house of pain...

the title of this post may be a bit dramatic i realize...but last week was an interesting one for the hawk house.

ryan has taken up rugby again in the form of the nashville rugby club (go outlaws!), and he has practice on tuesday evenings. last tuesday while he was a practice i was hanging out with our friend kirsten waiting for him to be finished. i received a phone call from a number i did not recognize and it was ryan. he said, "hey can you guys come get me? i passed out and they won't let me drive." what an interesting call to get, i sort of felt like a mom being called to come get a sick child. we went to get him and got the whole story as well. while practicing, he took a finger to the eye and lost a contact lens. then proceeded to practice and run laps--with eyesight in only one eye (he is blind). he got dizzy, passed out, and was apparently out long enough that they felt the need to call the paramedics. the paramedics checked him over and deemed him okay and he was fine. just a funny little story.



fast forward to thursday. i was at work organizing and decided to cut the flaps off of a box (something i do frequently) with my handy dandy box cutter. i was also talking while partaking of this favorite pastime of mine and slipped and cut a nice gash in my arm. right below my wrist. i quickly moved to the sink because i was sure it would spew blood. it really didn't bleed much, but was quite ripped apart. i retreated to the back room and with the assistance of two of my shift supervisors, bandaged my wound and called the doctor. then ryan received the phone call of, "hey, can you come get me? i need you to take me to get some stitches." yup, that's right...three stitches. i felt like a moron. not only for slicing myself up at work, but if i had been an inch or so higher i could have cut some important veins and been in a rescue-911 situation. yikes!



all's well that ends well. we are healing and enjoying the humor in the situations for now...

ABC's of me...

A - Age: 25

B - Bed size: double (yes, i know...tiny, we like to snuggle)

C - Chore you hate: sweeping/putting away laundry

D - Dog's name: Gus!

E - Essential start your day item: snooze!

F - Favorite color: grey, pink, blue

G- Gold or Silver: both

H - Height: 5'8"

I - Instruments: car radio, ipod, record player

J - Job title: Starbucks Store Manger/Coffee Master

K - Kid(s): until they come out with a sack of gold instead of a placenta, nada.

L - Living arrangements: not sure what this means...married, renter, ?

M - Mom's name: Judy Kaye

N - Nicknames: Sari, Momma Hawk, Loverface, Wifey

O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: pneumonia, chicken pox, jaw surgery

P - Pet Peeve: rudeness, tardiness, and when things are spelled wrong on purpose

Q - Quote from a movie: "I will miss your lips and everything attached to them."

R - Right or left handed: Right, but I've always wanted to be left handed

S - Siblings: One older sister and one younger sister

T - Time you wake up: depends on when I have to be at work; usually between 4am and 8am. I can't sleep past 9 anymore, that makes me feel old

U- Underwear: good idea.

V - Vegetable you dislike: ALL except spinach, lettuce, corn, sweet potatoes, potatoes, and sugar snap peas

W - Ways you run late: not getting my butt out of bed, husby driving slow, dumb nashville drivers

X - X-rays you've had: teeth, leg, toe, wrist, jaw, back, knee

Y - Yummy food: ice cream, kettle corn

Z- Zoo animals: giraffes, penguins

warp speed

our lives have been so insanely busy for the last month that i'm not sure how we've gotten anything done.

ryan's trooper bit the dust (again) in July and we have been a one-car-family ever since. this has made reading Harry Potter books an easier task, but has also made for a lot of running around and back and forth.

i've been super busy at work (and at home constantly thinking about work).

ryan just started graduate school.

we're trying to get involved at church and are going to events and cooking for families, etc.

so, it hasn't been bad to be so busy, just tiring. i am completely enjoying having today off in our quite house. i've been sitting on the couch since 9:30 doing a whole lot of nothing...and right now, i can't move because there is a sweet puppy curled up asleep on my feet. :)

harry potter has taken over our lives!

so a little less than a month ago ryan and i drove to colorado for a family vacation. now, you might be might be thinking we are crazy since this is a 20 hour (one way) drive and you would be right. we're crazy. but we really had a great time on our drive. ryan decided that he was finally willing to delve into the harry potter universe. so, he bought us the box set and i started reading. out loud. for roughly 20 hours. on our trip alone we read the first two books and half of the third. now that we are no longer on vacation the reading progress has slowed down a lot, but we're still making it happen. we're in the 5th book now and are really having fun reading to each other instead of watching tv. we've been going to bed at least an hour earlier than usual so that we can read. and since we are sharing one car now, when ryan is driving me to and fro work i read (about an hour a day).

i really wasn't sure if ryan would enjoy the series or not. i should have known better though, he is getting really into it. after the first day of reading he started calling gus a muggle lover and we pretend to cast spells all the time. i highly recommend turning off the television and picking up a favorite book and reading aloud to a loved one. so fun!

belated birthday

Dear Gus,

You turned one on June 11th and we are so proud of our one year old puppy!

