Project 365

Project 365 : The task of taking one picture a day for an entire year. Usually a year of significance, i.e baby's first year, freshman year of college.

A large part of newlywed life involves creating your own family traditions. In the few days Brayden and I have been married, several have already sprung to life on their own. We also set goals (family prayer and scripture study, etc) and try to mesh our different lifestyles together.

This Project 365 is a goal established to solidify a tradition. The tradition of taking pictures. I took no pictures when I was younger, or even as many as I would have liked in high school and the first two years of college. So Brayden and I are going to have pictures. Every day for the first year of married life, we are taking at least one picture. Of anything. Sometimes it's a picture of us, sometimes it's a picture of the unusually large spiders nesting outside the beach house (trust me, you'll get that story later).

My hope is that we will get into the habit of taking pictures, so that even when we're done with this year, we'll be able to continue to capture our memories together.

And more important than the actual taking of pictures is looking for the right picture to take. Already we've learned that we go out of our way to make things adventurous if it's for the camera (especially me:) So we set out into this first year looking not only for a picture a day, but for an adventure a day.

Wish us luck!

~Katydid

P.S: These first few posts are me playing catch-up. I've only just now been able to find the time (and the wireless internet) necessary to post days 1-6.

Public Restrooms ...

... are sleazy, slimy, smelly, crowded, cramped and all-around gross. And women are insane when it comes to restrooms. Every one of them seems to think that their needs are far superior to the needs of everyone else in the thirty-foot line. And they let their kids run around and look under doors and wreak havoc with the automatic dryers.

And really, how hard is it to keep the countertops clean and dry? You're grabbing a paper towel to dry your hands anyway. An extra second and a half and you can wipe up the soapy scummy wet mess you made while washing your hands.

Public restrooms are messy, and in constant disrepair. Why? Because they are built to be that way. I mean really, think about it. I can't speak for the guys (having only been in a men's bathroom on a few choice occasions) but when women's restrooms are built nicer, they stay clean. When they put wallpaper up and put a "lounge" area just outside them. When it smells nice, because the company has spent the extra three bucks a month and gotten automatic air fresheners. The purpose of the restroom hasn't changed, and yet no doors are ripped off hinges. Toilet paper isn't trailing all over the floor. The countertops aren't wet and gooey. But grey tile and grey doors and two inches of wiggle room in every direction, and no wonder the ordinary public restrooms are treated as they are.

The best public restroom I've ever been to was in New York City, at a restaurant called Mars 2112 . It was clean, it was "themed" without being glitzy and tacky, and it had an attendant. Someone who was paid to stay there and clean up after every single use. She refilled toilet paper the second it was out. She was constantly wiping the countertops and cleaning the mirrors, and she was actually pretty fun to talk to. For a position like that, you've really got to get someone with personality. But she had it, and she made going to the bathroom in a public venue, something I generally avoid, tolerable.

I'll be honest. The food itself was nothing to write home about. But I'd rather go to Mars 2112 again than some of the other places we went that trip. Not because of the theme necessarily (although it was cute and fun) but because I respect a company who cares about all aspects of its business. A friend in the fast food industry once told me, "You wanna know where to eat, you check their bathrooms first. Because I guarantee you they'll be cleaner than the kitchen." Now that is a scary thought.

Public restrooms freak me out. But the bright side to all this is that the particular restroom that triggered this rant was at Union Station. In DC. Which means, I'M IN WASHINGTON DC! Which means I'm getting married tomorrow. Which means that none of this is really important in the grand scheme of things, because tomorrow at this time I'll be at the temple getting dressed, about to marry the most wonderful man on the planet.

Seriously?

What kind of world do we live in that the first time the ice cream truck comes around all season is on a cloudy not-too-hot day halfway through the summer?

Free

As a poor starving college student, I am always in the market for free stuff. AND, add to that the fact that I will be getting married in a little over a month. Free is good. Freely given is always preferred to forcibely taken, or just doing without.

One of the blogs that I follow is having a giveaway. [[I do hereby present thee, dear reader, with a link.]]

Of course, one of the ways to enter is to post something about it on my own blog. I could just post something like "Hey, here it is, have a link and an info dump and I HOPE I WIN!" All of which would be true. But instead, I would like to take this opportunity to spotlight the blog hosting the contest and yes, perhaps suck up just a little bit.

Every newlywed couple has questions, and there are boatloads of answers out there for them. But you have to be careful on whose advice you take. I trust my parents (especially my mother), my grandparents, and all of my aunts and uncles wholeheartedly when it comes to marital and familial advice. But rarely would I go to a stranger, and follow her with the same sort of trust.

I think it has something to do with the values. I found this blog by accident one day, and have been following it ever since. Because the woman who writes it voices common sense when it comes to family life, alongside the exact same strong moral and religious background that I grew up with. I've read other "family" blogs, and I know how other families operate. But I like the LDS way. We specialize in families. So I would like to tip my hat to you Mrs. Mordecai, even if I don't win. Here's to you and your values. May my new family and I continue to honor them as you have.

And here's to my mother, and my grandmother. My future mother-in-law. All of my married and soon-to-be-married friends who have kept those values alive and strong in their homes and their families. To all of you, and your free advice. I am very greatful for it.

Downhill

The thing about going downhill on a bike is this : Part of your mind is always going "Hey, I'm on a bike, so this is exercise! It's not as bad as I thought it would be!" Forget the fact that you're not pedaling, or even breaking a mild sweat at that point. It's all in your head.

