"Feeling Gratitude And Not Expressing It Is Like Wrapping a Present and Not Giving It."-William Arthur Ward

I love Thanksgiving. It's my favorite holiday. I'm thankful for so many people (and things!). I'd like to express my gratitude through photos and inspiring quotes. 

Thank you to everybody who has helped me get HERE, which is the best place I've ever been.

I am thankful for my husband, George.

"We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures." -Thornton Wilder

I'm grateful that through hard times, we have bounced back stronger. I'm grateful neither of us have quit "us" and we both can depend on the other. I'm grateful EVERY day, not just Thanksgiving, that you married me. My best friend, my soul mate. 

 I am thankful for my family. They have loved me unconditionally. They are always there. Home will always be when I walk through the front door, hear the dogs barking, and smell my mom's cooking.

My dad's laugh warms my heart like nothing else. And with each passing day, I respect my mom more than I ever have. My sister and I have the exact sense of humor, and share a sensitive heart. I love my Van Meter unit! Can't live without them.

Grateful for my late grandmother and mother. And how though we each have our own look, the resemblance is still there. Grateful for heritage.

"Thanksgiving is the holiday of peace, the celebration of work and the simple life...a true folk-festival that speaks the poetry of the turn of the seasons, the beauty of seedtime and harvest, the ripe product of the year-and the deep, deep connection of all these things with God." -Ray Stannard Baker

Proud of my sister, and thankful she adds a Master's degree to our unit of four. Way to go, Bud.

My grandparents, Mimi and GrandDad.

 I am grateful for the opportunity to see two people still giddy in love after over 50 years. 

I am grateful for our family farm.

I am thankful for my Mimi's cooking, specifically her pies, and her teaching me how to make them this year.

Thankful for handwritten recipes passed down to me. Such a beautiful way for family tradition to live on.

I am thankful for my lifelong friends, who love me with every change of season. We've each grown and changed, but our friendship is unwavering.

I'm thankful for my furbabies. They teach me unconditional love everyday.

 I am thankful that my husband and I both have jobs.

"Thank God every day when you get up that you have something to do that day which must be done whether you like it or not. Being forced to work and forced to do your best will breed in you temperance and self-control, diligence and strength of will, cheerfulness and content, and a hundred virtues which the idle will never know." -Basil Carpenter

I am thankful I live in a state where I get to enjoy all 4 seasons. I love soaking up the summer rays, watching the leaves turn color and fall, snuggling up in winter, and being reminded of new life in spring.

Last spring, admiring new life.

Last summer at the pool.

Last week, enjoying autumn.

Last winter at the Caldwell's.

Last, but not least....

I am thankful for my Krispy Kreme, Drunken Noodles, and French Press coffee. Also known as the simpler things.

"If I have enjoyed the hospitality of the Host of this Universe, Who daily spreads a table in my sight, surely I cannot do less than acknowledge my dependence." -G.A. Johnston Ross





"If the only prayer you said in your whole

 life was, "thank you," that would

 suffice." -Meister Eckhart





xoxo,
L

May the Hibernation Begin...

The weather is cooling off. The windows have been open more often than not, and I've finally put my "cold weather tunes" playlist on repeat again. This includes Bon Iver, Vampire Weekend, Ben Howard, Postal Service, Penny Hill, Death Cab for Cutie, and of course, George Winston. Haha. No shame, I love "Thanksgiving," what can I say?!

This autumn I've been especially THANKFUL. Not just for material things, but for my network. I strongly believe in surrounding myself with people who lift me up and inspire me. Fortunately, I was born into a network of generous, loving, thought-provoking people. My family. I'll never be able to put into words how much they have been there for me, and I often worry that loving them isn't enough in return.

I fell in love with a man who stands by me through thick and thin, good times and bad. We have been through a lot the past (almost) 8 years, and continue to have life throw us surprises. He's my constant, my rock. And I'm very proud I picked him out, because he and his family are a huge part of my supportive network.