You have brought so much joy to our lives (and we will supposedly live longer because of you) and have been a fun challenge!

We didn't really have an issue with potty training you. Luckily for us, you lived outside until we brought you home so you were used to going outside to potty. Our challenges have involved toilet paper and the destroying of your beds. You love your bed and are constantly chewing and snuggling with it.


We are really strict about what you eat (you have some tummy troubles and food allergies) and we didn't give you treats until you could do tricks for us. Tricks that you do: SIT, STAY, ROLL OVER, CIRCLE DANCE

You are not a very snuggly dog and you prefer to sleep in your own bed than ours. But we know that you love us tremendously. You are very protective of your momma and try to defend me from getting kissed by papa.



Things You are Afraid of:
*the vacuum
*the fan
*the noise of blowing on a bottle
*windshield wipers

We love you buddy boy,
Momma Girl

confessions.

i love the smell of skunk.
i know it's gross.
but it's true.

i think peanut butter sometimes tastes like coffee.
especially when mixed with chocolate.
i like it.

staycationing...

this summer is the summer of the staycation. we are imploring all friends and relatives to come to nashville and stay at the
...bird's nest b & b...
however, it's a little more bed and booze than bed and breakfast, be forewarned. what can i say, i'd rather go out for brunch at fido or the pancake pantry than make it myself...

over memorial day weekend we hosted ryan's lovely parents and i actually managed to take two days off in a row. we had a blast playing mexican train every night, picnicing at arrington vineyards, taking a drive on the natchez trace parkway, playing with gus, and cooking risotto.







then two of my bffs from my awesome summers working at shepherd's fold came to visit! we also had a blast picnicing at arrington vineyards, watching a sounds baseball game, shopping, laughing, talking, cooking, and consuming wine and popsicles. i love these girls!

the teenager in our house.

our sweet little puppy boy is starting to evolve into a rebellious teenager.

a few weeks ago we watched a friend's puppy and he taught gus how to bark. for no good reason. bad dog.

on monday i discovered that while we are away his favorite thing to do is destroy/eat the carpet behind the doorway in his room. bad dog.

yesterday he found a ball point ink pen and ate it, thus getting ink all over our white-ish carpet. bad dog.

but he's so stinking cute it's hard to be angry at him for more that a minute.

hopefully this is a phase and we can get him to grow out of being ornery and destructive.

in the meantime check out how crazy he is when the wind shield wipers are on in the car. we don't know if he is afraid of them or if he sees them as a threat and is trying to protect us from them...either way it's pretty funny.

domestic goddess

today was my day off and i spent it actually getting stuff done. this is very rare for me. days off are usually spent parked on the coach watching whatever i'm allowed to watch on the dvr without ryan, or they are spent at work (don't ask).

but today i was motivated, and i am proud of myself so i wanted to list what i accomplished (because i love lists)...

*woke up before 9am (on my own)
*walked Gus, fed Gus, and walked Gus again
*had a phone meeting with my boss
*washed, dried, and folded 4 loads of laundry (they are all waiting to be put away by my loving husband)
*had a lovely lunch with ryan at whole foods...yum
*trip to target to buy cleaning supplies and other necessities (like dresses)
*cleaned both toilets
*emptied and loaded the dishwasher and hand washed the pots and pans
*dusted the downstairs
*changed the sheets on our bed

whew. now, i know that this is really not much for some people. but when i am home, i am l.a.z.y. it is my down-time, my me-time, my shut-off-from-the-world-time. so i am pleased with this list. who knows, maybe stay at home motherhood is in the cards for me?

the little things.

dear walking company,

the first time i visited your store (about 6 months ago), i spent nearly two hours trying on over 20 pairs of shoes and cataloging my aches and pains before i found the perfect shoe for me... the dansko professional clog.



