Extra Storage Space

For the past few weeks Carl (with a little help from me) has been working on our next housing project. It's something that I've wanted to do since I moved in but out of necessity it's happening now - building a shed.

Despite the fact that Carl is pretty much a minimalist and doesn't have a lot of stuff, he does have a lot of tools and bikes and our house is pretty full already. There was limited storage for even just me so having some extra space will be helpful for both of us.

Carl keeps commenting on how slowly he's completing this project, but I'm more than impressed. Considering he's been traveling every work week, he's made the most of his time on weekends building an 8x12 shed.

There are a few more steps before it's complete but I thought I'd show some progression in the past few weeks.

Otherwise, life continues to be pretty hectic and great. In addition to Carl's busy travel schedule, mine has increased a bit. We went about 10 days without seeing each other, minus a few hours here and there we overlapped. We're apart again now for a week. We both do a really good job of staying in touch and making sure our time together is great. Considering how independent we both are, it works for us. I'm just very grateful that for the first few months we were dating it wasn't like this. I think it certainly would have changed our progression and since I'm so happy where we are now, it's hard to imagine things being any different.

Suffice it to say, living together continues to be great. Growing a garden and growing our love - one tomato (or five so far!) and weekend (well, most of them) at a time.

And, finally, just for fun, here's Lucie celebrating Easter:

Zoo Playdate

Last weekend Missy was out of town so Chris asked for some help with the girls. It was super fun to spend so much time with Lucie and Audrey. Audrey just turned 6 months and is getting so close to crawling. I may or may not have tried to tempt her to crawl by holding a toy at arms length to see if she would go for it....

On Sunday I took the two girls to Mayfield Park (otherwise known to me as 'Peacock Park') where they could check out the peacocks and peahens. Sadly, I didn't get pictures of that. I think the most important thing to capture was me trying to maneuver a double stroller down the hills of Balcones and trying to hold two small children in my arms who were both a bit scared of the peacock noises.

But I did get pictures from Saturday when I took Lucie to the Austin Zoo along with Jen, Larkin and Layne. The zoo in Austin is more of a wildlife rescue center. It's one circle with 1 bear, 4 lions, 4 tigers, a few monkeys, 4 wolves (one of which has 3 legs) and a bunch of goats. But the girls had a blast!

Between the train ('choo choo') that pretty much drives you around some statues and the feeding pens (again, more goats), the kids were in heaven! It was a great activity to do with the girls and it was one more special way I could spend time with Lucie.

I look forward to more special bonding moments with Audrey as she gets older (and more mobile) but will continue to enjoy the special one-on-one time Tia Mellie and Lucie get to have.

West Texas

For those of you not from Texas, you have to understand how large this state is. It's been a real adjustment for me since I come from a state where you can drive to 3 or 4 different states in less than half a day. Despite the fact that Texas is bordered by some water (the gulf only sort of counts) I feel pretty land locked at times.

In the 7 years I've lived here, I've hit the major cities - Dallas, San Antonio, Houston - but have never driven more than an hour west of Austin (which is fairly central in the state).

Until this past weekend....

There's a small town in West Texas (note: small is a population of 2000 people) called Marfa. Since I've been in Austin, I've heard about this cool, hip town that is about 7 hours west of Austin. Where there are great restaurants and cool art museums.

So Carl and I decided to check it out. It was 2 months out that we had to book our place at El Cosmico, a cool 'hotel' of restored vintage trailers.

So Carl, Buster and I hit the road early last Friday morning and spent the weekend in Marfa. I'll admit I was a bit underwhelmed when we pulled into the town. While I knew it would be small I thought it would a little more exciting looking.

But once we spent some time there I can see the charm. The food we ate was great, especially on Friday night at Cochineal and overall it was a very relaxing weekend. We slept great, enjoyed leisurely mornings with coffee, the nights staring at stars in an amazing black sky and hit the road back East on Sunday morning. Not before a swim in a cold springs just outside of town.

While I don't think I need to go back to Marfa (since we did pretty much everything there was to do) I'm so glad we went. It was also the first trip Carl and I have taken just the two of us. It was great to know we can spend so much time together and not get sick of each other. In fact, it makes me love him even more, knowing how easy he is to be around whether we're silent or joking around. So even if Marfa wasn't quite what I imagined, I'll remember it for so many other reasons.

Veggie (and Herb) Love

We have a garden! A real garden!

It's something I've always hoped to have. To be able to pick tomatoes and squash from plants I've grown sounds quite divine. But I didn't know much about how to get started.

We had a garden as kids growing up but my brother did most of the work. So I thought I'd start small with some herbs.

But Carl is ambitious and doesn't let a challenge get the best of him. So he built us a garden and we planted tomatoes, eggplant, squash, cucumbers, jalapenos, rosemary, basil, mint, thyme and oregano.

