Lost, but not forgotten....

Sometimes I think about writing here, but don't feel like I really have much to say. So its not that I have forgotten about you, my few subscribers, its just I don't really know what to talk about. Is there anything particular you want me to keep you updated on? I figure it may be more useful when Chris and I finally start our family.... But until then, I don't know what to say.

3 years

I cant believe that Chris and I have actually been married for THREE years!! (Well, it will be three years next Tuesday) I guess they do say, "Time flies when you're having fun." But seriously, it feels like just yesterday that I was wearing my wedding dress and professing my love in front of our family and friends. As Chris is asleep and snoring next to me I think about how much I love him and all the time that we have been here to support each other. We have had ups and downs, good times and bad....But in the end what really matters is that we have each other. I cant wait to expand our family, eventually. Have little Harper babies running around as we show them the ways of the world. But for now in this moment, Chris and I will be here with each other enjoying each other and what we have to offer the other. He makes me happy and reminds me that true love does exist. I sincerely hope that everyone gets to experience the same type of love that we have, at least once in their life. It really does make life better..... For now, I need help deciding what we should do to celebrate our day.

Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks

I just went with Shelly and a few of her friends to go hiking in 2 of our national parks. And when I say I just went, I mean, I am still sitting in the back of the car on my way home. Anyway, seeing beauty of our country makes me want to see all of our national parks. Hopefully I can convince Chris to go camping/hiking with me to visit more of these parks. I bought a book the other day at Borders' going out of business sale about national parks of the west. That might ne a good place to start on my exploration of this county. We are going to be staying in Vegas tonight and finishing the long trek home tomorrow. I'll have more pictures once I get home, but for now, here is one from sunrise this morning.

Reality TV

I don't get much time to watch tv. I only have a few shows that I regularly watch:

• Modern Family
• How I Met Your Mother
• Greys Anatomy
• Glee

Add to that list, Big Brother and DesignStar. Big Brother is drama and reality tv all in one. And its a GUILTY PLEASURE! This season there are some houseguests that have returned from previous seasons and two of them are some of my favorites from a few seasons ago. I feel like they have the same love connection that Chris and I have. Something I dont see from a lot of other couples. Something different. I hope they win. Jeff and Jordan, I'm rooting for you!

Visions for my house

I watch HGTV all the time, so it makes sense that when I got my house I wanted to make it perfect. I want it to look picture perfect like the finished products on the shows that I watch. I want there to be little surprises that other people would never think of....Little things that make my rooms special and unique. But then real life sets in, as I stare at the pile of mail just inside the front door.  The cardboard boxes that are piled in the corner are a nice compliment to the dirty cups that are on the coffee table. But I know that at some point I will have a beautiful home. I will finally be able to have people over without feeling ashamed for one reason or another....When that time comes, I hope I'll be bursting with pride in all of the hard work that I put into the house.

Summer

I love and hate summer. Here it is, 945 at night, and my house feels like its somewhere in the neighborhood of about 1000 degrees. It is seriously 15 degrees warmer inside than it is outside. I cannot seem to cool off. I walk around the house in practically nothing and I'm still sweating like a pig. Chris and I left the house today to go to the movies and out to lunch just to cool off. But as I sit here and bitch about how hot it is, I LOVE summer! I love that the weather allows me to go hiking, go to the beach, work on my tan, spend time in my garden. I love that I can go camping and wear shorts and dresses. I love that I dont have to worry about grabbing a jacket when I leave the house. But come on....can't it just stay in the high 70s every day?!?! That would be perfect!!

Furlough Days

Chris has a furlough day every other Wednesday. I enjoy having him to spend the day with. (Not very fond of the unpaid part, but its ok. We are doing fine) On these days, we have moved, unpacked, built a garden box, Hung out at Disneyland, today we plan on going to the beach. It's the little things in life that make me happy... Like spending time with my husband. :)

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New Years Resolution

This year, I had one resolution....It wasnt to lose weight or be more active (like it has been in the past). It wasnt to de-clutter and organize (like it has been in the past). It wasnt trying to change who I know that I am..... My resolution this year was to try to gain new skills. I wanted to learn the ins and outs of my DSLR camera. I want to take it out of "Auto."