not altogether cute, not altogether cheap...but oh so amazingly comfortable. this shoe took away all of my back pain from standing 40+ hours per week. this shoe never caused me to slip on spilled milk. this shoe also adds two inches to my frame making me stand tall and confident and enabling me to reach things on high shelves.

unfortunately a few weeks ago, probably while on a dead sprint to the back room, a piece of this wonderful shoe broke off inside the shoe causing sharp edges to rub my poor foot. i was devastated. i did not want to spend $100+ dollars on a new pair, but I also did not want to wear crappy shoes and cause myself back pain again.

so, i humbly returned to the walking company and asked what you could do for me. and guess what? you GAVE me a brand new pair of my beloved shoes. for F.R.E.E. this still blows me away. i did not have a receipt. i did not have a warranty. i did not even beg. did i mention that my original purchase was made 6 months ago?

you have saved me cash and pain and in turn made me a customer for life!

much love,
sarah hawk

p.s. the by one get one 50% off sock sale also made me, and my feet, very happy. gotta love the smartwool.

why my husband is sometimes right...

if you have ever lived with me you know that i am not the sort of person who can't fall asleep at night if my room/closet/house is a mess. i am not a dirty person (no rats, roaches, or gnats) but i am a cluttered person.

when ryan and i found ourselves in love with one another i was concerned that we would have issues because he is a neat freak and comes from a long line of OCD men.

we've managed to make it work quite nicely. i cook, he cleans. i do laundry, he puts it away. we have a system. i have become a little neater. he has become a little messier.

however, i still (and always will) HATE to unpack anything. if it was up to me our clothing would never be put away (yes that counts as unpacking). ryan always tries to make me unpack my suitcases the second we walk in the door from a trip and i rebel, vehemently.

so, it should be no surprise when i say that when we cleaned out our closet on saturday i finally unpacked the suitcase that i used the last weekend in february to go home to arkansas.

i found the smartwool socks that i thought were lost and even accused my mom of finding and then stealing. my feet are very happy.

moral of the story: unpack your damn suitcases.

perfection.

yesterday was an absolutely wonderful day.

we slept until we woke up. at 9am (this is way early for the girl who used to sleep til 1 on weekends, i am getting old).

i made baked french toast for breakfast and we watched some show about average people trying to survive for 45 days in alaska.

then we cleaned out our walk-in closet. while i absolutely despise cleaning (especially on my day off), it really didn't take that long and now our entire house is spotless and organized. that's a good feeling.

lunch was sonic everyday value menu. love it!

we hung out with my friend wil at his starbucks and caught up on life and were inspired to live outside the box.

as it started to sprinkle we went for a hike at radnor lake. it was gorgeous. not too hot, not too wet. we smelled honeysuckle just starting to bloom (my fav), and toyed with the idea of moving to the mountains and being granola again.

we brought an exhausted dog home and got ready to meet up with my friend jaime who was in town for a nursing convention. we ate at jack's bbq and walked around down town dodging cigarette smoke and catching bits and pieces of classic country wafting from the honky tonks.

lovely.

easter yumminess.

today, i won't complain...
i'm going to post my easter dinner menu. we had a few friends over after church and had some yummy, and easy food. no pictures--i forgot, still drugged up.

homemade rolls (family recipe)
twice baked potatoes
arugula salad with oranges, feta, walnuts, and a marmalade dressing
stuffed pork tenderloin
chocolate caramel matzo
i love to cook and i refuse to let busyness and lack of time stand in my way. however, i would like to branch out more...to step out of my comfort zone.

things planned for the future:
challah bread
irish car bomb cupcakes
homemade gnocchi
anybody want to help?

here's to a new week...

this week i am hoping...
*that i don't have plans every single evening of the week
*that none of my partners quit to work for a competitor
*that i don't wake up with a fever and strep throat
*that i don't throw up from yucky antibiotics
*that gus doesn't throw up three times for no good reason

so far, so good. week, keep it up.

p.s. yes all of those things did happen last week...rough

i want...

in no order...
*a fountain coke
*to own a cute little house, with a fenced in yard
*more of my besties here in nash
*my husband to come home early
*babies
*to stay home with my babies
*to like to run
*new spring/summer clothes
*supper to cook and clean itself
*a less stressful life/job
*a fairy to fold and put away laundry
*a puppy who needs to pee less than 300 times a day

3 things...

