Virginia

Long overdue post! Get ready, it's a long one!

I had been looking forward to our weeklong visit to Virginia for a family reunion for a long time. Work had been really slow and I just wanted to get away from everything for a while.

We headed out on July 4th at 7 a.m., and started the longest car journey I'd ever been on. It sucked. Especially since we were in my father-in-law's fancy mustang with a tiny backseat, which is where I was sitting. 

Don't get me wrong, the car ride itself didn't suck, just the length of the car ride sucked. I hate traveling for long periods of time, unless you're sailing on an enormous vessel of awesome in the middle of the ocean (a.k.a., a cruise ship. I will make it my life's mission to get back on Freedom of the Seas.)

Apart from the tiniest bit of traffic in Atlanta, it was smooth sailing the whole way. The majority of people were at home grilling hot dogs and playing with sparklers so our strategy to leave on a holiday worked!

Highlights of the car ride:

- It was cool to watch the elevation change along the way.

 - We stopped at a really cool welcome center / rest stop in Tennessee that had an all wood interior and all kinds of maps of Tennessee. Regular maps, ghost tour maps, sightseeing maps... Unfortunately, I neglected to take any maps or pictures. Sad face.

I could tell we were in Virginia when my ears started popping. The elevation was unlike any I've ever seen in my life. The highest elevation I'd seen before this was the Blue Ridge Mountains in Georgia and those are mere hills compared to these bastards.

- A little way into Virginia, when the mountains started looking ridiculously huge (I kept thinking of Shadow of the Colossus the entire time), there was this little place you could pull off the highway and walk up to an overlook and take in the scenery.

It was amazing.

Just imagine how it would look covered in snow. Maybe one day we can go back in the winter.

It was around 6 p.m. (11+ hours in a car!) when we arrived in Clintwood, where my F.I.L was born and raised. Unbeknownst to me, we were headed straight to a relatives' house. I was a little anxious to be meeting Gary's extended family, but I assumed I would just be meeting a few people at this point, as the reunion wasn't until Sunday (it was Wednesday at this point in the story).
Turns out this was more like a mini reunion, with at least fifteen people there. Gary's dad didn't introduce me right away, since he hadn't seen everyone in a while and was saying his hello's. Gary chose that moment to go to the bathroom, and for a minute I was standing there awkwardly, not knowing what to do or say, and feeling overwhelmed (I am painfully shy around new people). A moment later I was introduced to everyone, and proceeded to sit in silence while everyone talked about family I didn't know.

Anyway, long story short, I gravitated towards the people who talked to me the most, who were Aunt Francis and Cousin Petra. Some were grilling burgers and hot dogs and everyone ate and mingled. Once the sun went down everyone went outside to light some fireworks. This is the part of the evening that freaked me out the most -- Gary's nephew Logan was lighting these box fireworks things that did different things as the box burned (at first I thought it was just a box of individual fireworks, which had me nervous that he was lighting them all at once). There were some pretty cool fireworks, and we got to see some of the fireworks from the display that was going on in town. I was glad I got to see some, as the 4th of July isn't the same without them, in my opinion.

I got to see lightning bugs/fireflies! They were all over the yard, sparkling. I've never seen them before so that was really cool.

After the fireworks we went back to Aunt Francis' and Uncle Stan's place, where we were staying. They had a trailer on their land that was separate from their house, so that is where Gary, my father in law, and I were put up. It was nice, it had all the comforts of home and was still somewhat private.

The wasps kept getting in on us!

Our home away from home

 We spent the rest of the week mostly spending time with family. We got invited to breakfast, lunch, and dinner by different family members throughout the course of the week. One breakfast staple in Virginia (that's also a staple in Florida) is biscuits and gravy, which i've never been a fan of. Not wanting to appear rude though, I ate some anyway.

We drove around town a lot on the winding mountain roads, which were a little precarious at times! 

One day we went to visit the Mullins family cemetery. It was interesting to see all the previous generations' grave stones.

The day before the reunion, we went to the local pool. It was so hot the whole time we were up there, it felt so good to be in the water. I acted like a kid and jumped in the deep end several times, and watched as the pool staff held 'biggest splash' and 'best dive' competitions.

The day of the reunion, we went to Breaks Interstate National Park.

