling up to Bill and singing along with the crowd.)

Wednesday: Progreso- Mayan Ruins and Shopping

(I'll be honest and say that I didn't think I would be super interested in the Dzibilchaltun Mayan Ruins. On Wednesday we got breakfast sent to our room and got ready to go out and see Progreso, Mexico. The day started with shopping, since that's what slaps you in the face as soon as you get off the boat. We got on the bus to go to the ruins and our guide was really friendly and informative. I started to get more and more interested and by the time we got there, I was pretty excited about the tour. The history was amazing, the ruins were beautiful, the museum was awesome... but the best part was the sink hole. It's crazy to think of how many people used this tiny sink hole as a water source back in the day- today it's just... absolutely beautiful. Fresh, crystal clear water covered with lily pads, full of thousands of tiny fish swimming around with you. It was cold and a perfect little dip on a hot day. Bill climbed up the steps of the ruins while I took pictures, we got a Mayan calendar with symbols for our wedding day (still not exactly sure what it all means- we got the Spanish version, so Bill will have to read it to me at some point) and hopped the bus back to port where we did some more shopping and some drinking before getting back on the ship.)

Thursday: Cozumel- Shopping, Taxi to San Francisco Beach, Lunch, Swimming

(Room service breakfast, again (not a huge selection to choose from- but you can definitely fill your tummy before heading out into Mexico... I stuck with yogurt/bagel/apple juice pretty much every time we got breakfast sent to our room). The water in Cozumel is a different color blue than I've ever seen (it almost looks fake, like they poured dye in it) and the port is much prettier than Progreso (I'm told it's a lot more established, so that's probably why). To get through to the island, you have to go through the duty free shop... we passed on all the free tequila samples on the way in. We did some shopping and found that we should have done the majority of our souvenir shopping in Progreso- it's a little less expensive. Bill spoke to one of the shop keepers (I bought two dresses from her) and she apparently expressed their frustration with the fact that the tourists get to Cozumel and don't want to pay the higher prices. We got some super cheap beer and juice from 7-11 (looking back, we should have loaded up- especially on water- we were allowed to take a 12-pack of non-alcoholic beverages each onto the boat... and we didn't, so we ended up paying $4 for bottled water and $3 for sodas- nonsense) and drank it while walking around and haggling with a taxi driver. He wanted to take us around the entire island (I'm glad we decided against that because we wouldn't have had the time), but we decided (or Bill and the taxi driver decided, in Spanish- Hi, I'm just the white girl hanging out here, down for whatever) to go to San Francisco Beach and it was a great decision. Ocean. Drinks. Seafood. Not much more to say. One of life's perfect days. On the way back we hit up every free tequila sample we had time for. What a difference 5 hours makes.)

Friday: Reading on the balcony, Breakfast, Casino, Art Auction, Trivia, Piano Bar

(I guess I wrote down "reading on the balcony" because it was one of the most soothing things I've done in a long time. If you go on a cruise, get a room with a balcony. I guess we got a huge one... not sure why... but both of our next door neighbors commented on the size of ours and asked if we requested the bigger balcony (I didn't book the trip, but I'm almost positive we just lucked out and got one that was 3 times the size of our neighbors'). We had a lounge chair, 3 regular chairs and a little table. Waking up to the ocean, taking a pillow outside to the lounge chair and reading to fill up time while Bill was still asleep was heaven. When he woke up we did the breakfast buffet, again (I think we only did this twice?) and I decided to have a couple of Bloody Marys while we played the slots for a bit. We went to an art auction (the free champagne was great... but I wasn't a fan of anything they -tried to- sell... and none of the paintings that I tagged got brought out- bummer). Played a trivia game (just for fun, I think you had to enter the first day to actually win anything and we didn't) and spent some R&R time in our room before seeing the New Orleans show (I don't know why I expected more from the show... but I was disappointed) and having dinner in the dining room (I think... this may have been the night before- like I said, after those first drinks, things got hazy)- we both had steak this time, I think... followed with chocolate cake for him and apple pie for me. Food. Yum. We ended our night at the Piano Bar. I drank champagne and sang "Someone to Watch Over Me" to my new Husband.)