My friends have been around for as long as I can remember, going back to about age 5 or so. They have stood beside me and lifted me up, but most importantly, they have kept me laughing even through rough patches.

I don't have a recent pic of the 4 of us, what's up with that?!
To know more about why I love these ladies, you can click on the links below...
(http://lindsayelise0527.blogspot.com/2012/02/why-i-love-jessica.html)
(http://lindsayelise0527.blogspot.com/2012/03/why-i-love-ashley.html)
(http://lindsayelise0527.blogspot.com/2012/03/why-i-love-erin.html)

The DWC has continued to be a blessing to me. Women that want to improve their lives and the lives around them. Talk about upliftment and inspiration! One in particular has been a mentor to me as I've been working on obtaining non-profit status. She's lived life more than I have, and has lots to share with me. I'm like a sponge soaking up her knowledge. I'm so intrigued by what she has to say, I don't even pause to TAKE a picture of our time together, which is a pretty big deal for me, since I take pictures pretty much everywhere I go.

And even at my job, I have co-workers who help me out OUTSIDE of work, because they WANT to, not because I even have to ask. And I've developed newer friendships as a result of that level of support.

My favorite co-worker, Crystal, surprised me with Target goodies at my desk at the beginning of another surgery day. 

Despite this fantastic support, I've felt more intrinsically inclined than social. I do go through spurts. In high school, I loved socializing as often as possible. When I moved to Oklahoma by myself and embarked on the collegiate journey, I was alone more than I was with friends, and I developed a relationship with myself for the first time. Being long distance with George helped develop this introverted side of myself.

So this autumn, and all through the winter, I'll be spending a lot of time inside our little house, snuggled up with a blanket, sipping hot tea (and/or hot chocolate, depending on which Twin my Gemini personality presents), and thinking about how thankful I am. I haven't been blogging as much as I once did, but I have been journaling. I've become a little more reclusive, which might have been a good thing. My family has always been more private than I have through social media, and I'm starting to get a glimpse of why.

But I must say, as the leaves have been turning color and falling to the ground, preparing for winter, I have also felt a preparation for the next chapter in my life. We are going through many changes around here, and once I know more, I'll share more. Maybe. But until then, I'm enjoying the journey. And unlike the engagement and the wedding, this one feels more appropriate tucked in our little house, and shared with our closest family and friends.

xoxo,

L

Our Surprising and Exciting News!

We are expecting a little bundle of joy sometime late April, early May.

We found out on September 6th, and I'll be 15 weeks this Saturday. We kept it to ourselves for a while, then told our family and closest friends, and then let the news spread organically. Something just didn't feel right about posting it directly on Facebook. And it seemed so...surreal...I didn't want to announce something prematurely. 

So life around our home has changed drastically the past couple months. HUGE changes for us!!! My love of red wine came to an immediate halt, and rather than indulging in teratogens, I'm indulging in my random food cravings. Since I've been pescatarian (I eat seafood but no chicken, pork, beef, etc...) for a few years, craving red meat is a very strange craving for me. I eased my way into being a carnivore again very slowly! First with cheese enchiladas and meat sauce...and now I'm eating meatloaf and chili. And I CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF IT! People have asked if I'll go back to my vegetarian diet after the baby is born. How could I know?! I never thought I'd crave meat again, and didn't see this one coming. But I'm listening to my body, and I listened to my body when I stopped eating meat years ago. I'll continue to listen to my body and do what's best in that moment.

I've started to show, and I've gained 11 pounds. I've never been so excited to hop up on a scale and HOPE the number is higher each day. Never has it been so fun to gain weight. 

I'm extremely grateful for my husband, partner, best friend, and baby-daddy. Hehe. Papa Georgio has now earned his nickname, though he's been called that for years. The moment I told him the news, in my work parking lot (same place he proposed to me exactly a year ago), he was by my side. He's been sweet. He's been supportive. He's gone out and grabbed me dinner even after I brought some home (after changing my mind on what sounded good). He found a bar of pure white chocolate (I specified, "not that cookies and cream crap") and has already been kissing my tummy and talking to our little sprout. 