After we met a lot of family and ate, we went on a hike with some family members.

You can see my ass in this picture!

There was so much scenery to take in, so i'll just let the pictures speak for themselves:

Logan - he can climb anything! Fearless kid!

Gary was nervous that I was standing here. See my defiant pose?

 

Jeremy, Francis, Stan, Papa Goble, Me, and Gary

A good time was had by all, and I was actually sad to leave the next day. I had got to know everyone and they were all super nice and welcoming. Francis and Stan invited us to stay with them any time, and I think we'll probably take them up on the offer next time my FIL plans a trip up there.

Jumbled

Life has been chaotic lately, to say the least. So much so that I've neglected to post anything on here with any regularity, which bothers me. I started this blog to document the happenings in my life, and document I shall, once this chaos has settled a bit.

The house is in compete disarray as we're getting ready to move this week. I hate moving with a passion. My friend Cristina said yesterday that moving is like being a slave to Pharaoh, and I have to agree with her.

So, once we've settled in and have time to think, I'll be posting about:

- our vacation to Virginia
- moving and our new place
- my sisters coming to visit / help us move!

Until then, it's radio silence from me while we get things sorted.

Over and out!

Sitting, Waiting, Wishing

Today, all my managers are in training for printer software. Riveting stuff.

This means that I am a stand-in manager of sorts for the day, except I have none of the authority or knowledge, and can't print anything or answer any important questions.

The phone isn't ringing. No jobs are due today. No e-mails are coming in. I am essentially sitting here with the intern, babysitting an empty office for the day.

I am counting down the days until our weeklong vacation next week. A week away from the confines of my office. A week of not having to deal with annoying customers. A week free from sitting, waiting, and wishing I were someplace else.

Introductions

So I'm a few posts in and realized that none of you know who this freak is who is talking about other freaks you don't know. So here are a few random facts about us (in no particular order):

Me! (Siobhan)

 - Born and raised in the U.K. Emigrated to Florida when I was 14. I still have issues with the 'language barrier' occasionally (American English and English English are more different than I think most realize), and I still see bugs I've never seen before on a daily basis. I still have my accent.

- I puff up like crazy when I get bitten by Mosquitos (living in Florida has given me superhuman senses when it comes to flying insects and I can detect one in a room when nobody else can). I know I must seem crazed.

- Flies creep me out. Those big, ugly ones. If I see one on any surface, it literally makes my skin crawl and I have to get it out of the house and clean.

- I got married in November to my awesome husband, Gary. I am totally smitten by this man. We are mostly broke but looking forward to life's challenges and what lies ahead for us.

- I am a Bon Jovi fan (the 80s stuff and a little bit of the 90s stuff. Their new stuff sucks).

- I enjoy cooking and trying new recipes. Potatoes are perhaps my favorite food of all time.

- I'm not sure yet how I feel about eggs. If they're not cooked exactly how I like them, I won't eat them.

- My curly hair has a mind of its own! I've transitioned from straight to curly and I'm still learning the ins and outs of how to handle my hair.

- I've been drawing since I could hold a pen, and studied art in college (could be a reason I'm so broke now...)

- I currently work a job I'm not a fan of, but it pays the bills 'til I can paint my masterpiece.

- Blank paper makes me happy.

Gary! (My Husband)

- He works with his hands (and who doesn't love a man who uses power tools on the regular?)

- He is the spitting image of his dad.

- If it were up to him, salt would be a food group.

- He has a childlike enjoyment for candy.

- He will make anything into a song.

- He has the most adorable southern accent.

How sickening!

 We got married on November 11th, 2011.

Polly! (Our mean-ass cat)

Is she sleeping, or secretly plotting against you?

- She likes Gary and I, most of the time. She likes no-one else. She's a ride-or-die kinda cat.

- When she hears our alarms go off in the mornings, she sits outside our bedroom door and screams at us until we open the door and throw a sock at her or feed her already.

- She won't play with any of the toys we buy her; she's more partial to zip ties and gum wrappers.

- While I get ready for my day she jumps up on the bathroom counter, lays in the sink, and watches me.

- When we let her into the back yard she grazes on grass like a cow and rolls around in ecstasy.

- She's just... Weird.

Other characters in the play will be introduced as they pop up.

Welcome to our corner of the world! Who are you?