------------------------------------------

I'm sure there were tons of other activities we could have done. Bill took advantage of the water slide and hot tubs while I rested (and nursed a sunburn). We could have stayed up 'til all hours of the night and partied with the other passengers, but that's not really us. We're early to bed, early to rise kind of people... and, it being our Honeymoon, stayed pretty close together and enjoyed being in our own little world, as we very often do. We found what we liked and stuck to it, kind of routine... but we had plenty of adventures off the ship in Mexico!

We sang Freddie Mercury songs on the way home until I fell asleep and woke up an hour away from Dallas.

The first of many trips together as a Husband and Wife...

2012-10-02T12:10:00.002-05:00

On September 29, 2012 I married my soulmate, William Alvarez.

Life is so good.

That's the plan, Stan.

2012-09-04T15:45:00.000-05:00

We should have eloped. I'm excited about all the things to come in the next several weeks and had a wonderful time at our beautiful wedding shower, but we should have eloped. (We could have eloped and still enjoyed all the fun stuff and thrown a great party to celebrate- my emotions don't mesh well with being the center of attention and feeling like I must please EVERYONE. The ceremony is proving to be a little more difficult than I thought. I thought everything was going to be simple, easy breezy. Not so much. Now I totally get why normal ladies turn into Bridezillas.)

That's all I'm going to say about that.

Us at our Wedding Shower

I'm sure I've written more than enough information about Endometriosis in the past, but it's been an MF-er lately. After a laproscopic procedure to remove scar tissue and infected tissue and more trips to the GYN than I can count- it isn't any better. The last time I went to the GYN, she mentioned that she had a chiropractor friend who worked with patients who have Endo (why was this the first time I heard about a natural remedy??! So far we've been poking and prodding and filling my belly full of pills and my lady junk full of Nuvaring). She explained that nothing can "cure" the Endo, but that treating other things (back pain, headaches, nausea, etc.) could possibly make my life a lot easier.

So, I took to the internet (mainly Pinterest, actually) in search of other alternatives and found entire articles about balancing hormones and whatnot. Mainly this one: http://wellnessmama.com/5425/balance-hormones/.

I've tried (unsuccessfully, since I forget to put it on) Natural Progesterone Cream in the past and will be using it with this list of other supplements/oils/etc. that I've purchased:

-Ancient Minerals Magnesium Oil

-MACA Power (Gelatinized Capsules, as I don't think I'll bake enough to get the powder into my system)

-Blue Ice Fermented Cod Liver Oil Capsules

-Super Calcium Softgels (my friend Ashlea advised me to make sure to take Calcium w/ the Magnesium... especially since I hope to cut dairy out of my diet next month... more on that in a minute)

-Spring Valley Vitamin B-Complex Sublingual Liquid

... and another friend, Heather, told me that some Folic Acid couldn't hurt.

I will be starting all of this after our wedding. Why after? Because I'm going to put myself on a strict diet, quit smoking, quit using certain household cleaners and make sure my stress level is LOW. (Planning a wedding- my stress level is through the roof!) I have my Bachelorette Party coming up, where I will be eating sushi and consuming adult beverages and also, our Wedding "Ceremony" is at The State Fair of Texas- and if you've ever been there, you know why my new "strict diet" would be completely ruined. I'm going to enjoy our wedding cupcakes and a Fletcher's Corny Dog and not feel guilty about it one bit. Oh, and then there's our Honeymoon... in Mexico... enough said. And in preparation for all this, I will be doing some hardcore cardio (which isn't good for Endo, apparently- they recommend walking, weights, etc... lots of cardio has the possibility of making things worse).

I want to start with a clean slate. I want to feel exactly what's helping and what's not helping when I start taking this new stuff. Will I ever give up a food group completely? No. I feel like that would create a whole different level of stress for me, if I attempted to control everything I put in my mouth. Food is good... sometimes it's bad for you, but that's life. My life, anyway. But I will try my very hardest to do what's best for my body and mind and eventually it will become a routine and a way of life.