This is my camera:

It is still the most amazing camera that I have ever owned (and I bought it originally in 2007). This thing takes awesome pictures in auto, low light, landscapes....It captures colors like you would never believe. But I know that there is so much more to unleash. There is an inner artist here that is dying to come out. I've tried reading books and blogs, watching how to videos, and have friends explain it to me. For whatever reason, I understand it in that moment, but when I get out to take the pictures, I just get so excited and forget that I can make these changes to my pictures.

Has anyone else had this problem? What did you do to overcome it? Any words of wisdom you want to share?

Test post

So I finally downloaded one of those blogging apps that I told you about awhile back. I'm just testing it out. I downloaded two and trying to decide which one I like better. Please be patient.... This is for your entertainment in the end! Lol.
Ok, one thing neither of them do, is show the labels that I've already made. So maybe I just label the posts when I go to the computer....  That might be easier.

Wednesday

On Wed, Chris and I are going to be spending all day in Disneyland, and I'm super excited. Even though I am in the parks every day, its different going to play as a Guest. I get to feel that magic and awe that the Guests feel when they enter our parks. The weather is supposed to be perfect (mid-high 70s) so I have a feeling its going to be a great day!

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I promised you pictures of my house

Here are some pictures of the house from the other day. Some are really dark, some are really light....But here they are! :)

The view from our parking area.

The front entry way.

Our patio and garden area.

The view of the property from the patio

The living room

The "Library"

Kitchen

My Craigslist China Cabinet

Laundry Room (favorite room #2....Its amazing how happy I am to be able to  laundry at home rather than going to the laundromat)

Bedroom (not a very good picture...Oh well)

Master Bathroom

Front Bathroom

The office that Chris decorated...You can't really tell from this picture, but the shelves are all Star Wars books and figurines.

My craft room (Favorite Room #1)

Hope you kinda enjoyed the photo tour of the house. It looks way better in person! But its our place and we love it!

I'll be back soon

Hello Everyone! We just got the internet set up at the house, so expect to hear more from me soon....including pictures from my vacation and from the new place. We are loving the house itself, just wishing we were done moving, unpacking, cleaning, etc. Cant wait til I can just come home and relax instead of worrying about what I still need to unpack. Time to get ready for work. (I have to leave much earlier than I did from the apartment to make it on-time) Talk to you soon.

Vacation

Vacation so far has been great. I have been taking tons of pictures, and some of them look amazing! I'm looking forward to framing them and hanging them in the new house. I haven't had many chances to write since I haven't been at home much and I keep meaning to try those "blogger" apps for my phone, but I haven't gotten around to it yet since we have been traveling like crazy from one spot to another. I will post about all our experiences (with tons of pictures) when I get home.

PS- I miss my hubby. I have never been away from him for this long before and I don't like it very much.

Packing...Packing....Packing

I will be spending all my free time this week packing for vacation. (I'm determined to fit everything I need in my carry-on) and packing up the house.

We are planning on doing a lot of the moving the week I get back from vacation. That means I have this week to pack up everything. And we have already run out of the boxes that we had. I'm going to spend today driving around looking for boxes on the back side of stores. Sounds exciting, huh?! UGH. Oh well, it has to get done.

Oh and the computer-for-my-pocket (new cell phone) was announced today and will be arriving in stores on Thursday. Just in time for my vacation! It's gonna take me awhile to learn everything about it but it'll give me something to do at the airports, I guess. I have a 4 hour lay-over on one of my flights. That does not sound like much fun at all, but with a new phone to play with.....it doesnt sound quite as bad! :)

I want something.....

So you know how there are some things that just make you think of a certain person when you see them....Like when I see anything Star Wars, I think of Chris....Or when I see anything Hello Kitty, I think of a good friend at work....Or when I see cows, I think of my sister......

I want something that people see and think of me. I don't think I have anything right now. But I have an idea!

Cute, little bumble bees!

Now, I know what you're thinking...Why in the world would you pick a bee? Well, here is why....according to many "name books" that I have read over the years, Melissa means "honey bee." And as long as they are the cute little ones, not big scary ones like this:

I'll be fine.

