5...4...3...2...1...

2011 brought us many changes this year...Here are some of the many things that were flashing through my mind as the 10 second countdown to 2012 began...

Miss Molly has gone from tiny

...to 'Smalls'

We welcomed a new sister and a new step father into our family

We were reminded of the importance of cherishing our loved ones, a value that is only strengthened by loss of someone so near and dear to you.

NPZ and I ventured out of the great state of MN for a trip to the windy city and PHX - and only lost our baggage once.

(Thanks for the T-shirt Delta)

We learned that when people say, 'Its the little things in life that bring you the most joy' they really meant the little people. This year we had constant reminders of what life is really all about.

It really is the simple things in life that bring us the most happiness.

And while our wedding was probably the biggest production we had going on this year, the best part of that was the marriage- and we get to keep that forever.

I resolve, this new year, that I will appreciate all the life throws my way.

-Liz

Oh, the Places You'll Go!

I've been a horrible blogger. I mostly blame it on the fact that I forget to bring my camera everywhere, but mostly it is because my life has become crazy. Not the fun and exciting crazy, just plain old crazy.

NPZ and I had become the type that knew what was for dinner based on the day of the week. Even Miss Molly had fallen into our scheduled life. But that recently changed.

I was at my wits end with the job I had, I couldn't handle my work environment any longer (you all must know this from my previous rants.) I was unhappy at work and it was spilling over into my personal life. I resolved that I would find something new after the wedding was over, and I did.

My new position was in design, which of course seemed like the perfect fit. It was a huge change for me, I went from managing business accounts to working with homeowners- which is not any less pressure to perform, but less responsibility. The only real bad part was that the schedule was unpredictable. In the short amount of time I was there, NPZ and I had a hard time adjusting to our new life. We got to see each other very little. When we did, it was mostly spending time doing the things that we HAD to do together. Which feels like all work and no play. NPZ told me that he felt like we were coworkers- That stung pretty badly- I knew it was true, and it meant that we had to work harder to make time for one another. Miss Molly was even feeling the change, eventually she just continued on with her 8-5 schedule of sleeping in her kennel from 8-12- break from 12-1- and sleep until 5 again. The Z house was kind of a mess, mentally and literally.

But like I said, this job was short lived. I loved that my coworkers were all so interesting and genuine- which is probably the reason it was so hard to leave when I did. About a month in, I got a phone call from a company looking to meet with me. It was a company that was similar to my previous employer, so I decided that it couldn't hurt to check them out. I am glad I did. It wasn't easy to accept the offer, even though on paper there was no comparison, I didn't want to look like a job hopper. This 3 month stint would be on my resume for quite a while, not to mention the numerous people who stuck their neck out to hire me.

LPJ had gotten me a book for my high school graduation. I keep in under my nightstand because for whatever reason, I have needed to use it for reference on numerous occasions. So, I read it again.



And it made it easier to decide what to do.

I am excited to settle into my new job, I start at the beginning of the new year- I think it will be a great way to kick it off right!

-Liz

“boiler-room style sales culture”

I can't say that I am surprised that my former school is being sued. My School allowed just about anyone into it. I remember being paired in a group project with three others. One student was special needs, which is fine, however, the school had no special needs program. $$$ was the only thing they saw when they accepted this poor girl into the school. How is anyone to succeed if there is no filter?

I have made a lot of mistakes in my life, but spending as much as I did on my education would have to be my biggest. Hindsight is always 20/20, my degree is in Interior Design, which you'd think would be a lucrative career- While there is the exception of those starting their own businesses and making the big bucks, you are pretty much either stuck in a sales job or if your lucky working under an architect.

This school, when I was there, charged upwards of 35K per year for tuition alone. Finishing your degree in 3 years will cost you a small house. I'm embarrassed to say, I financed the whole thing. So here I am, 26 years old with a modest life, I drive an old car, live in a 'cute' house (I've learned that since becoming a homeowner, cute means small), and have what would appear to be a stable middle class income job. The only thing in my life that is extravagant is my student loan bill.

I've been able to manage but I often wonder about the students that paid for the same education as I did, but really weren't qualified. Did they drop out, not get their degree and will they spend the rest of their life with a HS Diploma working minimum wage trying to pay off their loans? Will they default and not ever be able to experience, what I think are some of the greatest things in life like being a homeowner, buying their first new car, having a job they genuinely enjoy? I can't even imagine.

