September

This photo has little to do with anything, but what's a post without a photo? It's statistically proven that the internet loves cats, so here is sweet Greg, helping me sew. 

Here we are guys, mid September. WHATTHAHECK? It's basically fall. The highs all week are sub 90 (hey, it's Texas, we'll take what we can get), and pumpkins have made their appearance at HEB. I've been integrating leggings back into my wardrobe and planning Halloween costumes. (WHAT SHOULD I BE?)  What have you been up to? I've been working working working. Running a store means periods of relative peace, and periods of chaos. This is a period of chaos, but I sort of thrive in that environment, so it's okay. I go into workaholic mode and become sort of addicted to work. I worked 56+? hours last week between both jobs, and secretly loved it. Don't get me wrong though, I'm tired and prefer the periods of peace.

Mr. Hogan is somehow already wrapping up his second of six rotations, and honestly it's been lovely. I mean, at least for me. Everyone warned us about rotations and how hard they'd be, but really, it's been great. It's just like he has a job. That he pays to go to? There's no class, no studying. When he's home, he's home. We can chill and play and relax without the stress of school. Our theory is that everyone thinks rotations are so hard because they've been perpetual students for almost a decade and most don't know what it's like to work 40+ hours a week. And it is a big change. Pharmacy school is hard, no doubt, but you're sitting most of the time and even though it's a lot of mental work, you're not actively "working". I can definitely see how rotations could be a rough change. But Brendon is a hustler by nature and no stranger to work, so it's been a smooth transition. So far. We're only two rotations in, there could be some nasty ones in the future. Like the one in another city where he lives away from me for six weeks. That's going to be fun. 

Sewing season has begun. I'm working on my dirndl number three (one and two here) and obviously have a Halloween costume to make. I'm having a hard time deciding what to be this year. I'm sure, as always, I'll wait until the last minute to throw it together. Feels good to be sewing for myself! 

And hallelujah we made it through summer without giving up on running. Kept it up all through the heat, running 3-4 days every dang week, aside from our vacay in Colorado. It's been cooling down and I've been so grateful that we stuck it out all summer. Every day our runs get faster, thank goodness for fall temperatures. We've got the five mile Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving and then the Austin Half Marathon in February. Eeeee! 13.1 miles! We haven't been able to add much distance over the summer, I think our longest run was seven miles, so it's time to start ramping up the distance! Our longest run in the spring was ten miles... ready to beat that! 13.1, I'm coming for you.

Hurray for fall. My most favorite time of the year is beginning and I couldn't be happier. Now bring on more cold fronts!!

Thank you October

A post with no pictures. I'm sorry. I just need to say that I am GLAD that October is here. I disliked September a little bit. If you haven't heard me moan about it already, I'd been running two stores instead of one for the past few weeks. Two stores that were very far apart. This was a good thing, because in the end I moved to a store much MUCH closer to home, but before I could just be at my new store I had to do both for a bit. Not the end of the world, but not easy. I had three days off in September. I worked a lot. And a fact of life was reinforced. No one cares. No one cares that you've got a gazillion and one things going on. No one cares that you're tired and frazzled and your body hurts a little. They have other things to worry about. Life doesn't care. Life doesn't stop because you're busy or tired. Life goes on as normal. And that is okay. Life is tough and everyone their own problems to deal with. It gave just me a little perspective. And perspective is always good.

I worked hard and I made it and I am glad. I'm glad for the opportunity and so glad to be working closer to home. I was very ready for October. Today was a day off and it was wonderful, although odd. When I work a lot, I tend to start feeling guilty for having days off. I get addicted to work and I feel like I'm doing something wrong by not being there. I'm insane, I know. You NEED time off. I know this now more than ever.

So there's that. That is why there was basically only required baking posts all month. I look forward to branching out again. Thank you for arriving October. You are my favorite.

Harlem Shakin'

These Harlem Shake videos are everywhere on the internet. Everywhere. And I usually try to avoid posting work related things, but this is my company's version:

I didn't even know what the Harlem Shake was until someone suggested doing this. If you don't know, watch a few videos on YouTube (this is my favorite) and you'll understand. It's basically oddly dressed people dancing around like maniacs. So of course I was in! And yes, I am the weirdo on the table with a wand. I'm Harry Potter obviously.