Three names I go by:
1. Sarie
2. Mama Hawk
3. loverface

Three Jobs I have had in my life:
1. barista (at city bagel)
2. Night Clinic receptionist at medical center
3. barista/shift supervisor/assistant store manager/store manager (at Starbucks)

Three Places I have lived:
1. Clarksville, AR
2. Siloam Springs, AR
3. Nashville, TN

Three Favorite drinks:
1. Coca Cola Classic
2. H2O
3. Mojitos

Three TV Shows that I watch:
1. Grey's Anatomy
2. CSI
3. Criminal Minds

Three places I have been:
1. Belfast, Northern Ireland
2. Chicago, Illinois
3. Playa del Carmen, Mexico

Three Schools I have attended:
1. Siloam Springs Middle School
2. Siloam Springs High School
3. John Brown University

Three of my favorite foods:
1. ice cream
2. garlic (on anything)
3. grilled cheese sandwiches on sourdough

Three cars I have driven:
1. 2000 Mitsubishi Mirage
2. 1991 Honda Accord
3. 2000 Saab 9-5

Three Things I am looking forward to:
1. Turning 25!
2. Having children
3. Growing old and grey and arthritic with my husby!

today i loved my job.

today i worked really hard.
today it was easy.
today it was fun.
today everyone was nice.
today the busyness was invigorating.
today i got to make someone's day.
today i saw some light bulbs turn on.
today we worked together.
today we encouraged.
today someone said good job.
today i remembered why i love what i do.

what a good monday.

thanks jesus, i needed it.

15 years

HOW MUCH HAVE YOU CHANGED IN 15 YEARS?

****15 YEARS AGO (1994)****

1) How old were you? ... 9
2) Who were you dating? ewww, gross. boys, gah.
3) Where did you work? child labor for my parents/babysitting lil sis
4) Where did you live? Siloam Springs, AR
5) Where did you hang out? Sager Park, the cul-de-sac
6) Did you wear contacts and/or glasses? Nope
7) Who did you hang out with? Season, Michelle, Brooke, Hollan, Katie, Moe
8) How many tattoos did you have? None
9) How many piercings did you have? None
10) What kind of car did you drive? My parents drove a little red ford escort, i don't remember a second car
11) Had you been to a real party? a sleep over?
12) Had you had your heart broken? Only when i didn't get my way.
13) Were you Single/taken/Married/Divorced? nine.
14) Any Kids? No.

***10 YEARS AGO (1999)***

1) How old were you? 14
2) Who were you dating? Nobody, no dating until 16.
3) Where did you work? I was consistently booked as a babysitter for numerous families
4) Where did you live? Siloam Springs, Arkansas
5) Where did you hang out? Friends' houses, the skating rink, basketball gym,
6) Did you wear contacts and/or glasses? No
7) Who did you hang out with? Mary, Michelle, Katie, Linsdsay
8) How many tattoos did you have? None
9) How many piercings did you have? None
10) Were you Single/Taken/Married/Divorced? single. and convinced that was how i wanted it to stay forever.
11)Any Kids? Nope
12)What kind of car did you have? No car, no permit. my parents had a ford contour and a ford taurus

**** 5 Years Ago (2004) *****

1) Age?... 19
2) Where did you work? the admissions office on campus, the medical center, and city coffee co (very poor, school was expensive)
3) Where did you live? Siloam Springs, AR (with the Pohle family)
4) Where you in school? JBU
5) Where did you hang out?... The Walker Student Center, the house, ryan's duplex, fayetteville
6) Did you wear contacts and/or glasses? No
7) Who did you hang out with? Mary, Kirsten, Ryan, Reb, Miriam,
8) How many tattoos did you have? None
9) How many piercings did you have? None
10) Were you Single/Taken/Married/Divorced? still single, still determined not to be taken
11)Any Kids? Nope
12)What kind of car did you have? 1987 buick electra

****TODAY (2009)****
1) Age? 24
2) Where do you work? Starbucks, store manager
3) Where do you live? Nashville, TN
4) Where do you hang out? My house, target, whole foods, parks
6) Do you talk to your old friends? yes, still BFFs..even states away
7) Who are your best friends? Ryan, Mary, Kirsten
8) How many piercings do you have? none. i'm allergic.
9) Do you wear contacts and/or glasses? None.
10) How many tattoos? one. the word "faith" in hebrew on my right foot (walk by faith)
11) What kind of car do you have? 2000 Saab 9-5
12) How many kids? one, Gus, but he's covered in fur
13) Are you Single/Taken/Married/Divorce? happily happily married. and i finally had that date.