I've accepted the fact that I'll be a less-than-skinny Bride, but I will not be an unhealthy Wife and Mother. I will not let Endometriosis, stress and anxiety control me as I've allowed it to do in the past (and present- today I feel awful and can't do much without cramping, crying and vomiting).

I'm ready to be married. I'm ready to be married. I'm really really really ready to be married.

(These guys are the greatest!)

Hey there...

2012-06-05T21:28:00.001-05:00

It's been a while, guys!

Just wanted to share that we have a beautiful, brand new member of our family- my nephew, Jaxon! He's the light of our lives and I'm so proud of his parents, (my youngest brother) Ryan and Kelly- you guys did AMAZING! Of course I'm biased, him being my first nephew and all, but I mean, look at that face- perfection. And such a sweet little guy, too. I love him so so much.

Also, Bill and I are getting married in less than FOUR MONTHS! Crazy. Time flies when you're having fun. I'm trying not to stress myself out with the stuff we have left to do. I'm so excited to spend the most important day of our lives so far with my family and friends. Everyone has been so caring and supportive- I couldn't ask for a better Mom, Grandparents and my beautiful Bridesmaids/BFFs. We're a really lucky Husband & Wife-to be.

Tonight I started juicing. My Mom got me the Breville Juicer I requested for my (29th, agh!) birthday a week or so ago- and it's the bomb dot com. I'm pretty happy with it. I've been looking up recipes online and went to Half Priced Books and found "The Joys of Juicing" (old, but it'll do)... so hopefully I'm on my way to a healthier, happier me. I decided that a juice fast isn't for me- so my plan (as of today, I change my mind often) is to make juice filled with awesome, healthy vegetables and fruits for two meals (breakfast and dinner, more than likely) and to eat a healthy 3rd, CLEAN meal. Wish me luck, as earlier today I was snacking on Wasa Crackers and Pepper Jack. ;)

Here's the website that has helped me the most in decision to juice (which actually started after watching the documentary, "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead"): http://myjuicecleanse.com/

I'll post some stuff about my birthday weekend later. Now it's time to rest.

2012, so far...

2012-01-22T12:58:00.000-06:00

Here's how our apartment is looking post-Christmas. I thought it would look all sad and depressing (as homes usually do after the Holidays- to me, anyway)... but we got a lot of cool stuff to make up for lack of Christmas decor.

(Quilt and Shams from West Elm that I'm in love love love with.)

I've attempted to kennel my dog, since we just got our carpets cleaned. It's not working out so well, she screams bloody murder the whole time she's in there (even though I made it super comfortable and our cat voluntarily sleeps in there on the regular). I have NEVER heard her yelp like she does when she's in there. We're seriously thinking about puppy Prozac. At first I thought she was just really spoiled- but now it seems like she's got major separation anxiety issues. Every time we get home, she greats us like we've just come back from a long vacation- it's weird. Also, she won't walk on grass anymore. Refuses. These may seem like silly problems to a lot of people, but I love my four-legged babies and don't want any of them to be unhappy.

I've been organizing all of the wedding stuff we've got so far. We're almost done with our Save-the-Dates (just waiting on some pictures from Shutterfly and we're done). It's a great distraction from some bad news* I received a week and a half ago. I love to organize, and the fact that it's my WEDDING makes it SO much fun. So far I think we'll be able to stay in our budget (not that we really have one set- but we're trying to keep everything as simple and inexpensive as possible. I think stressing out over money and details is silly- I just want to be married, and celebrating it with our family and friends will be lovely- but I think going over the top is a waste of time and energy).

Wedding Binder

Here's a quick recipe. It's January and I'm sure a lot of us are watching our figures (me especially- my wedding dress is WAY too small... I have a lot of work to do), and this is a low-fat, simple recipe that tastes richer than it is. (The pictures are from yesterday when I made it for a party- I'll give the ingredients for a smaller portion.) My friend Hilary named it "Strawberry Bliss In My Mouth"... lol.