We had a whole lot of fun making this video and I'm glad that I work for a company that gets down like this. Every time I watch this I laugh my butt off. Mostly because I know everyone and it's hilarious watching them bust a move, to me anyway. Hurray for having fun!

Support

As I'm sure you've gathered (as I have been saying incessantly), life has been busy lately. Mostly because of work. I previously said I've never worked so hard, ever, and that's the truth! The past three weeks have been intense. I've never been so tired. But it was all worth it and I feel very accomplished. I love working hard. Actually I don't know how to do anything else really!

Anyways, throughout all of this, my dear Mr. Hogan has been nothing but absolutely supportive and wonderful (with only very minor whining once or twice ;)). He was there to tell me I was doing a good job and that it was okay for me to be a big whiner. He didn't complain when I was constantly sleepy, when I passed out during every movie we watched and on the shortest car rides to and from dinner (and once at 7:30 in the evening). He told me he missed me and he wished I was home more, but he was never angry or short with me. I could tell he was grumpy (now he knows I how I feel when he's in school!), but he did such wonderful job of keeping his cool. And he did all kinds of dishes, cooked all kinds of meals (!!), and cleaned our little home. I should be crazy busy more often!

I don't know what I'd do without Brendon. He's my rock, my happy place, and my home. He is also hilarious and adorable which doesn't hurt.

Thankfully life has returned to normal this week. We have a few more weeks of summer until pharmacy school steals my husband away again. How is it already that time again? How it is August? June and July where did you go? Come back! I said at the beginning of the summer that I was anxious about this summer since last summer was a rough one, but I had a feeling this one would be better. And goodness has it been! It's been such a wonderful summer. Everything a summer should be, lots of sun, lots of fun! It's a good thing fall is my favorite season, or I'd really not want to let this one go.

Coffee life version 2.0

I am alive. I know you all thought I was dead (at least via the internet), but alas! I have just been living at work. I don't blog about work often for a couple reasons: putting your work biz on the internet is usually not professional, and it would probably be boring for you all to read about. BUT, since I have done pretty much nothing but work for the past couple weeks, allow me to shed a little light into my work life (work friends who read this blog, I apologize. I know you know what's up).

If you are new to this little blog (or just clueless about what I've been up to for the past year) I work at a coffee shop and I love my job. Seriously. I wont go into the details, but it's a blast and everyone I work with seems to suffer from awesomeness.

I started out with the company a little over a year ago as a barista right after we moved from Austin. I kind of went out on a limb taking the job and took a pretty significant pay cut from waiting tables, easily by half. BUT, I had a good feeling about it and it ended up being a great decision. In December I was promoted to a supervisor position and about a month ago I was promoted to assistant general manager opening a new store with a seriously great general manager (Roger, don't let that go to your head). From basically minimum wage to salary in a year? I'll take it, I worked my butt off!

Anyway, we officially opened the new store today! We are the 8th store in Texas and this is the second store I've helped open. I was originally hired to open the 6th store, so it has been so awesome to be able to open another store, this time as management. Opening a store is a lot of fun, but it is also a lot, I mean A LOT, of work. I have never worked so hard in my life. Ever. I can't remember my last day off. I am far and beyond exhausted, my feet (and body) are killing me, but it has all been a blast and so worth it.

So that's what I've been doing. And here are a few pictures of it all via my phone because who has time for a real camera these days? Not me.

The best part of opening a new store? Writing on everything. And labeling everything. And putting everything where you want it... okay there are a lot of good things.

I don't know what you know about espresso machines, but that bad boy is a beauty.

We have a chalk board wall. How cool is that? Of course I jumped all over that nonsense.

In case you're ever wondering what I look like 75% of my life.

Beautiful flowers my dad and step momma sent!

Last night we had a preview event and gave away a gazillion free drinks. It was so busy! But so fun! My mom and sister came all the way up to watch me run around like crazy, those sweeties. And I got to see all my homies (yes, homies) from other stores, you are all the best for coming and supporting us! 