good morning.

i'm not prone to waking up early unless otherwise unavoidable, such as the two days a week that i open and am awake at 4:00am. this morning however, i had to get up early to take ryan to the airport (lucky bastard gets to go to SXSW for work), and i'm so very glad that i did.

the morning air is crisp and it is foggy and dreamlike. i hear some birdies chirping through the open window. my puppy is chilled out near my feet. and i have just had a lovely british breakfast of tea and weetabix.

the only trouble is what to do with the two hours i have to kill before work? it's a toss up between a shower and gilmore girls. i'm thinking gilmore girls is gonna win out.

dreams

i have always had a very vivid and bizarre dream life. lately, my crazy dreams have been few and far between. mostly, they have been about work and angry customers and not hitting goals etc. however, last night i had one of the strangest dreams i have had in a long time...

mary and i were driving down dawn hill rd in siloam springs, ar on our way to the house my parents owned for the majority of my growing up years (they no longer live there, or in the same town).

i saw some dogs playing near the street and advised mary to be careful as to not hit them. then i realized it was gus and cleo (my parent's dog). we pulled over and got them into the car with us. a mile or so later i saw ryan in his trooper driving in our direction, we stopped and told him we had the dogs and all proceeded on our way to the house.

there was a tree that had fallen over into the road, it was huge--like the giant redwoods or sequoyahs or whatever they're called. so, we drove over it of course. in mary's mercury sable.

once we got to my parents house it was actually a chicken farm (quite normal in arkansas, but my parents are not chicken farmers). and of course my dad needed some help because the chickens had gotten out. i was horrified, because i am scared of all birds. i looked outside and all of the chickens were solid black and creepy like big vultures--except they were chickens.

i awakened suddenly and was scared for a second (the birds were really creepy) and then i started laughing hysterically. what a crazy dream. however, it is nice to wake up laughing.

march...

dear march,

please don't suck.

thanks,
sarah

another marriage survey.

bringing this over from facebook...

1. When was your "engagement" anniversary:
March 18, 2006...Flagstaff Mtn. Boulder, CO

2. When is your "marriage" anniversary:
September 16, 2006

3. How long have you known your spouse:
almost 7 years.

4. How long did you date/court before you were engaged:
2 months (don't gasp, we had known each other for 4 years and danced around dating the whole time)

5. Where did you meet your spouse for the first time:
Siloam Springs Aquatic Center. My 18th birthday (8/24/2002). He helped two boys I knew from high school (Aron and Aric) throw me in a pool.

7. Do you have any children yet:
Gustopher! the mini schnauzer.

8. How many:
none as of today. we would like to have 4. and we would like for them to take after me and be well behaved.

9. Do you have any house pets:
see #7.

10. Do you own a house or rent:
we rent a townhouse. trying to decide whether to buy soon or wait to see if we stay in nash for a while longer.

11. Do you live in the country or town/city:
Nashville, TN pop. 619,626 I'm from Siloam Springs, AR pop. 9,000

12. What is one of your favorite activities together:
We love to go to shows together and to have a pint at McCreary's Irish Pub (come visit and i will take you there, i promise). We also love to play with our puppy and go on country drives.

13. Do you have a favorite vacation spot:
Our fantastic honeymoon was in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico and that will always be a favorite spot. We also love Savannah, GA, the Smoky Mountains and anywhere in Colorado.

14. How many siblings (including in-laws):
Andie--sister
Kevin--soon to be brother-in-love
Stacey--sister
Scott--brother-in-love
Nathan--brother-in-love
Marisa--sister-in-love

15. What church do you attend:
We are still finding our niche. We love Fellowship Bible Church, Central Baptist in Hendersonville, and Midtown. Still looking for somewhere close to our place that is the best of all three.

16. Is this the church you were married in:
No, we were married in Ft. Smith, AR at St. Paul United Methodist Church...gorgeous.

17. What town is your current address:
Nash-vegas!

18. Do you work or stay at home:
I work. I am the store manager of the lovely Starbucks #8338 (Franklin Rd). I would love to stay at home at some point and raise/care for our children/dog.

19. Where did you honeymoon:
Playa Del Carmen, Mexico--b.e.a.utiful!

20: Leave a piece of marriage advice:
Your spouse, like you, is always growing and changing as a person. Make an effort to continually find and know who they are, or you will wake up one day and not know them at all.




we said yes.


ohhh mexico.


on our first anniversary...about to see damien rice.