- 1 carton of strawberries
- 1 regular sized (I think 8 oz?) tub of whipped topping (I use fat-free)
- 3 cups of lemon yogurt (I use 99% fat free)
- 1 Angel Food Cake (I buy it pre-made from the grocery store, but I'm sure making your own would taste better, you can also use Pound Cake- but that's extra calories and fat)
(and this last batch wasn't quite as lemony as I wanted- so I added the juice from 2 lemons mixed w/ 2 tbsp of sugar)

Cut Angel Food into bite-sized cubes. Mix whipped topping and yogurt together. Cut up strawberries. And, you're done. You can make it pretty and layer it like a trifle or mix it all together- tastes great both ways.

*So, my year started off pretty crappy. I'm going to try to be open about all of this (even though it's painful), because it's great for me to hear advice from women who have gone or are going through the same thing.

I had been cramping really badly (so badly that I was on painkillers and in bed with a heating pad for most of December and beginning of January) and I just didn't feel right. My doctor scheduled a diagnostic surgery on January 11th to go in and look to see if I had endometriosis. And, I do. She removed some lesions and other infected tissue, so I should be feeling better as soon as I'm all healed up. I won't go into all of the gory details of my surgery- I will say that it's been less painful than having my gallbladder taken out. At my pre-op appointment, she asked me if I wanted her to run dye through my fallopian tubes- and I said "Sure, why not?"... not really thinking anything of it. (I had a healthy fear of infertility, but was feeling good about this procedure.) Well, they're blocked. I assume with scar tissue, but I haven't had my follow-up appointment with her (it's this coming Friday)... and she had to leave while I was still asleep- so all the information about my surgery was given to Bill and my Mom to give to me (s.h.i.t.t.y.).

From what I understand, I have three options (and I think I will be trying them in this order):

1) Attempt to unblock my tubes. My Doctor didn't do this because it's not her area of expertise and I'll need to find a specialist. (I assume she'll be able to recommend one when I see her on Friday.) Again, I'm not 100% positive that it's scar tissue... but, I'll go ahead and say I'm 99% positive, lol. OF COURSE I've been Googling all of this stuff- and it'll be the death of me. Reading statistics before you've even spoken to your OBGYN or specialist is dumb. But, I've done it- and the statistics of this being a successful operation are scary.

2) In Vitro Fertilization. My uterus and ovaries look great, so if another surgery doesn't help- IVF is an option. I'm trying not to think a lot about it. It's definitely a last resort.

3) Adoption. There are SO many children in this world that need loving parents, and we would LOVE to adopt a child. I had thought about adoption even before I knew any of this- it's something that pulls at my heart. No matter what, we want to be parents... and though I look forward to being pregnant and giving birth to a baby- it's something I could live without if it's not in the cards.

(Boo.)

Sooo, yeah. That's what's going on. I'm trying (and so far succeeding) to focus on happy things- the fact that I have great insurance that will cover a large portion of infertility treatments, that my life is really pretty great and this is just a set back in the grand scheme of things and that I get to plan a wedding celebration and marry the most loving and supportive man I've ever known. Yay. It's been a bittersweet year thus far. I'm looking forward to more sweet and less bitter, though. ;)

So long, 2011...

2012-01-04T19:36:00.002-06:00

2011 was on of the very BEST and also, very worst years of my life. Worst because of some insanely stupid and painful health issues that caused me to miss a lot of work and be stressed out about...well, everything...

... but let's concentrate on the BEST parts, shall we?

We enjoyed the snow.

We saw our favorite bands and one of my favorite shows.

We laughed a lot.

We got all romantic.

We planted things. They grew.

We partied a little.

We picnicked with our BFFs.

We celebrated birthdays. I turned 28. Bill turned 34.

We celebrated a year of togetherness.

We sat by the beach and drank from coconuts.

We decided to spend the rest of our lives together.

We moved. We decorated. We warmed our new home with our dearest friends.

We found out that we're getting a nephew named Jaxon!

We drove to Austin.

We fought. We made up.

We looked forward to 2012, The Year of US.

We loved each other. A lot. And loved some more.

Here's to a HAPPY, HEALTHY & AMAZING 2012!

Housewarming/ "Stock the Wine Bar"

2011-12-13T13:51:00.006-06:00

(Pictures my Mom took while my family was over.)

Ashlea holding her sweet baby...