Putting a store together is seriously rewarding, seeing it go from an empty shell to a fully stocked and functioning shop is surreal. And I am so fortunate to work for and with such fantastic (and FUN) people!

And for those in the know:

The biggest RAD order I've ever seen (although I've heard rumor of bigger). And... there was no invoice.

I am alive.

Y'all. This week has been insane. To say it was a long week would be a disgusting understatement. It's been nonstop wildness since Sunday. I have gotten very little sleep, seen my husband for like 8 hours total, and eaten maybe 2 meals at home... but regardless, it has been a good week. I am physically, mentally, and emotionally exhausted, but I alive (perhaps barely), happy, and am loving life.

Lot's of details on this cray cray week coming soon I'm sure, but for the moment I am trying to focus on the fact that I have the next two days off with Brendon. And boy do I need them.

Hope you have a great father's day weekend y'all, hug and celebrate the daddios in your lives!

The importance of being nice

This is my attempt at looking extra friendly. And meet my new favorite sweater! SO SOFT!

Life lessons from someone you probably don't take seriously! Ha ha.

Rudeness is a quality I cannot tolerate. Unfortunately we all deal with this everyday, usually from complete strangers. I do NOT understand this. I go out of my way to be kind, friendly, and at the very least polite to people I encounter and interact with even if they don't do the same for me. You never know what kind of day they're having and what impact you and your actions may have on them. There is so much nastiness out in the world, why add to it?

I guess working in customer service for 100 years has probably affected my outlook on things. I have been on the receiving end of rudeness too many times to count. This is understandable, but not okay at all, because everyone knows that working in customer service sucks. You deal with grumpy people, people in a hurry, and people who could care less about you as long as they get their beer, food, or nonfat extra shot latte, stat. It's frustrating but it happens everyday. But rudeness unfortunately also happens outside of work. People are just plain rude sometimes

My favorite way to deal with the grumpy folks out there is to "kill them with kindness" (as my momma taught me!). That's pretty much my game plan. I'm rarely rude in retaliation, even if people deserve it. Because like I said, you never know what might be going on their end. Life is a mess and sometimes days suck, I'd hate to make it worse. And the good news is that sometimes you can thaw grumpiness and end up brightening their day! Bonus! In my case the bad news is, because I aim to please, I tend to get walked over sometimes (a lot). So I guess there is a point where you've got to have a little backbone and stick up for yourself if someone is out of line or just stomping all over you. I'm working on that part. But there is usually a nicer way to say things, even if it's not something someone wants to hear.

And of course there are plenty of completely lovely people out there to make up for the meanies. As a great example, the other day I hit the jackpot and it seemed that everyone I encountered was nice. I had the sweetest sales associates help me out while I was shopping (at two stores!) and then while I was at Walmart (aka a mecca for jerks) a sweet old man complimented me on my outfit, twice. Suh-weet.

So the next time you're out, make an effort to be nice to people you see. It's so easy and it makes you feel good. Smile at your cashier, even if it looks like they hate their job (they probably do). Or be a little more patient with your server, you are not their only table. Let a car merge in front of you (this is for all you Austinites). Hold a door open for someone. And please say please and thank you. The world would run a little smoother if everyone just took a second to be little more kind and thoughtful. What comes around goes around y'all. Like they say, karma is a bee-otch.

Spread the happiness people, a little goes a long way!

Coffee life

Last night I finished my last shift at my store. I'm not going to lie, I may have teared up a little on the hike to my car. Maybe. Although I won't miss the parking situation; I will miss the awesome regulars, our tiny little store that feels like home, and all my wonderful and hilarious co-workers/drag family. You guys are seriously awesome. You made work feel a lot less like work and a lot more like laughing until your abs hurt. Thanks for being badasses.

I start at my new store tomorrow morning. I'm a little nervous but I am looking forward to the challenge. And the guaranteed parking. Plus mo' money is always nice. I have to stack that paper to afford Brendon's ridiculous shopping habits. Joke. It's more like these cats are eating and pooping us out of house and home.