2nd anniversary


vacationing in savannah.


guinness mustaches at McCreary's

homebody.

in high school and (the beginning of) college i was an extrovert...to the point of annoyance.

i had to know EVERYONE. i had to be known. i was the center of my own universe.

i lived in a tiny town and had a lot of friends. i went to a tiny college and had a lot of friends.

when i got married and moved to nashvegas that kinda changed.

now i live in a large city and have very few friends. however, i don't altogether mind this. the friends that i have here, are true friends. i see them and truly connect with them but they don't define who i am.

my favorite way to spend my time is at home. preferably with my feet in my husband's lap and my dog within my reach. i don't know...i'm just not into the bar hopping scene or the dancing all night scene.

i think the fact that i interact all day long with the human race kinda turns me off from socializing in the evenings. i'm going to try to work on it...because my husby likes to socialize and get out of the house. but for now, i'm going to enjoy going to bed and reading with the pups curled up at my feet.

it was the worst of times....

today was a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day...

i did not sleep well last night. worrying about money and work and life. i had strange, exhausting dreams. then i woke up early and began a long long day.

once i got to work it was as if i had entered the twilight zone. i felt like every customer was either confused or mad at me.
the icing on the cake, and by that i mean the thing that made me cry, was the customer who looked me in the eye and said,

"i hope your company goes out of business and you lose your job."

ARE.YOU.KIDDING.ME!

over coffee. i am always interested in what my "angry" customers do when something actually goes wrong in their lives or they are dealing with a crisis. because, seriously....wishing me unemployment because there was no decaf coffee? wow.

please hug a barista today.

the puppyhead boy.

oh gus. seriously, this dog is such a mess. he is actually pretty well behaved for a puppy. ryan's dad, the schnauzer whisperer, deemed him a good dog and we believe his word. but sometimes i wonder...



this is gus' favorite toy...his bed, RIP. the only time he ever slept in it was from sheer exhaustion after dragging it down the stairs and around the house. he loved it so much that he chewed a hole in the middle so he could wear it like an elizabethan collar.



too bad he decided to eat the bed for an evening snack, it was pretty fun watching him get stuck...



love this dog, a lot.

a bit of a love story...

I saw this little diddy on a few blogs and wanted to fill it out for v-day!

What are your middle names? Elizabeth & David

How long have you been together? January 21, 2006

How long did you know each other before you started dating? We met on my 18th birthday August 24, 2002, coincidentally enough--the same day that his parents met. We were best friends all through college.

Who asked who out? Interestingly enough, I have no clue. We didn't really date so much as we just decided that we loved each other and should get married.

How old were each of you when you met? I was 18, he was 19.

How old are each of you now? I am 24, he is 25

How long did you date before becoming engaged? We didn't really date. We became a couple in January 2006, but Ryan was here in Nashville and I was in Arkansas. We saw each other a few times and went on "dates" I guess, before we were engaged in March 2006. We were engaged for 6 months and married September 16, 2006.

How tall are each of you? I'm 5'8", Ryan is 6'5"

Whose siblings do you see the most? We really don't see either very much. I guess we usually see mine more since they are only 8 hours away as opposed to 20. But we've seen Ryan's more recently. Haven't seen my family since October.

Do you have any children together? Not yet!

What about pets? the most amazing miniature schnauzer in all the land, Gustofer McGustavson! Or Gus.

Did you go to the same school? Different high schools, same college!

Are you from the same hometown? Nope. I am from Siloam Springs, Arkansas and Ryan is from Broomfield, Colorado. We would probably have never met if it weren't for good ole John Brown University.

Who is the smartest? That's a hard question. I think we are both very smart. We're smart at different things though, Ryan is really artsy and knows a lot about anything in that area. He also loves philosophy and theology, and is way over my head in those areas. I am the English smarty around here, I also have an uncommon amount of medical knowledge in my brain. In school I got better grades, but only because I have a photographic memory and an insane gift of writing papers at midnight the night before they are due.

Who is the most sensitive? Ryan. He has a tender heart. I am more compassionate towards others, but less emotionally sensitive.

Where do you eat out most as a couple? McCreary's Irish Pub for dinner and 5 Guys Burgers & Fries and Chick-Fil-A for lunch as they are both close to my store.

Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple? We went to Mexico on our honeymoon. But I think Seattle is further away than that.