... Bill holding our sweet baby- haha.

Mr and Mrs wine glasses from Rachel and Adam- love them so much!

Tote, calendar, pen and "Mrs Alvarez" sticker from my Maid of Honor, Allison!!!

Lots of new wine to try from our sweet friends :)

Such a wonderful evening with our family and best friends. We laughed and played games, drank "Ho Ho Punch" and snacked on delicious goodies. We're so lucky to have such great people in our lives. I only wish Bill's family and friends from out of state could have been here, too!

Family Picture Day 2011

2011-12-13T12:59:00.003-06:00

Family Tradition

2011-12-08T10:55:00.000-06:00

(Stolen from my Mom's blog)

Christmastime Is Here

2011-12-03T07:55:00.002-06:00

Our presents can't go under the tree because

THIS GUY is napping/waiting to open them...

November

2011-11-04T18:20:00.035-05:00

11/1/11- I'm THANKFUL for our new home. It's perfect for us- so quiet and peaceful. We're outside SO much more now, thanks to all of the parks directly across the street. Sophie is quickly becoming an outdoorsy-type dog (dog park is directly across from us) and the cats sit and sun under our many windows (SO much natural light). I thought I'd need a bunch of new stuff to fill up the extra space we have now- but we worked with what we have (and of course, we have each other- which is the most important part) and have quickly turned a new space into a HOME. We have no complaints, which is awesome- because we had tons of complaints about our last apartment. 'sigh of relief'

11/2/11- I'm THANKFUL for Noam, even though he's the most annoying cat I've ever met. He has his sweet moments, but usually you can find him knocking over trash cans, spilling cups of water or playing with bobby pins and Q-tips like they're glow sticks at an imaginary feline rave. (I tease him a lot, but I love him. He'll take over the world someday. For real. We think he already knows how to drive.)

11/3/11- I'm THANKFUL for Christmas music, and the fact that it's getting closer to that time of year when it's socially acceptable to listen to it (OUT IN THE OPEN, not secretly on your headphones so people won't think you're a batshit crazy person who had their house reported to the tv show Hoarders for being stacked to the ceiling with Christmas decor from 1953, year round). Here's my absolute favorite, what's yours?

11/4/11- I'm THANKFUL that Bill is building a fire right now, because it smells really good and my feet are cold.

11/5/11- I'm THANKFUL for the amazing women who will be standing by my side on my wedding day. Friends are the family you choose- and these are my sisters from another Mister. I love them dearly.

Allison, my Maid of Honor

Ashlea and her precious baby Eleanor

Hilary, in my trunk... with the neighbor's cat :)

Stephanie and her sweet daughter Charlotte

Heather in her Rangers gear

... and my BFFs. (More on that last pic later.)

11/6/11- I'm THANKFUL for walks in the park with my sweetheart. The trees in the park are beautiful. I feel like we're in our own little forest. (Wow, that sounded way too "Snow White" for my liking... but seriously, the tree-lined trails are great.)

11/7/11- I'm THANKFUL for RAIN!! Keep it comin'!! Pleeeeeeeease.

11/8/11- I'm so very THANKFUL that I got good news about my brother Ryan's baby this morning. Everything looks good, and he or she has a strong heartbeat of 166! Still no sonogram (because everything went well)... so I am still itchin' to see that cute little fetus!!

11/9/11- Today I'm THANKFUL for past mistakes, or rather, the ability to learn and grow from them.

11/10/11- I'm THANKFUL for Pinterest and the inspiration it provides. So many ideas for our home, wedding, parties, outfits... and so on, and so on. http://pinterest.com/emyd83/

11/11/11- I'm THANKFUL that our Honeymoon is booked! Daydreaming (and also actually dreaming- can't seem to stay awake the past few days) about our cruise to Mexico is getting me through the seasonal 'Fall Back' blues. Many thanks to Bill's parents for such a wonderful gift!

11/12/11- I am so THANKFUL that I have the most amazing Grandparents. My Grandaddy and Grandmama are my second parents- they love my siblings and me much and have helped raise us to be the people we are today. I love them and am so incredibly grateful that they're mine. A lot of people don't even get the chance to know their Grandparents... I can't imagine my life without mine. They are wonderful role models who have taught me that a marriage can withstand so many obstacles with patience and kindness.