Tailgatin'

Today for work I got to tailgate at the UT game and give out frosty samples of our ice blendeds. It was fun! It was very hot, but there was this wicked breeze and luckily we were in the shade. Traffic wasn't nearly as bad as I thought either. It was a little nuts at a couple points (people just walk down the middle of the street, apparently UT fans are not afraid of being hit by cars), but really much better than I imagined. It was a neat experience, there were soooo many people there. It was like a Cowboy's game or something. Probably even crazier. I want actually go in and watch a game sometime. We drove by the stadium and it looks so intense all filled up. Even my little cynical self was feeling some team spirit.

So to counteract my desire to attend a football game, let's talk about something that irks me about UT. From my short time working by campus, from what I've gathered via Brendon, and my tailgating experience today, I've come to a conclusion about UT students: everyone likes to match. Dressing the same is a "thing" at UT, like an unofficial dress code. Girls and boys are both guilty of this, but girls do the bulk of it. The most interesting matching phenomenons are: cowboy boots and shorts/skirts/dresses and the nike running shorts with baggy t-shirts. I encountered the former today for the first time and was pretty astounded. I think it must be a football game thing because almost every single girl was sporting cowboy boots. Don't get me wrong, I love me some cowboy boots every now and then, but it was super hot and all these girls are wearing boots. With shorts/dresses. And walking long distances too. Their feet must hate them afterwards. And everyone has these burnt orange t-shirt material dresses (some of which are not cute, some aren't too bad). Matchy, matchy, matchy. And the nike running shorts baggy t-shirt combo is my biggest pet peeve. It drives me crazy. Sooo many girls wear this everyday on campus. I will see seriously like 8 of them walking together and all wearing the same thing in different color variations. Do they realize they're all dressed the same? You know those girls don't run. And it is not a flattering ensemble. Plus those shorts are not cheap, how can they afford so many pairs?? (daddy's money) I could go on for years about how much this bugs me and how silly it is. It makes no sense.

Buuut, I guess I can't really talk because I basically live in the same four sundresses, denim shorts, and v-neck t-shirts. We all could use with a little mixing up of our wardrobes. But at least I'm not trying to coordinate with my amigos. I think that went out of style in 2nd grade.

Last night Brendon tried to teach me some pharmacy school stuff. He was drawing amino acid formulas and trying to get me to guess them. What? I barely even know what an amino acid is. He's so smart it scares me sometimes.

Sorry for the lack of pictures lately, I've been a lazy blogger. I've just been such a sleepy head this past week. All I think about is sleeping. Mmmm my bed sounds like a good place to be right now.

SoCo, book reports, and puke

I have been a negligent blogger! I was hoping to be posting everyday, or at least every other, but I have not been diligent in my blogging. That's okay though because there's only like 6 people who read this and I married one of them.

This weekend my daddio and my step momma came up to visit. We had a night on the town in Austin! We went over to South Congress (they call it SoCo, how cute is that?) where's there are a ton of shops, restaurants, and one of those food trailer parks, Lynne was excited about those. It was really neat! We went to Uncommon Objects which is a very well organized antique store. It is also very over priced. Denton's Antique Mall on the square probably had the same stuff for half the price, but it was a hot unorganized mess. I love antique stores!

I apologize for the terrible grainy quality, I iphoned it up. There was a time in my life when I used to keep an actual camera on me at all times. I should get back into that.

 At the food trailer park! You can see down town in the background, it was such a pretty night. And not too unbearably hot either. Check out those people hula hoopin' on the left, they were selling hula hoops for $4. I feel like that's a little steep for hula hoops covered in duct tape.

Lynne is the cupcake queen so of course we had to check out the cupcake truck. They were pretty good, but super rich and I was stuffed from dinner so I could barely get through half of mine.

I love seeing my family! Even though we're so much closer it doesn't happen as often as I'd like. Gas is killer!

I've been a reading machine recently. I've read Brave New World, 1984, Wuthering Heights, and the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I'm just starting the Girl who Played with Fire. Book review time! 