So far, so good. I think the biggest challenge will be keeping the neighborhood wildlife (a.k.a. feral cats) out of our garden bed. I'll be sure to send regular updates of how things are growing.

Welcome Home, Carl

It's been less than a year and a half since I started this blog - all due to a big change in my life - buying my first home!

Well, now I'm having another first - living with Carl (really living with any boy).

Carl has officially moved in and I couldn't be happier. After only a little more than 3 months of dating (we like to round up to a year) we've made this big decision. And it couldn't feel more natural.

Just like everything else in our relationship, it feels completely right.

We started talking about moving in together after only 6 weeks. I had trouble wrapping my head around it because it felt so soon. I quickly realized that ‘soon’ was relative and that while we hadn’t been dating that long, we had spent a lot of time together, got along great and communicated so well that time didn’t feel normal. I was caught up in what people would think and how they would react.

And, to be honest, if any of my friends said they were moving in with someone after this short period of time, I may question it. So I expect that and I get it. But that doesn’t change my mind. And I had to get past my own concerns of what others would think and choose what I think is right for me. For us.

And this just feels right. More right than I ever thought something could feel. I now get it. I get how a relationship can and should feel when you’re both mature, open, loving people. So, I’m making room in my 670 square foot house for him. For us.

So while the origin of my blog was about a single gal, living in her first home it’s now evolved. It’s now about two people in love, sharing a (tiny) home. The good news is that we’ll have even more projects to blog about including a soon to be planted garden.

I do, periodically, have flashbacks to the Friends episode when Monica and Chandler decide to move in together and she whines, “I live with a boy!”…..yep, I can relate. Living with a boy is far different than living with a girl. But so far, it’s way better.

Lent

Every year I give something up for Lent. While I'm not a (practicing) Catholic, I was raised that way and have given something up every year. Mostly because I like a challenge and goals so it's right in line with my own personal religion, which is mostly focused on results.

This year I've given up one of my favorite things:

Ever since I did the 21 day food challenge earlier this year, I've been trying to limit some unnecessary sugars. Chocolate chip cookies, sadly, are one of them. I just don't feel great after eating that amount of sugar. But I've fallen off the wagon lately and have been eating more and more cookies. So I figured I needed another boost. This doesn't mean I'll never eat another chocolate chip cookie. But maybe I'll save that for the really good ones.....

I also decided to add something to my life during Lent - flossing. I'm not a consistent flosser, although I don't mind it and like how it makes my teeth feel. But recently going to the dentist, I was reminded how much of a difference it can make.

So my goal is to floss everyday for the 40 days of Lent, with the hope that it forms into a habit. So far, I missed one day. I doubled up the next day and flossed twice and have been on track since. It's hard at night, when you're tired and just want to get in bed. But it's less than 2 minutes of my life that I know is worth it.

Ruffin' It

It's been a busy few weeks. I've been out of town for the past three weekends and several more are on the horizon. Three weekends ago I was in Orlando, Florida for work. Needless to say, I don't love Florida. I was there for as long as I needed to for the conference and did enjoy some time by the pool but it was mostly work.

Two weekends ago Carl, Buster and I went camping out at Carl's land in Dripping Springs. It was my first time camping with him and, to be honest, my first time camping in years. I like to camp. In fact, I love it. I really enjoy being removed from the hectic world and sitting by a campfire.

This camping trip was extra fun, though, because it was with Carl. He's so comfortable camping that it makes me feel completely at ease. Leading up to our camping trip, we stopped off for a little introductory rock climbing. My mom does not want to know that I'm trying rock climbing so I'll spare all the details but I really had fun! I'm not afraid of heights so that didn't worry me. We did some pretty easy climbs to teach me the ropes (literally). I completely trust Carl and since climbing is such a big part of his life, I want it to be part of mine (albeit on a much smaller scale right now).

We then headed out to the land, Buster and some food in tow and built a fire (well, Carl built, I watched...but I did later have to build my own fire and remembered everything he had done). It ended up getting quite chilly that night (below freezing). Little Buster was shivering until I snuggled him inside my jacket.

But it was an amazing night. The stars outside a city skyline are breathtaking and I loved enjoying this with Carl. We stayed in his Airstream Trailer that night. And while it kept us from the elements it didn't have heat. Once I nestled into my sleeping bag, I began to feel my toes again and I slept great!

I think the morning time is my favorite. Making coffee over the fire, watching the sun creep up across the sky and seeing the world wake up, is pretty cool.

We then spent the day on his land, with his friends. They climbed, I watched (this time) and we then cooked out on the fire again (the one I built). All in all it was a great weekend. Not only because I had a great time - because I did - but because it was so important to Carl. He loves his land and I'm growing to more and more every time I'm out there. So is Buster.....