11/13/11- I'm THANKFUL that my Grandmama is feeling better today and will more than likely be released from the hospital tomorrow afternoon. She had a very high fever and was admitted to the hospital on Thursday... turns out, she had pneumonia. Bill and I went to visit with her today and it made me realize that sometimes, I take for granted the time I have with her and my Grandaddy. I think of them as young people, since they are young at heart (and also, they're fairly young as Grandparents go). I should always remember to cherish the time I get to spend with them.

11/14/11- I am THANKFUL for the shelves that Bill built to hold pictures of our families, friends and some artsy stuff. That was the last blank wall in our living room- and now it's pretty!!

(Ta-dah! Made from a cheapo piece of wood from Home Depot.)

11/15/11- Today I am THANKFUL that I have a job. I won't go into great detail about how it's a far cry from a dream or a good time... just that it's a job, and lots of people don't have one.

11/16/11- I'm THANKFUL for my BFF and how if I vent, or get upset about silly things... she still cares about my feelings and loves me, anyway. Olive juice, ABC.

11/17/11- I'm THANKFUL for this guy-

I was going to save him for one of the last posts, but I can't wait. :) He is my love and my other half. My rock and my best friend. He is kind and patient. Smart and silly. Strong and tender. Basically, my whole world. I love you, Bill. I can't wait to be your wife. (Seriously, let's just elope tomorrow.)

11/18/11- Today I am THANKFUL for my Mama. My siblings, my Mom and I have been through so much as a family, and my Mom has been so strong for us. We have our ups and downs (ah-hem, "Family Picture Day"... haha), but I know she's always there to listen to me and to love me forever.

11/19/11- Today I am THANKFUL for this picture of my NEPHEW, Jaxon!!!

(He's already adorable! Auntie Em loves you and your sweet parents.)

11/20/11- I am THANKFUL that this is the view from our patio. (After two years of having an oh-so-lovely view of a parking lot, these trees make me pretty darn happy.)

11/21/11- Today I am THANKFUL for Austin, TX and the fact that Bill is taking us there for the weekend, after Thanksgiving. It's my favorite Texas city. Maybe we'll move there one day.

11/22/11- Today I'm THANKFUL for Boo & Sophie. They are my little four-legged babies (I mean, so is Noam, but he already got a shout out) and I'd probably cut off my arm before I lived without them.

11/23/11- I'm THANKFUL for MUSIC. Without it, life would blow.

11/24/11- I'm so THANKFUL that Bill is part of our family now. And that I'm part of his. Today we stuffed our bellies at my Grandparents' house and enjoyed some time with the fam.

11/25/11- I'm THANKFUL that my friends are and always have been hilarious.

(If you weren't there- this is the oddest, most white trash picture in the world.
But to me and mine- it's GOLDEN. And odd. And white trash.)

11/26/11- I'm THANKFUL for being in Austin and getting to enjoy all of it's random quirky goodness.

11/27/11- I am THANKFUL for someone who'll stick by my side through good times and bad. I know the good times will be plentiful, but sometimes things are hard... and to know your future husband is full of love and tries his hardest to be so supportive is a wonderful feeling. We will have a beautiful marriage... and I'm so looking forward to it.

11/28/11- Today I'm THANKFUL for hot baths and a warm apartment.

11/29/11- I'm THANKFUL that we're getting MARRIED in 10 months! Hooray!!!

11/30/11- I'm THANKFUL that I have so many things to be THANKFUL for. :)

let it be

2011-11-02T12:11:00.001-05:00

Up and Down

2011-10-25T12:16:00.001-05:00

October

2011-10-24T17:07:00.000-05:00

Lots of stuff going on.
Don't really feel like talking about it.
Here are our pumpkins.
Hope your October is the bomb dot com.

September

2011-09-13T20:56:00.005-05:00

Having a lot of stupid health issues.

Think happy thoughts for me, yeah?

I'm old, like whoah.