Brave New World and 1984 were very similar, you guys know the premise. They were both depressing and a little creepy to see how accurate they ended up especially since they were written so long ago. 1984 was actually a bit of a tough read after all my usual easy reading (Harry Potter...). It felt good to exercise the old brain a bit. Wuthering Heights was legit, that's such a good story! And it has a happy ending which was very welcomed after the previous two. I took a break from classic literature and read the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo next. Brendon's mom let us borrow the series, the movie is coming out this December (yay Daniel Craig!) so I figured I better read it before I saw the movie. It was good, nice and long, but a lot more background info than plot. But it was an enjoyable read and it sucked me in. How nerdy am I?! I love me some books.

Okay, so today. My boss called me at 6:20 this morning asking me if I could come in to work and I was pretty much like "hell yeah!" because mo' hours = mo' money. I get there, have a breakfast taco, make some drinks, and then I feel like death. Super nauseous. I end up puking at work twice (sorry if that's gross), and getting sick at work is the PITS man. So I spent the last half of my shift feeling like I was going to die but tried to save some face and keep my cool in front of customers. And coworkers. My sweet boss let me go home early, but that drive home was intense. I didn't know if I was going to make it! But I did, obviously, and crashed on the couch and ate some rice crispies dry out of the box. Dry cereal seems like my go-to for feeling pukey. I'm feeling better now, just a little weak. I guess maybe it was the taco? And I just needed to get it out of my system? Regardless it sucked and getting sick at work is super embarrassing. The end.

Keeping that chin up

If you've been reading this blog for any amount of time, I'm sure you're aware that lately life has been a little less than perfect lately. We moved to Austin weeks after returning from our honeymoon, and basically exhausted all our resources between the honeymoon, moving, and paying deposits on the new place. Then I had the hardest time ever finding a job. I decided to not transfer to Hooters down here in Austin because I badly wanted to depart from the company. Now, I see that as something kind of selfish and reckless of me. Although I was very ready to be done working there, it would have been a good income right away and we would not be in the situation we're in now (although Hooters is a black hole and I know I'd get sucked in for a while which is exactly why I didn't transfer). So I was unemployed for a month that I like to think of as my month of housewifery. And then I got pneumonia, which was stupid expensive. Thankfully I got the job at Coffee Bean, which has helped, but I'm not getting the hours I need and the pay is significantly less than what I was making at the hoot. Now that our new store is open I am hoping to get more hours.

Through all this Brendon has been unbelievably supportive and wonderful and just the best ever. He is amazing and I am so thankful for him. He is behind me no matter what, telling me it will be okay. And it will, I know it will. This is just a rough spot, we'll get through it and be stronger for it. And smarter.

We had it made in Denton, we just didn't know it. We blew money like crazy, going out all the time, shopping, doing god knows what else but definitely not saving. This was a reality check for sure. We've had to make major changes. We basically don't go out if it requires spending money. And if we do, we're smart about it. A matinee movie is our favorite date. We've found free things to do around Austin, unfortunately many of them are outside and it's hot as hades out there, but they're fun and help us to get to know our new city. We've gotten creative with cooking, and in the process have found some pretty dang good recipes to add to our repertoire. We spend a lot of time watching movies, hanging out on the couch, playing domino's or cards, etc. It's definitely not an exciting lifestyle, but I don't care. It's me, Brendon, and the cats. And we have fun. Sometimes we get down, but not for long. We're good at cheering each other up, if one of us is especially pouty the other will set them straight. We really have no room to gripe. We have a roof over our heads, food on the table, jobs, and each other. That's a lot more than so many people have. These past months have been eye opening and I think we're infinitely better for it. Live and learn y'all.

And since that was a little on the down side, I'll leave you with this photo that always makes me smile and laugh and be so grateful for this amazing life we lead.

Yep. Bringing it back. Dancing with Brendon is my favorite. We're both terrible dancers (if you were at the wedding, you know and I apologize for sorrily busted moves), but we have a blast doing it. I am thankful for this. Thankful for Brendon. Thankful for this crazy good life we have together and everyone who is a part of it. And thankful for the fantastic Led Zeppelin that I am listening to.