We find out the gender the weekend of Thanksgiving. I've had two dreams that the baby was a girl, and one of the dreams I was holding her and staring in her face. This makes me wonder if I saw our baby! If it's a boy, then I guess it was just a dream...But I don't really have a preference. I think it'd be easier (not like being a parent is ever "easy," though) for me to raise a boy, only because I think same-gender parents have to be tougher disciplinarians and have higher expectations. I'll be happy and focus on the positives either way.

The Past Few Months...

It's been a long time since I've updated this blog. There was a period when blogging was extremely therapeutic for me. Whether it was about religion, politics, or vegetarianism, I found this a great outlet to release my thoughts and rather strong opinions! Then wedding planning came and went, and I have since settled down a bit.

George and I live in a darling historic home in Texas. We love it here. I've been very happy. We have been married 7 months as of today. The biggest adjustment was moving in together, not being married. We had dated for 7 years prior to our nuptials, but I hadn't lived with anybody in years, and honestly, I'd become set in my ways at the ripe age of 25. Go figure. After communicating and compromising, we quickly got the hang of it. Things aren't perfect, but over all, I think we are both used to living together and very happy with our humble abode.

Despite not blogging, I have been journaling. I have had a lot of strong opinions the past few months regarding the political climate in this country. But I've realized I'm not going to change anybody's mind, just like nobody out there will change mine. I feel so strongly about my opinions, I don't want to make myself vulnerable by pouring my heart and soul out on this blog, only to hear criticism or scrutiny from another perspective that (believe it or not) I've probably already considered. I hear enough of the other side everyday. I live IN TEXAS, Y'ALL. I work with DOCTORS everyday.

Here are some pictures of what we've been up to the past few months. I've been a little MIA on this blog, but after the political season dies down, I will have much more to write about.

The Tinker Family Reunion was end of July-early August. We LOVED getting out there. One of the most beautiful places, no doubt. And such great people. What a trip. Seriously. MORE ON THIS LATER!!! Til then, a few pics.

We celebrated many birthdays in August, as per usual! My sister, mom, and dad (yes I'm the lone Gemini among 3 Leos), and George's mom! My favorite part about August is knowing we will get lots of family time in. My mom celebrated a milestone birthday this year, so we wanted to be sure it was something special. We got reservations at a local dinner theater, and got to participate with the actors over a 3-course meal! It was a murder mystery, and if I do say so myself, lots of fun!!!! George's mom treated US to dinner and a wine and jazz club.

At the wine and jazz club

We got a bottle of Black Stallion, which was AWESOME since we went to this winery on our honeymoon. Great night.

I cross-stitched a Tupac lyric that reminds me of my mom. She's pretty cool, knowing rap songs and what-not. And she always has been a bomb cook, so I wanted something cute and on display in her kitchen. And guess what? It IS in her kitchen, so I think it was a hit! 

One of the actresses with the murder mystery dinner. Such a fun way to celebrate a birthday!

Our family (my mom in the WINO dunce hat! YES!) with the actors! 

George and I got to see Crosby, Stills and Nash in Dallas. We met up with friends and completely enjoyed ourselves! My parents got tickets last minute (of course, in a way better section!) so even though we didn't see them, it was cool knowing we were experiencing the show at the same time!!

I also finally got to see a Rangers game (it's been a couple years!!!) with my mom, dad, and George. I loved spending a night at the ballpark!!!

My heart goes pitter patter for these two!!!!

Daddy bought me this Kinsler shirt when he saw a game with my sister and I was unable to go. Always thinking of me. And I'm always thinking of him! LOVE that man! He's perfect. :)

George and I enjoyed another ACL weekend! We have been every year since 2005. It's kind of like our Christmas. This year had a fantastic line-up. Some of my personal favs? Red Hot Chili Peppers, Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Florence + The Machine, The Avett Brothers, The Civil Wars, The Shins, Weezer, Tegan and Sara, Andrew Bird, Alabama Shakes, and Rufus Wainwright.