2011-08-30T20:06:00.002-05:00

My little sister is 15 now. Which means she's old enough for driver's ed. Which means, the fact that I'm 13 years older than her makes me kind of ancient. She had lots of pink things, awesome presents, owls, and some yummy chocolate cake.

(All pictures from my Mom's blog.)

Kelly, Ryan, Katie, Josh, me & Bill

(This shall be my "Day 1" weight loss picture -gotta start getting healthy for marriage and babies.)

Hey, guess what???!!!

2011-08-22T14:18:00.001-05:00

We're getting MARRIED!!!

Bill and I have talked about getting married for a looooong time. Maybe even a little TOO soon in our relationship (but, maybe not... when you know, you know). We've talked about our life- together forever, our goals, our dreams and our children. We love each other so dearly and we've been perfect for each other from the beginning. I love him... so much. SO SO much. The fact that I will be his wife in a little over a year makes me so very happy. (Just the fact that I get to be with him every day makes me happy- and I'm lucky enough to have that already.)

On Friday night I was on Pinterest (as usual) and started pinning engagement rings. We were both looking and comparing styles, etc. Little did I know...

On Saturday we went to take Bill's little buddy, Tonio to lunch and to the comic book store for his birthday. We went to Goodwill and got a wine rack. We complained about how hot it was (is) and how we'd really like to go on a walk outside (but of course in this heat, we'd melt). So I suggested going and walking around Grapevine Mills Mall. BAD IDEA (or so I thought in the beginning). I had no idea it was tax free weekend and that this HUGE mall would be packed full of people. Just, absolutely packed... and not very cool, temperature-wise. I, being the controlling person that I can be, decided that I wanted to look at rings, compare prices and write down item numbers of the ones I liked. We went to three stores and nothing really special caught my eye. We kept walking around, looked at some non-ring related stores... and finally we came to our last stop.

We walked into the jewelry store and I asked the salesman where the bridal sets were. My eyes focused on one ring (seen above). I tried it on. He gave Bill the price. I tried on another ring- it was ok, but it wasn't THE ring. I wanted something romantic and almost antique-looking. The salesman told me to try on THE ring (now MY ring) again... and Bill could tell how much I loved it. (The salesman also went down on the price quite a bit, which was awesome... and the fact that it was tax free weekend actually ended up benefiting us.) So.. he bought it.

Aghhhhh!

My heart was fluttering, I couldn't believe it. We walked out of the store, and Bill told me he had planned to propose to me in the next couple of months, once we got moved in to our new apartment. That he wanted to go to dinner with all of my friends and ask me to marry him. We talked back and forth about possibly waiting to get officially engaged- but I am impatient and I wanted to wear.that.ring. We went home, and we both changed clothes and freshened up a bit... and... HE PROPOSED. He said some really sweet things and put the ring on my finger. I am overjoyed. We both feel a little... different. I didn't think I would, because I thought it would just be so natural since we already knew that we'd be together forever- but we felt kind of distinguished. And so happy.

We called our parents and our friends. They were all delighted. We are so grateful to have wonderful friends who are almost as excited as we are!

And that's all she wrote. I get to marry the love of my life in 2012. Before getting engaged we knew we wanted to keep it simple... so we'll be having a small ceremony and then heading to the State Fair of Texas to celebrate with friends and family. I'm already planning... making guest lists and picking things for our registries. I definitely don't want to rush in to any major decisions, as we have over a year to prepare... but it's all just so exciting that I can't wait to plan certain things. I want my wedding to be as simple and low stress as possible- I want to have fun, of course... but I'm looking forward to the marriage more than the celebration.

I am such a lucky girl. I love you to the moon and back, Bill. XOXOXO

2011-08-06T16:40:00.001-05:00

We finally got a proper tv stand- yay.

Which means the previous tv table is now being used as a desk.

New stand

Desk (to be painted at some point)

Today we found a really great, authentic Puerto Rican restaurant in Irving called Adobo. It was delicious. Afterwards we went to Home Goods (I shouldn't be allowed in that store while on a budget.)

I got this little guy...

Oh, how I love him.

Tweet tweet

2011-08-03T17:29:00.003-05:00

So, maybe I have a "problem". Whatevs. "Put a bird on it!"