Who does the cooking? Me, I love love love to cook. Ryan is a great helper and a really good cook when I relinquish my hold on the kitchen and give him a chance.

Who is more social? Tough question. We are both very social. I am more of a natural extrovert, but Ryan is an amazing networker. He knows practically everyone in the music biz here in Nashville. I know all of my thousands of customers.

Who is the neat-freak? Ryan, definitely. He tries to teach me, but it just hasn't stuck. I like to be organized, but I don't like making the effort. When I'm not at work, I don't want to be cleaning and organizing.

Who hogs the bed? Me, I am a cover-hog and a space-hog. If I have a chance to sleep later than Ryan I take over the entire bed.

Who wakes up earlier? Usually me. I have to be at work at 5am at least two days a week.

Who has the bigger family? Ryan for sure. His extended family is huge and they all live in Denver. Mine is small.

How do you spend the holidays? Thanks to my job, just to two of us here in Nashville. We have our own traditions and routine. It's nice.

Who is more jealous? I would probably say me...for a long time Ryan was in a band and girls always loved him. I was always more annoyed by that but jealous of his time. I'm still jealous of his time, I like to spend every waking moment together. And that's just not practical if we're going to put food on the table.

Do you have little pet names for each other? A lot. Ryan never calls me by my given name, but baby, love, honeybee, loverface, wifey, etc... I call him husby and loverface. Loverface started out as a joke, but has now stuck. I know it's gag worthy.

How long did it take to get serious? Took about four years to realize we were in love. Once God let us in on it, no time at all.

Who eats more? I am a snacker, so I graze all day but eat tiny meals. Ryan eats huge meals. Probably about the same though.

Who sings better? Ryan, by far. I'm not the musically gifted one in this house.

Who’s older? Ryan by one year and 12 days.

Who does the dishes? Ryan. I cook, he cleans.

Who snores? Most likely, me. I have bad allergies and if I'm stuffed up, you can bet I will be snoring. Ryan snores every once in a while.

Who’s better with the computer? Ryan.

Who drives? Ryan. Since being in the city with the lunatic drivers, I prefer to ride.

Who kissed who first? Ryan kissed me October 25, 2005 while watching Garden State. He timed it to my favorite part of the movie, when Natalie Portman dances in front of the fireplace. I kissed him back.

Who eats more sweets? Me. Constantly, all the time. Ryan gets mad at me for eating dessert before dinner or only dessert.

still moving in.

we have been working on upacking our house today. this is something that i completely despise, but love once it is completed. it's coming along, slowly but surely. i will give you a tour via pictures sometime soon.
we finally got all of the boxes and tubs from the living area consolidated and moved upstairs for storage. gus has no clue what to do now that he can't run and jump over everything. i thought he would be pleased to be able to see where he was going, but i think the poor guys misses the mess. there was lots for him to chew on. :)

25 random things

1. i am terribly afraid of birds even though i am a hawk now.
2. i also fear fish, love to eat them--hate to swim with them.
3. i am obsessed with rachael ray, she has turned me into a very good and efficient cook--my husband approves.
4. ryan and i want to have 4 children, i will need good babysitters.
5. i hate to put away clothes, i would rather live out of the dryer than put away clothes.
6. i may need to rethink this living in the dryer business because i also hate making multiple trips up and down the stairs in order to get ready in the morning.
7. i love opening my store, but hate waking up so early.
8. if you had told me three years ago that i would be a store manager for starbucks now, i would have never believed you.
9. that being said, i love my job.
10. i never thought i would the type of person who is obsessed with an animal.
11. i am obsessed with my animal, Gus, the cutest miniature schnauzer in the world.
12. he is my fur baby and he is hysterical to watch running up and down the stairs in our new place.
13. we moved again recently.
14. this makes the 5th place that we have lived in our 2.4 years of being hitched.
15. i hate moving a lot. there are a lot of things to put away.
16. i really like our new place. there is a dog park with an obstacle course for Gus.
17. someday i really really hope to live in colorado.
18. i also want to live in arkansas again.
19. however, i am really happy here in tennessee.
20. i eat ice cream every single day. it's low-fat, and yummy.
21. i love hershey's dark chocolate syrup.
22. i don't eat many vegetables, but i am a lot less picky that i used to be.
23. i wish i had more time to do creative stuff like collage and photography.
24. but i am lazy and prefer to lie on the couch in my down time and watch pointless television.
25. i think my life is great.