What's In A Name?

Now that i've started getting mail with my new last name on it, it's sunk in that I will never again be 'my former self'', so to speak.

I'm the same person, of course. But my name is forever changed. I wanted to change my name, and i'm not regretting my decision, it's just strange that officially, my name will be something other than the name I was born with.

How much of your identity is tied to a name, do you think? If you were to wake up tomorrow and say, 'Screw Rachel. I'm gonna be Cassandra!', would you feel any different once you'd changed your name?
Not exactly the same scenario, I realize, since i'm talking about last names...

I get nostalgic in a sense - If someone saw my name on paper, they wouldn't assume I was part of my family because my name is different from theirs. There's almost a small sense of loss over a name that was mine. In a way, it still is my name, nobody else will have it (well, odds are someone in the world has the same name, but it's unlikely i'd meet them), I just go by a different name now.

It's been an adjustment in changing my signature and introducing myself with my new last name and not my former last name. I've been using the same name and signature for my whole life until November 2011 and it is so hard changing something you've been doing a certain way for so long!

I'll get used to it, though! Just some thoughts.

Christmas 2011

I can't believe Christmas came and went so quickly.


This year was my first Christmas as a married woman, and also my first time cooking a full Christmas dinner. Since I couldn't make it down to see my family for Christmas because stupid work got in the way for both me and Gary, I really wanted to have a 'Misfit Christmas Dinner', so to speak. I wanted to offer up a meal for anyone in my now larger family who would otherwise have spent the holiday alone.


But woah boy, was it an undertaking.




The Menu:


Roasted Turkey Breast with Herb Butter
Vegetable Stuffing
Golden Roasted Potatoes
Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Horseradish Cream
Collard Greens (Gary cooked these, so I can't take credit)



I brined the turkey breast the night before, and I cannot reccomend it enough. It makes the meat so juicy. Everyone in attendance raved that mine was the best turkey they'd ever had. Not to toot my own horn... but seriously, try brining. It does amazing things to meat and imparts it with so much flavor.


I used this recipe, stolen from Curtis Stone and modified a bit:
- 3 cups water
- 1/2 cup salt
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 2 cloves crushed garlic
- zest of 2 lemons + a squeeze of lemon juice
- a few sprigs of fresh thyme
- a handful of fresh rosemary leaves


Stir to combine the ingredients and submerge your turkey in the mixture. Put it in the fridge, covered, overnight (I brined mine for 12 hours, but you don't have to go that long if you don't have the time. But the longer you leave it, the tastier it becomes!)


Gary gave me a gorgeous pair of opal earrings and a hat for Christmas. We got his dad a rocking chair, which he loved, and we gave his brother a fish finder thing that is supposed to tell you where the fish are if you're catching fish. I got Gary a couple of books he was wanting.


After that, I spent the majority of my time in the kitchen, playing wifey, cooking up a delicious meal. It made me feel good to welcome people to our place and share an important meal. I got a bit stressed near the end of cooking, when I almost burned the stuffing and the gravy was think, but overall it was a success.


We sent the leftovers home with Gary's dad. After everyone left, we literally rocked around the Christmas tree. The song came on the radio and Gary pushed the coffee table to one side, moved the tree into the middle of the living room and extended his hand. We slid around in our socks and shared a few slow dances.


Gary told me that his favorite part about that day was me cooking for everyone and sharing a meal. He said it really sank in and made it feel like he and I were a family for the first time. I felt the same way.


The only thing that made me kind of sad about the day was that he and I didn't take any pictures together for our first holiday as husband and wife. The tree is still up though - maybe we could take a few shots and just tell people that we took them on the day. It's what we did for our wedding after all!


Happy Holidays everyone!

Sistas Are Doing It For Themselves

While I was still in the trenches of wedding planning (those crazy, chasm-like trenches), I read the following quote while surfing on the AOL news page and my head just about exploded:

"It's a nice concept, [but] I would rather people just cut the guest list... don't waste your time and money trying to arrange the flowers when you can find someone to do it at a fairly decent cost. When I see brides the morning of their wedding sitting around trying to finish stringing the paper carnations, i'm like, 'what are you doing?' It's a penny wise, pound foolish."


- Marcy Blum, on why the do-it-yourself wedding trend has run its course

What time is it?! That's right! LIST TIME!!!! 