No, not pregs... invite to Ashlea's Baby Shower

Allison's change of address card (see, my friends are bird crazy, too!)

Toiletry bag from Ashlea (was filled with goodies for her wedding day),

given to me at her bridal shower- now holds my tons-o-meds. Yay, owls.

**after examining these photos, WHOAH, check out my dust guys...

Pictures from Saturday

2011-07-31T18:32:00.000-05:00

Ashlea's gift for Baby Eleanor (swaddling blankets, outfit, "Owlphabet" and Vulli the giraffe)- her shower was on Saturday afternoon. Stephanie and Hilary threw it at her Aunt's house and it was so pretty and sweet... dainty decorations, fun games and yummy food. We had a good time.

Close up of the "Owlphabet"- I love it and I hope Baby E does, too.

Purchased from http://www.shopdomestica.com/.

Right before we left for the shower, Allison pulled this little jewel that she found in an old box- my journal ("The Big Purple Journal") from '01- '02. Allison, Ashlea, Hilary and I had some good laughs about it. (I removed several pages from it last night because they were pretty cringe-worthy, oh to be 18 again.)

Saturday night we had Bill's birthday party at Allison and Justin's. We ate, drank (me- water... I'm too scared to drink alcohol after this surgery... my stomach isn't handling things the same way and I don't want to make myself sick) and played games. It was a pretty fun night. Bill and I left fairly early because I was worn out and hurting... but hopefully he had a good night. Happy 34, darling. (Tomorrow, on his actual birthday I'm taking him to dinner at Saviano's- one of our favorite places.)

Allison

My sweet birthday boy

Playing the most ridiculous game of Circle of Death (omg, the rules they made up...)

Hilary and Trey

I've hurt myself a few times this weekend by over doing it (forgetting I'm not supposed to lift things and trying to pick up Charlotte, bending down to help out a cicada who was turned over on his back... silly things, I should have known better). I'm still feeling better than last week, of course- on the road to recovery. I return to work on Thursday (boo and yay at the same time- I mean, who wants to go to work... but mama needs that paycheck to buy furniture for our new apartment... and you know, bills and other boring things). Hopefully I'll be in less pain by then.

It's the thought that counts.

2011-07-28T22:02:00.002-05:00

I'm a crappy girlfriend this year. Bill's birthday is on the 1st and since I had surgery- I'm out of money AND energy. I'm buying him a few records and a turntable (from Craigslist- I'm so classy) tomorrow... but today I had a grand idea- paint something.

I've recently become addicted to Pinterest and found this beautiful gold painting:

I knew I wouldn't be able to create something like that, b/c- I have no idea how. But I knew I wanted something gold for the mantel in our new apartment (2 months and counting... woot).

I also wanted to include this quote on the canvas (since we're moving in to OUR first apartment --just living in my crappy one bedroom until my lease is up--):

Love it. Everything sounds great, right? Well... it did to me. I rushed to Michael's, got a canvas, gold spray paint, gold paint and black paint. And this is what I ended up with:

WOMP WOMP. It's not as horrible as I make it sound... but it's completely different from what I had in my head. But Bill likes it (or is pretending for my sake)... so, that's all that matters. It even looks kind of cute on our side table, but mantel art it is not.

ANYWAY... that's why I'm a crap girlfriend this year. I blame the pain medication.

Here are some more random pics from this week... have a good weekend!

Tomato/Mozzarella Salad w/ Basil from our patio garden

From my "Get Well" bouquet from Bill

From my "Get Well" bouquet from Amanda

Beautiful ring that Bill got me for my birthday because

HE is an awesome significant other...

I hope he has a wonderful birthday in spite of my lame attempts at gifts.

He deserves it. XOXO

**when I finally got paid I got him some wireless headphones, a grill (that we still haven't used as of 8/19- there's pretty much no space to use it here, we'll break it in at the new place) and a cover for his futon that will go in our office/pet room (oh the luxury of not having a litterbox in the bedroom- heaven)/workout room/whatever else. Pretty practical stuff- next year, the big 3-5, will be more exciting, I think.