Mundane Monday

Nothing exciting has been happening lately. Nothing than I can think of anyway. Just working and chillin' out. We open our store Thursday, so today was our first day to be actually in the new store. It's pretty cool, it's in an awesome old building that used to be a theater. Parking sucks though.

Thursday Sophie went to the vet to get a checkup and her rabies vaccine updated. She was a boss! Got an A on her exam and was so brave. She only tried to get into the cabinets a couple times. We're taking Greg next month, and that will be an entirely different story. That cat has issues, he's such a weenie. We warned the vet ahead of time.

Yesterday we were expecting my family to come visit, but they didn't. So Brendon and I had a date night instead! We had a burger and a steak at the Fridays downtown (which has a great view of the lake and the Congress bridge. It would be a perfect place to bat watch!). Then we then ventured over to check out the Austin Symphony's Concert in the Park. We split a bottle of wine, laid in the grass with the ants (they thought we brought the blanket for them), and listened to a very lovely woodwind quartet. If you're ever in need of something to do on a Sunday night in Austin, go to one of these summer concerts. They've got four that they rotate; woodwinds, brass, strings, and big band. Last time we went we heard the big band concert, I liked the woodwinds better, but I'm partial to classical. And it's free! And even though it's like a billion degrees, you're on a hill and you get the best breeze. And then afterwards you can follow the river down to the Congress bridge and watch the bats fly out. The timing is pretty perfect, the concert ends just before/around sunset.

Brendon starts pharmacy school in less than a month!! I'm so excited for him. And a little jealous. In my original dream plan I would be starting grad school now too. But that is not the case. So I will live vicariously through Brendon! Seriously though, he's going to have a blast. He has his White Coat Ceremony just before school starts, where they give him his white pharmacy coat (I know I know, who'd have guessed), and I'm probably going to cry. I'm so proud of him, he's such a badass.

In other pointless news, my hair is out of control. I need a haircut bad, but I feel like that's a silly thing to spend money we don't really have on. So until then my hair is large and in charge. It would probably look more civilized if I bothered to fix it, but psshh, why do it if I don't have to! Usually I just sport the ponytail if I work, or if I'm off I throw it in a bun or rock what I think of as the "half-Hermione". My hair isn't curly, but it's not quite straight and there's a whole lot of it, so it gets big. Poor Brendon. No more polished girlfriend, just a messy wife. That's whats supposed to happen when you get married right?

Why not take smirking pictures of myself? It's my blog, I'll post 1,000 pictures of myself if I want to. ;)

And in all fairness to my hair, I wore at hat at work this morning, so that can't have helped the situation.

Slingin' coffee instead of beer

About to embark on my first day of training, hope it goes well. Orientation was good, got to meet everyone that's opening our store. Seems promising. Quite a few other people with degrees, makes me feel a little better. This economy is so wonderful isn't it? Everyone seems really nice and it seems like a great company with lots of room to grow. And it's owned by Nolan Ryan and his family! What I'm most excited about though? Working in jeans, a t-shirt, and my hair in a ponytail. No more tiny shorts, panty hose, or fixing my hair everyday. Hallelujah.

Wish me luck y'all. Hopefully I don't spill hot coffee all over myself. I know it will happen eventually, just not on the first day please.

tea love

Decaf green tea is my new favorite thing. And it's super good for you. Antioxidants! Zero calories! Super yummy! I'm addicted. And how cute is that cup? Wedding presents are wonderful. :)

In related news, I have orientation for my new job Friday at the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf. It's definitely not my dream job (I'm still on the lookout for it, if you see it let me know) and the pay will be considerably less than what I was making at the hoot, but I'm hoping it will be far less stressful and my body will appreciate that. Plus a jobs a job and we need that cash money! Hoping it all turns out good. Hoping I'm not working with a bunch of people 5+ years younger than me. Hoping working at a coffee shop with a bachelors degree doesn't drive me insane. THINK POSITIVE! The location is kinda cool though, it's a brand new new store right off campus so I'll be near Brendon while he's at school. Coffee breaks to visit the wife? Yes! Ironically I can't drink most of what they serve since I'm highly sensitive to caffeine. Brendon says I'll be working in a house of poison. So dangerous, livin' on the edge!