(Top Right is our "Pink Butterfly" flag, so we can find eachother in the park. Signal usually stinks.)

One of our favorite friends!!! Cam with his flag, Waldo. This received at least 893523598 compliments. People just loved  saying "I found WALDO!" amongst 80,000 people in a park.

Oh yes, watching the OU-TX game IN AUSTIN while reppin' my Sooners. The victory was the sweetest, EVER. Nothing tops talkin' trash to Longhorns in their city! Hahahaha. I was definitely outnumbered, and booed a few times. 

Traditional coffee on our friend Richard's patio, before the last day!

The Butterfly either needs to be replaced or reincarnated. She just can't hang anymore! Lookin' a little wimpy on Day 3. 

One of the most poignant photos I've ever seen. A bunch of strangers helping a stranger, so he could see one of his favorite shows. Don't tell me hippies don't have morals!!!!!!!!

After going back to work (always a downer after an ACL weekend!), George surprised me with "Crimson and Cream" flowers to display at my desk. These smell great, and they're STILL up there, lookin' good!

The DWC has continued to meet monthly. We had "cocktails and cupcakes" last month, and a more serious discussion on sex trafficking this month. I'm grateful for the presence this group has in my life. Meeting with like-minded women and discussing what we can do (even at a local level) to improve the lives of females is inspiring.

My family is doing well. I've felt extra close to them as of late. I'm so grateful we live so close to my parents. My sister has been able to visit from grad school a few times, and seeing her is always the best. Hopefully she will have an externship here over the summer and I'll be able to see her more often.

On Laura's birthday, I made her breakfast in bed, and we watched some SATC before going to North Park for a day of shopping. I love being with her, because we pretty much have the EXACT opinion of what a "perfect day" is, so I got to enjoy it as much as she did!

We have a few big changes coming our way, and I look forward to sharing them in the future. 

Lots of love and light!!!!!

xoxo,

L

"It's Not Always Rainbows and Butterflies...

...it's compromise that moves us along..."

Right? You know you're singin' it. At least you are if you're a girl, and you've seen this YouTube clip a million times when Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams are awarded Best Kiss (I think I'm probably 50 of the 1 million+ views!).

Of course, Ryan Gosling isn't really Noah from the Notebook, and the adorable Feminist Flickr isn't exactly real. Which brings me to my blogpost.

I have blogged about George more than any other topic in this blog. Back in 2010, I blogged about how scared I was to one day live with the man. Reading that post again today helped calm me down a bit.

While George and I share many commonalities (ie: our sense of humor, mutual love of the outdoors, free-spirited nature, and love of deep philosophical convos), we are also very different.

I admittedly have two personalities. I can be very chill and laid back, but also very type A and obsessive. It's the Gemini in me. George tends to leave little trails in the house. Diet coke cans, beer bottles, shoes, socks, dishes, trash. I like every item in the house to have a home. I'm not a 'clean freak' (I shamelessly haven't dusted or vacuumed since moving in, which is horrible since we've been here since May 10th!) by any means. But I'm ORDERLY. And he's the opposite.

His apartment got so messy (before we got married), I wouldn't even spend the night and I rarely went over, because the disheveled wreck put me in anxiety mode. I just avoided it. Twice, I helped him all weekend completely organize his room. Both times I told him "I won't be doing this again." Ha.

So, I'm going on strike. Wife Strike. The reason is because it bothers me if housework is not done. It doesn't bother him if it's not done. And half the time, I'm fairly certain he's unaware of the work I even do. So I told him I was going on strike. I wasn't going to do a single chore until he was aware of how much I do, appreciates what I do, and helps out.

The laundry pile is continuing to grow...