I will always have my degree and yes, that is something awesome. I am a first generation college graduate and I am definately proud of that. If I could go back though, I definately would have chosen a more affordable college and a more broad course of study.

Adjusting back into the simple life...

One month after I said I do, I am still adjusting back to life as usual. There are so many things that we want to get done in the next month or two. For starters, we are working on staining our new fence (which has proven to be an excellent deterrent for our weirdo neighbor, except when we are staining it). I expect this project will take up all of my evenings this week.
Next weekend we are headed up to the North Shore for my best friend's sister's wedding. I am so excited I can hardly stand it. I know AJD will make for a stunning bride, her beauty will hardly compare to the scenery, but that doesn't stop me from being excited about that too! I figure it will be a nice little getaway for NPZ and I. Hopefully it will tide us over until our real honeymoon in Feb. (haha, get it tide!)

After the wedding weekend getaway I will waiting patiently (okay, impatiently!) for these to arrive.

I have agreed to agreed to help out with my mother in laws wedding by doing the wedding invitations. There was a lot of information needed for invites, so I decided to go with the pocket style, hopefully this won't be too tricky! Her husband is from Chicago, and her family is mostly in MN, so while it's not your traditional destination wedding, for some of their guests, it definitely is. I have to get them out right away so hopefully they come soon! I'm hoping I can recruit some ladies to help me out! I think it will be easy because luckily I was not a bridezilla and did my own invites, so none of my friends are sick of me yet!

Lots and lots to do, and lots and lots to enjoy!

-Liz

The Good Husband

Last night I started drinking at 5:06 pm. It had been a rough week at work to say the least. (Caution: The following is a rant) I was swamped with problems all week and to top it off my boss was really thinking his dick made him smarter than me. I'm seriously considering a sex change just to prove that my brain function is normal...but then again, I wouldn't want to do anything that would satisfy this jerk. Sis LJP pointed out to me that he may just have a severe case of little man syndrome, which is the likely cause of the male superiority complex in my office considering that the two worst are the two smallest dudes in the office. Regardless, I don't really think that it is an excuse to be so arrogant or condescending towards women.
Obviously you can see my week pissed me off and my rant up there was off subject besides that it was the reason I was drinking the moment I got home on Friday. Luckily, I came home to my awesome husband.
I ended up in bed early and slept in until 9, which was needed. When I walked downstairs NPZ had cleaned the ENTIRE house. What?!?  This was his first Saturday off since the wedding, and typically I clean the house on Satuday while he's at work. I don't mind this arrangement, but it was actually just what I needed today.
How did I get such a great guy?

-Liz

Monday

Generosity.

We have been feeling so lucky. Not only because we get to have each other forever, but because of our family and friends. We have received an outpouring of support that we never knew we had. This is my 'Thank you' post to everyone who has been there for us. It is also a post to show just what we've been doing with your generosity!

NPZ was SO excited to use his NEW Weed Whip. This is our very first new (and not just new to us) lawn equipment!

We grilled out on our 5 year (dating) anniversary, we just couldn't skip such a big milestone, even though we had been married for a few days. NPZ's lovely coworkers got us a grilling kit apron which we love and a thermometer steak fork which we tested out.



NPZ's coworkers also got him this nifty beer bird contraption. It made for a perfect Sunday night dinner - we were able to grill even though we saw some showers because it took about an hour and a half to cook it...lets just say it was TOTALLY worth the wait! YUM! This birdy here came out of the freezer that my folks bought us as a wedding gift! NPZ was so excited about the freezer, I could hear him singing in his female voice about how awesome it was while I was organizing closets!

Speaking of cleaning....Before the wedding this is what my house looked like!

It was awful! I tried and tried to keep all this as organized as I could, but the best I could do was to make sure there was a walking path! I'm definitely glad we bought a house before planning the wedding because if this was all in our 1 bedroom apartment I think I would have lost my mind.

We loaded it all up two days before the wedding and I got my spare room back!

Big Blue did the trick and we were able to fit all of the stuff plus the flower in one trip! We were pretty tired and thirsty after though ;)

I spent last weekend doing this to 3 of my closets- and my heart palpitations have subsided. I went to target and picked up some shelving which ended up only costing about $35.00 a closet and I got so much more storage space out of my mini closets. (Notice all my new towels? Awesome shower gifts from some pretty generous ladies!)

Thanks Again!