But whether or not you chose to give in to this part of your mind and believe that you are becoming a more physically fit person by soaring downhill at incredible and sometimes psychotic speeds, going down is an important part of the biking process. Not only because it's a break from the painful uphill that threatens to kill you off, but because you did, after all, have to go up to reach it in the first place. It's not only your break, it's your reward. Somehow, riding downhill if you've simply walked your bike uphill is never quite as thrilling. I always feel a little bit guilty for wimping out, and I can't enjoy the ride down as much as I should.

At the risk of sounding incredibly corny, I believe life, especially student life, can be looked at the same way. Maybe it's just me, but I never trust something that comes too easy. Grades, health, physical fitness. Love. I think that if we succeed in these areas, it's because we've worked for them. Because we were willing to sacrifice more in the beginning to have more in the end. I went through six years of chorus line roles and bit parts before I ever got a lead, and I don't regret a bit of it. I never would have appreciated getting a bigger part if I didn't know what it took to get there, and if I hadn't been willing to work for it.

I'm getting married in August, and I'm facing all manner of sacrifices. In fact, Brayden keeps telling me, "Less now equals more later." I agree with him. Yes, the first year of marriage is the hardest. But the couples who make it through are even stronger. We're willing to work for what we have, because it's important to us. And every now and then in the uphill life, we get that breath of fresh air as we soar downhill. A break. A reward. But we have to ride all the way to the top of that hill first. Then, the downhill is truly worth it.

**image lovingly borrowed from http://mtnbikersblog.blogspot.com/

Fast Food

Brayden and I swore off fast food this summer. We're trying to start off our new life together on the right foot. No fast food, no excessive spending, whole wheat bread, that sort of thing.

I cheated. I was on my way home from taking my bridals the other day and I was starving, so I swung by the good ol' fallback, McDonalds. I had half of a cheeseburger and about twelve fries. Not twelve orders of fries, twelve fries.

((We interrupt your current program to bring you this important background infor

mation -- my typical McDonalds meal is as follows:

• one double cheeseburger
• one large order of fries
• a cinnamon melt
• an m&m mcflurry
• a chicken sandwich

And now, we will return you to your regularly scheduled blog.))

It made me sick. Really really sick. My body has gotten so completely out of the habit of eating anything fast food that I could hardly touch it. And now, we get to the heart of the matter.

I'd only gone about a month without fast food, and my body was already completely over it. I never would have thought that I couldn't go that long without fast food. I was sure that at some point in the last few years I'd gone without for a month.

I hadn't. I have been assured that it was an almost weekly thing. I never thought anything of it, because I shopped on the dollar menu. I grabbed a bite on the way to or from work, or rehearsal. Or when I needed a break from studying.

It's amazing how much a body can change just by getting rid of one thing. I imagine that principle goes for just about anything in life. Physical, spiritual, emotional. You can change one thing, and your whole lifestyle can alter for the better. As for me, not only am I significantly healthier, but I am saving so much money. (Yeah. I went back to my bank statements to figure out just how much fast food was costing me. I could have bought a new car by now.)

So that's my semi-profound thought of the day. Do with it as you will.

~Katydid

"Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it's my very good honor to meet you and you may call me V."

The Lost Days

I know I've been sort of MIA the past few weeks. Therefore, I present you with an account of my summer so far.

MY SUMMER SO FAR:

Looked for a job. Didn't find one. Spent two weeks filling out applications and making follow-up calls. Nada. Walked around three shopping centers dressed in heels and a pantsuit and looking all professional. Found out exactly how long it takes to train in retail. Got turned away. Got laughed at for asking for a job. Was promised a call. Nothing.

Stressed about finances. Argued about finances.

Got a job. A wonderful woman in my ward hired me on as summer help. Includes babysitting, helping them move, yardwork, housework, and other miscellaneous assignments. Saved my life this summer. (Will be petitioning for her sainthood next week.)

Had long involved talk with my parents about finances. Argued with Brayden about finances.

Surprised Brayden up in Virginia. Spent a practically perfect week doing absolutely nothing productive. Revelled in the relaxation. Jumped off the rock at Panther Falls for the first time. Twice. Repeated experience fully clothed two days later, and on camera. Broke cell phone beyond repair. Got apartment. Mentally started decorating apartment. Saw Seussical the Musical twice (insert round of applause for cast here) and went home with a horrible allergy-induced cough. (The two are unrelated.)

Called Brayden. He was budgeting.

Called Brayden. He was budgeting.

Called Brayden. Got into an argument about the constant budgeting. Told him to relax. Realized that in many ways he was right. Became unable to relax myself.

Worked. Stayed up late. Got up early. Worked. Looked for a second job. Worked.

Got new cell phone. Took bridal portraits. Was told I am a beautiful bride. Looked for a couch. Looked for a desk. Looked for anything cheaper than $200 that might look good in a 12 x 12 space. Worked.

Planned reception. Stressed about decorations vs dance floor. Stressed about making the reception hall look like anything but a reception hall. Thought about eloping.

Got a perfect silk flower bouquet that made every worry in the whole world vanish.

Fixed a few major financial concerns.

Called Brayden. He wasn't budgeting. Started crying out of complete and utter relief.

Add a couple of sleepless nights and a new exercise routine and this is basically my summer. But two months from today, I get married to the most wonderful man on the planet. All the stress just goes away when you measure it in the grand scheme of things. This summer will be hard. It's been hard. But now, everything is falling into place.

"Everything will be alright in the end. If it's not alright, then it's not the end." ~Unknown