Another thing that might work would be mermaids!

I have had a love for mermaids for as long as I can remember and have always wanted to live under the sea. Luckily, as a scuba diver I get to learn and understand that world below, but I still have to be hooked up to a tank and can only go so far, for so long. Maybe technology will advance far enough in my lifetime that I'll be able to spend a longer time under water.

Until next time.....  <3

Life is good.

Yesterday we signed the rental agreement for the house and gave our deposit (Good-bye house-buying fund) But at least we are closer to family and we wont have to live underneath those elephants anymore. And this house just feels perfect for us. Chris said that I could ahve the small room as my craft room and I am super excited about that! We are also going to have a room as an office and still have a guest bedroom....Isnt that amazing?!

I have less than one week til my vacation. East Coast- Here I come! I'm looking forward to spending a week exploring new places and taking tons of pictures and relaxing away from work with one of my favorite people. :)

I am not looking forward to packing and moving everything, although I am looking forward to purging and re-organizing everything! We have just accumulated so much stuff over the years and I just have not had much incentive to get rid of it, but now I dont want to move it, so that seems like incentive enough for me now!

Chris just found out that he is going to be getting "furlow" days every other Wednesday, and I know its not something that most people would be too excited about, I am VERY excited! Thats almost a guaranteed 2 days a month (whole days...not just a morning here and an evening there) that I get to spend with my favorite person in the entire world! Plus it will be a huge help when we start moving!

All-in-all....LIFE IS GREAT!!!

Crossing my fingers!

Oh my gosh, we went and saw the inside of the house today and fell in love. This place seems perfect for us. And while technically its only 3 bedrooms, there is a 4th bedroom off of the upstairs room, but it can't technically be counted since its off of the other room. Anyway, 4 rooms, 2 bathrooms, eat-in kitchen, laundry room (with dryer already there) and the living and dining rooms.

Its older, but Its the style that we wanted and has a lot of character and I REALLY hope it works out for us. As soon as we walked up, I felt at home. I can just see us living there and am already picturing where I want to put things.

We are filling out the applications and will hopefully hear something by the end of the week!

House Potential!

Right around Christmas, Chris and I found a house for rent up near my old elementary school. It was in a good neighborhood and closer to my family. (The downside of this place was that it was also for sale while it was up for rent. Chris and I decided we did not want to take the chance of moving and then the owners selling it 2 months later). Anyway, we told me Dad about it, who also seemed very excited (everytime he sees me, he casually mentions how nice it would be for Chris and I to live closer and how nice it would be to spend more time with us). (Another thing he mentions everytime I see him, is how I'm not getting any younger and that I can start growing my family anytime now. Slow down, Dad. The time will come soon enough). And he was obviously so excited about the possibility of us living closer that he told my Grandma all about it. So during Christmas dinner while I was at work, Grandma starts talking to Chris about moving to La Habra and how she will keep looking in the classifieds and she will let us know if she sees anything that might work for us.

Fast-forward 2 months: I got a call from Grandma who had very exciting news. She called and told me that she had been reading the local paper and found a 3 bedroom, 2 bath house in La Habra Hts for rent.(and it right in our price range!) She said that she called the number right away and was just waiting to hear back more information.

Today, she calls me again and gives me more specifics about the location and such. The house sounds pretty cool! I'm excited to contact the owner tomorrow and see if this is something Chris and I would actually be able to make work. :)

I'm crossing my fingers for this one!