Here's the thing. I love George. I love his heart, his mind, his personality, his quirks. But we both work full time jobs (and I'm VERY grateful for this!). I'm not a housewife. I'm a workin' woman. So why is it that when I come home, with swollen feet from being on them for 12 hours, I have to do 90% of the housework? Jessica Valenti coincidentally wrote an amazing article TODAY about this very topic. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (a legit source) shows that women-EVEN THOSE WITH FULL TIME JOBS-still do the bulk of housework. "On an average day, 48% of women and 19% of men did housework. Married women with children who work full time spend 51 minutes a day on housework while married men with children spend just 14 minutes a day." This is insane. Don't get me wrong...if I stayed home, I would expect to do all the housework. And if George did, I would expect him to do all the housework. When we BOTH work out of the home, we BOTH need to work in the home. Period. It's 2012. I know that George never had to worry about this before, and it's coming as a bit of a shock now, but I figure if I don't put my foot down in the first few months of our marriage, I'm setting myself up for misery. I don't want that, and I know he doesn't want that....

The dishes continue to sit....

It's so ridiculous, I think it's kind of humorous. That's why I decided to share publicly. That, and because for all 28 times that I've gushed about George, I think it's only fair to make an accurate portrayal of our relationship. Yes, I'm still giddy in love with him, and I know I'll love him forever. But he annoys me with his messiness, and I have to put my foot down at some point. I know it's sounding one sided since I'm the author of this post, so to be fair, I know I'm on his nerves right now, too. I know he thinks I'm being dramatic and mean. There are three sides to every story...his, hers, and the truth. My hope is that eventually (and hopefully that's SOONER rather than LATER) he will realize all I do, appreciate all I do, and help out. Until then, enjoy the disgusting pictures of our humble abode...

My biggest reason for going on strike is explained in this photo. About 4 days after moving in, George lost the mailbox and housekey. I never had a chance to make copies. I asked him multiple times to handle the situation, but going in the backdoor and ignoring the postal service seemed to be easier. I finally told him I'm going on strike. 

This was a note from George on our one and only toilet. He clogged it up with dog feces and paper towels after picking up the mess and doing one big flush. We didn't have a plunger. Past-tense, because I picked one up after work today. (I guess I'm not as tough as I like to think I am!)
 This was what I woke up to this morning. This is part of my reasoning for going all out in a "Wife Strike." 

This would be one of the other reasons! We have puppy pads. George either didn't know where they are (mind you we live in a 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom, 800 square foot house), or didn't want to take the time to get one out, so he put down two paper towels. All day long. This was before the wife strike. I cleaned up this mess, but this is also part of my reasoning for putting my foot down.

Everyday I clean up the dogs' puppy pad mess. Not today.

Everyday I clean up his Diet Coke cans. Not today.

Everyday I pick up his trash (wrappers, pieces of paper, empty boxes, etc.), and when the trash/recycling piles up, I usually take it out. Not today.

We got a package today. It's still sitting outside!

Oh yes. The straw that broke the camel's back. When George was hanging a shelf on our bedroom wall (a task that he does NOT care about or desire, and one I've been asking him to do for about 6 weeks), my vintage sconce from Canton fell and broke one of our Anthropologie coasters. The lightbulb shattered on the floor.
When I zombie-walked to the coffee maker yesterday morning, I stepped in broken glass because he didn't clean it up. He left the broken glass on the floor! After throwing a fit that evening, he hung the sconce back up but didn't replace the bulb or shade. So now it's sitting on the bed, and I'm NOT GOING TO FIX IT!

Okay. I feel better now. I've ranted, I've tried to maintain a neutral perspective, and I've shown the world (more like the few people who MIGHT care) that all that glitters isn't gold. I wouldn't trade George for anything in the world. I LOVE being married (believe it or not!) and living with my best friend. But I'm also not going to pretend that we are in this perfect relationship because it is the cool online social media thing to do. It's not perfect. Nobody's relationship is. I know this is transitional and I know we are going to get better at this living together thing.

xoxo,
L