1) I don't have a clue who this Marcy Blum character is, but I sincerely hope she's referring to rich-ass people/celebrities in this quote. Not everyone has money flying out of their ass. A lot of people can't afford to pay someone else to string their paper carnations - maybe some brides WANT to string their own paper carnations because they like being creative. What kind of advice is this? Go into debt so you don't have to lift a pretty little bridal finger!


2) "Fairly decent" costs largely don't exist in the Wedding Industrial Complex. Hence the freaking DIY. 


Quote for fresh flowers from a florist that look and smell great that will die in a week - $600


Fake flowers that my mum found at the local Pottery Barn that were in my wedding colors and still look awesome and I can still decorate the house with - $60


Knowing that just because you're getting married you haven't lost all semblance of sense and see that there is $550 in savings between these two options, realizing that not having real flowers isn't the 'make-it or break-it' factor, knowing that bridal magazines will push this shit and make you think you want/need it when you really don't, and nobody will care, much less remember, the flowers at your wedding - MUTHAFU*KIN' PRICELESS


MasterCard should make that commercial.


3) I'm just gonna call attention to the part where Ms. Blum says, "don't waste your time and money... fairly decent cost." Yes, DIYing wedding crafts does take time, but i'm sorry - last I checked, it was actually free to arrange your own flowers, versus not free if you have to pay someone else to do it. Unless you work in your own one-woman sweat shop, cranking out bridal jewelry in a frenzy. In that case, sistas are doing it for themselves! CONTRADICTION. GLARING.


4) While Ms. Blum may think that DIY weddings are on the outs, I know of a whole slew of wedding blogs that suggest otherwise. But Ms. Blum probably wouldn't read any of these blogs because, well, apparently she thinks it's foolish for anyone to want to save some money and do what they can themselves, rather than springing for that gigantic backlit ice swan sculpture because OMG THE SPARKLE! DO YOU SEE HOW IT SPARKLES?!?! 


The wedding industry is on crack right now. With shows like Say Yes To The Dress and Four Weddings and movies like Bride Wars, the industry is trying to make it seem like you have to have certain things, or your wedding is just plain tacky. They're trying to depersonalize weddings and make them into an adult sweet sixteen party, where you have to have the 'perfect' dress and the 'perfect' flowers, and the groom gets shoved aside as just an accessory because it's 'the bride's day'. I grit my teeth every time I hear that phrase. Supposedly, the average budget for a wedding today is 20, 000 dollars. I don't know where they pulled this statistic from, but if that's true, then everyone on the entire face of the earth makes waaaay more money than I do.


What is wrong with DIY weddings? Nothing in my opinion. You get to put a piece of yourself into each task, making each thing you make and do carry more meaning and memories. Instead of some over-the-top, princess-for-a-day, look-at-me-look-at-me spectacle, it becomes something personal, which is what it should be. So many people helped make my wedding what it was, which was fantastic, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Everything went amazingly, better than we could have imagined. There was a real sense of teamwork and community, and knowing that friends and family had a hand in helping make the bouquets and the favors and the centerpieces made the day so special, so filled with love. Every time I looked at something someone made or helped with I felt an overwhelming sense of 'Wow. These people really love me.' Of course I knew this all along, but it really drove the point home. The people who matter want to see you happy. I felt like the luckiest girl in the world. Can money buy you that?


For anyone who is planning a wedding or will be in the future, and doesn't have the kind of money to buy a monogrammed light show for their reception, here is a list of blogs that have kept me sane and provided me with solid, practical, user-friendly advice:


apracticalwedding.com
thebrokeassbride.com
indiebride.com
offbeatbride.com


These are just a sampling of the great ones out there. I know they certainly helped me gain clarity and convinced me to PUT THE WEDDING MAGAZINE DOWN. (Do it, unless you have 20K to spare for a wedding, they'll just make you feel inadequate and cheap. And you don't need any of the stuff they're insisting you do. Don't get me wrong, the weddings featured in the magazines are beautiful, but i'd be damned if i'm gonna drop that much money on one day, no matter how important.) Go forth and explore your options! You have them!


In the end, a marriage is about two people in love wanting to share their lives together, being supported and surrounded by the people who helped them get there, not the money you spend.


Marcy can suck it!