Missing you

Some days are so hard. I think about Mom all day long. I just want to be able to talk to her again. To think that she will never be here for me and Shell and Bub and Dad, it hurts so bad. It sounds ludicrous, but it actually makes my heart hurt. I'm not kidding....There's a pain in my chest that comes when I'm thinking about her a lot.  I just want her back. I want her to meet her grandchildren and help me move into my first house and...and....and....and.... The list goes on. I still have a hard time watching movies and tv shows where people die. Like right now, at this very minute, I'm the crying victim of "PS...I Love You." And whenever I decide to catch up on "Greys," I usually end up another crying victim.     ugh

Now, most days I'm good. I still think about her a lot. But somedays....I think about her all day long. I guess, most days I just hold all my feelings in until they explode out of me. People would tell me that it gets easier with time and for the longest time I didnt believe it. I believe it now. I'm so glad that there are people that have come into my life in the past year and helped me. Help guide me, gave me a shoulder to cry on or just an ear to listen to me. To know that I have other people in my life that have gone through this same thing, makes it easier for me. (And I don't want that to sound like I'm glad they have lost someone important to them...It's just that they have helped me through this journey and for that I am thankful.)

Having somewhere that I can write my feelings and get it out in the open I think will help. Maybe it won't all come expoding out like it did with this post. Today was a crazy day. I think I felt every emotion possible today but thank you for listening....to whoever may be reading this.

Vacation

My vacation starts on Friday March 18th. I will be flying across the country and staying in New Jersey. While I am there we will probably visit New Jersey (obviously), New York, Boston, Philly, and Washington DC. To say that I am SSSSSOOOOOOO excited for this trip would be an understatement! I am practically counting down the days until I fly out.  (21 days- 3 WEEKS) :)

One of those Moods

So, you know how there are those times when you wake up in the mood to clean and organize the entire house? Just like I did today, just after my "weekend" ends. Looks like I'll be spending all my free time this week cleaning and organizing (and boy does my place need a good cleaning right now).

It'll be worth it in the end, right?

Torn

While I love that Chris has a passion for theater and performing, I am so tired of not seeing him because of his rehearsals. And I know that I cannot complain (much) because I encourage him to do what he loves. He would do the same for me if there was something I was that passionate about too. He asks if he should do the shows and I say yes because I know that it will make him happy.
It's just hard to be at home with him for an hour in the afternoon (if I'm not working) and then have him leave to go to rehearsal for who knows how long. In the end, I suppose its good for both of us, I get to be more independent, and spend time with people that I dont get to see as often (friends and family). His rehearsal time has even given me a chance to rekindle friendships from my past that are very important to me. I just wish that I could tell his directors to not give him rehearsals on Tues/Wed so that he and I could share time together on my days off. But let me tell you, its a good thing we love each other and are able to make good use of the time that we do have together, otherwise I'd be a pretty lonely lady.
One of these days, maybe I'll just put in for an extra day off and make sure the only thing on our agenda is spending time with each other.

Coming Soon.....

My new phone....well at least the new phone that I want to get. I wasnt even expecting to get a new phone until Chris kept talking about it ALL THE TIME! And then I got an email from Verizon saying I was eligible for an early upgrade. Now I want this phone. Its like having my own little computer in my hands. Since both Chris and I are planning on getting it, we will be able to video-chat, play games against each other.....There are apps so I can blog on the go (read: more posts from Missy) and edit pictures (there is actually a photoshop app- plus its free! How cool is that?!) Anyway, I can do just about anything that I want on this thing. I just want Verizon to give a release date already...(Many of the bloggers think it will come out on Monday, we'll see) I'll keep you updated on this amazing tool. :)

The gift of friendship

Tonight, I was able to spend time with the family that was like the second family to me growing up. I feel so comfortable and at home in that house and with those people. Even though there are others added (husbands and babies) I could spend all night with these people to me because they are the people that helped shaped me into the person that I am today. To think that I have known some of these people for the last 20+ years, amazes me. We have gone through points where we have lost touch and times when we were inseperable, but in the end, we will always know that we will be there for each other. I am thankful everyday for being able to rekindle this relationship at a point in my life when I needed them most. Thank you to my girls. You know who you are. <3

I wont forget about you!

Well, not to say that I've forgotten about my blog....but I kinda forgot about my blog. Since my last post, we spent a week in Walt Disney World (which was amazing!) and celebrated all the Holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years) I was picked back up as a manager for the Holiday season and just found out about a week ago that my assignment was extended til May 28th (Hopefully this assignment will be extended through summer and then into a permanent position.) Well, Chris just got home from rehearsal, and its time for bed. So, I will try to not forget about ya'll again. Write again SOON!